I'm starting to canvass for the guy.

OK.  I'm a Dodd person.  And Dodd dropped out.  And then I was an Edwards person.  Then Edwards dropped out.  And now, it's down to Clinton and Obama.  And I just don't care who wins.  I don't.  I see really good things about both of 'em.  I see really irritating things about both of em.  Hillary's my gender.  Barack's my hometown kid.  One of 'em is going to win.  I don't care which one.  I just don't.  Whoever wins is gonna have my support as soon as this is over.

But it ain't over yet.

I learned a long time ago that if you don't care who's heading up the winning team, the best thing you can do is work hard to pick the guy who's heading up the other team.  

Who do I want OCblainmtaon to face in November?  No question.  Mitt Romney.  Mitt Mitt Mitt!  

Why?

1. The guy is a financial powerhouse with the fortitude to stay in this thing forever

2. He will attack whoever's closest to him... McCain, Huckabee, whoever is strong next week.  He'll do it loud.  He'll do it dirty.  And he'll do it on TV.  And, because he's a financial powerhouse, he can run commercials any damn place he wants to.  Where ever he wants.  For as long as he wants.  And screw the cost!

3. His natural constituency is the incredibly affluent.  No one else particularly likes him.  That isn't to say that he won't say whatever it takes to advance his interests to whoever happens to be around.  He will!  And that's part of his charm!

4. If, God willing, this goes to a brokered convention, you can count on Mitt to make it a fight you can be proud to have been a sponsor of.

So, I just signed up on Team Mitt.  I just told a whole lot of my progressive friends in Illinois that I was voting for him and asked them to do the same.  

Mitt's trailing McCain in Illinois by 8... with abysmal turn-out on the Republican side and Illinois being solidly blue anyway, and a really divided field, my vote is going to carry a lot more weight than it normally would.

I'm voting for Mitt not because I want a Romney White House... I just want him carrying the Republican banner into November.

Who's with me?

•  Tips for the tipless!

  by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:33:47 PM PDT

  •  What state are you in?

    And what's your party registration... Most people can't.

    by turnnoblindeye on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:37:19 PM PDT

    •  Illinois

      by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:38:20 PM PDT

      •  remember that it's about delegates

        so if you do have a dog in the Dem race, it's better to vote for your Democrat.

        by thereisnospoon on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:41:03 PM PDT

        •  I don't have a dog in this race

          I thought I said that.  I did have a dog in this race.  I had two of 'em.  They both went lame.

          by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:43:05 PM PDT

          •  alright, then, go ahead and try to stop

            McCain.

            by thereisnospoon on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:47:56 PM PDT

  •  Oh the Irony!

    Thanks for the laugh Geek!

    by DrMicro on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:45:48 PM PDT

•  Understand what you're doing and why

  But my grandfather told me lightening would strike me were I to vote for a Republican.

  I can't say for sure -- there's never been an occasion to test.

  by mijita on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:36:42 PM PDT

  •  Wise Grampa

    I think your Grampa and my Grampa (on my Dad's side) would get along nicely.  

    by phidda on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:48:28 PM PDT

•  OCblainmtaon?

  Looks like an Irish road sign.

  by DaveV on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:37:52 PM PDT

  •  There's a pub there... and an English priest...

    by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:40:51 PM PDT

    •  +1 for the Ballykissangel ref. nt

      by DaveV on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:41:53 PM PDT

•  No! Obama needs every vote he can get,

  including in Illinois. He's not close to the 85.1% in any district, much less all 19, and that's what's required to shut Hillary out of delegates (it won't happen, but as it stands, she's on the line between 1 and 2 delegates in some districts; Obama needs those votes).

  by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:38:02 PM PDT

  •  Well...

    I don't particularly want to vote for Obama right now... I will in November.  I'll work my ass off for him.  Meantime, his little play to African American homophobes lost him my enthusiastic support in the primary.

    by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:40:03 PM PDT

  •  That would be a solid argument

    to convince voters who support Obama over Clinton not to vote Romney--not voters who don't have a preference.

    by Superribbie on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 04:13:38 PM PDT

•  I'm not sure of the assumption ...

  That Mitt would be easier than McCain - if the focus is the economy, it might be the other way around.

  by al Fubar on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:41:10 PM PDT

•  I thought this was a bad idea

  back when kos first suggested it, and I still think it's a bad idea. We'll have enough trouble winning in November without putting any effort toward the Republican end. Quite frankly, what Romney lacks in warmongering, he more than makes up in his desire to run a country like a corporation.

  by haruki on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:44:51 PM PDT

  •  Maybe

    But who cares?  Most Republicans suck.  The difference is, unlike McCain, I can't imagine the guy gaining traction with anyone whatsoever....

    by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:53:56 PM PDT

•  I'm strongly considering going this route myself,

  being in exactly the same situation as you (minus the Dodd bit; I was for Edwards since he announced in 2003).  The one thing holding me back is I want to vote for Larry Suffredin in the Cook County State's Attorney race.  And it occurs to me that those in IL-14 had damn well better take Dem ballots to vote in the special election to take Hastert.  Also, IL-03 is an epic primary battle.  And IL-10 features not just Clinton-Obama, but Seals-Footlik.  

  by Superribbie on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 04:21:59 PM PDT

  •  I didn't realize you were a neighbor.

    I'm in IL-5.  But I'm phone banking for Mark, and depending what time I get out of the polling place on Tuesday, I'll either be handing out campaign literature in 3 or 10.

    Some Republican I am, huh?  :)

    by ultrageek on Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 04:32:13 PM PDT