NOTE: This is a repeat of my own anti-Hilarity diary from a week or so ago. Since that time, the hype factor for Michigan Democrats to fuck around with the GOP primary has been steadily growing, not just from dKos, but from other sources here in the Wolverine state itself.
But before my fellow Michiganders do so...
Yeah, I know, there's already several other diaries blasting the "Operation Hilarity" concept on the Rec list, but screw it; I'll add one more to the (hopefully non-frothy) mix, with a slightly different spin.
Eclectablog has a diary shaming the idea for moral reasons--it's basically pissing on the whole concept behind voting in the first place, which many people died to give us the right to do, etc etc.
OllieGarkey has a diary that points out that helping to raise Santorum's profile will result in a horrendous increase in gay/transgender bashing, and may even increase the odds of him being made Romney's running mate, which would also lead to more gay-bashing.
Fish Out of Water notes that this sort of stunt could easily hurt Obama by lending sympathy to Romney, and by making the Democratic Party look as immature as the GOP truly is.
mole333 points out that as much "fun" as this sounds like, it's also a colossal waste of time and energy that could (and should) be put into other, more helpful activities like donating to/volunteering for other progressive candidates, etc etc.
Now, me? I don't have a moral problem with this, I don't know enough about the gay community to comment on the impact of a Santorum nomination, I doubt anyone's gonna feel sorry for Romney as a result, and I'm sure it would be a lark to cross over and pee in the opposition's cereal bowl for a day.
HOWEVER...
...I strongly oppose doing so anyway, based purely on the "be careful what you wish for" theory.
Yeah, yeah, yeah; I know Romney is supposed to be the tougher candidate for Obama to beat, but if history has taught us anything, it's that you NEVER KNOW what's gonna happen.
If you had told me on Sept. 12, 2001 that the next President of the United States was gonna be not just a black Democrat, but one who'd only held statewide office for 4 years and who had a Muslim-sounding name, I'd have said you were insane.
If you had further told me that not only would he win, but he'd do so by beating a 2nd-term Senator from New York who also happened to be the wife of a very popular 2-term former U.S. President, I'd have called you delusional.
If you had told me that he would then go on to beat a genuine war hero who was also a 4-term U.S. Senator who was considered by most of the public (rightly or wrongly) to be a "moderate" with "reasonable views" who "wasn't afraid to buck his party when it was the right thing for the country" etc etc, I'd have laughed.
And, if you'd further told me that he'd not just win, but would gain more votes than any other candidate in the history of the United States, I'd have sworn you were on medication.
Be VERY careful about fucking around with the GOP primary. The results could easily backfire on all of us.
Yeah, that's right--I'm saying that Rick Santorum, in spite of his lack of bottomless funds, his creepy/pervy obsession with all types of sex in the name of criminalizing, his abject hatred of women--could still end up being a tougher opponent for Barack Obama to beat than Mitt Romney.
Do I think this is likely? No, but honestly, who the fuck knows ANYTHING?
And if he did end up winning both the nomination and the White House, then ANY Democrat/Progressive who inadvertently helped him to do that by voting for him in the primary would be partly to blame.