This will be mostly short and sweet - I live in TN and I have an opportunity to vote in the republican primary if I want to. Up until now, I really hadn't considered it, but with the announcement of Operation Hilarity, I guess I have to decide what to do, and right now, I'm leaning towards the "if I am in town, and have the time, I'll probably drop by and cast my vote for Santorum, just for the hell of it" - but I actually Do NOT support OH... and here's why...
My opposition isn't based on the moral high ground argument. Kos nailed it there. We can't effectively change the system if we go in with one hand tied behind our backs. Nothing immoral in trying to weaken your opponent as long as it is legal. When your enemy is making a mistake, don't interrupt! I seem to recall some line in "all the President's men" about a GOP operative messing around with Democrat's ground operations. The Rethuglicans called it "ratfu$&king" - Don't know why that bothered me so much but it did then, and it does now. They've been doing it for years, and I suspect a lot of what they did wasn't legal. Anyone remember Cheney boasting how he wanted to see Howard Dean the nominee (if only, but that's another story) - Don't doubt that given half a millisecond, the GOP wouldn't be trying somehow weaken the strongest Democrat in a primary.
My opposition isn't based on framing.. that somehow "we" will be tagged in the media as being subversive to Democracy. I don't think "we" - as in DK readers, actually have that much weight, and anyway "they" are going to talk trash about whatever we and in general, Democrats do regardless if it is right, wrong or indifferent... We're going to be vilified 24/7 - what we actually do or not do is irrelevant. This might give fox one more thing to pick up on, but no one will surprised.
My opposition isn't based on Mr. Frothy Santorum's chances in a general election. If Obama can't beat that right wing freak nut job, then there's not much we can do. From where I sit, way out here in Tennessee, which seems to have been mostly abandoned by the Democrats, Obama hasn't even begun to frame his policies for his re-election. It's still just the clown show on the right. Santorum is sure to get the religious nut job vote, but shame on Obama if it came to a general election, that Frothy won't get smeared (pun intended). Once the election get's close, I think it would be a LOT easier for Obama to frame Santorum as extreme compared to flipflop Mittens.
My opposition to OH then? Two really, and in the big scheme of things, it's not really that big of a deal but here it goes...
1. It comes off as yet ANOTHER freaking opportunist plea for money. If I gave $5 for every email and come-on that took the latest right-wing idiocy in the news as an desperate excuse to ask for my cash support I'd be broke. That practice is soooooo wide spread, that I absolutely ignore every pitch and e-mail I now get from progressive organizations and candidates... OH sort of had me until the money pitch at the end. - that's just how I feel. Maybe the money pitch could be been rolled out later if it is really needed, and maybe OH should have been floated for discussion first, but Kos buddy, you lost me on that one.
2. It has got to be the stupidest name ever! operation Hilarity? really?? I get it, the GOP is a joke, haha but I sure as hell ain't laughing at what's been done to our county since the Bush Chaney / Citizens united clusterf$&k. If you really want to get support for this idea I'd suggest a better name for it. Suggestions welcomed, but how about "Stack the Deck" ? or hell, does it really need a name?
So that's my opinion, and it's worth exactly what you paid for it. If I am in town on primary day, I'll probably go vote for frothy to get that warm gushy feeling that I might have, in some small way, helped the GOP shoot themselves in the foot. Would feel good to ratfu&$k them for once. :)
Thanks.