So i've been mulling over Kos's Operation Hilarity. Pros, cons.
There are no pros. It's a mistake, and a very, very bad one.
There are a number of other diaries out there that have great conversations regarding the perceived good points and bad points of OH, including the points I'll say here. Exactly what the community needs, exactly what it's for. But I'd like my view front and center, no vacillating.
No Operation Hilarity.
The entire Operation Hilarity is intended to promote one contender over another. The fact that it's done from race to race does not change that. It's as blatant an attempt to manipulate polls as anything done by the Repubs, and the fact that it's technically legal just makes it sound worse.
As others have said, don't interrupt your opponents when they're self-destructing. We don't have to jerk around the polls -- we just have to call attention to their insane extremism. People are finally, finally catching on -- don't give the Repubs the chance to change the conversation.
The fact that some states have open primaries should not mean anything. I think open primaries are idiocy myself -- basically saying, "Okay, other party -- of these various candidates, none of whom you want anywhere near the presidency, which should get it?"
The three most important reasons we should not get involved are indeed the most obvious ones, touched on by many here, including the exemplary EclectaBlog. My takes on them are:
- Never mind "voting for the lesser evil" -- the point of an election is to chose someone you want to be in office. This tactic is the polar opposite: promoting -- what was Rush's word? -- chaos to screw up the opposition's chances. More, to muddy the election process itself. At what point in the Election Muddying Playbook do we decide to go no further? When we become Republicans?
- It gives the Repubs an excuse -- a valid one, mind -- to
- claim "election tampering"
- put some actual meat on their claim that "both sides do it"
- justify such tactics, and worse, against us
- change the conversation from their ineptitude to our cheating and fecklessness -- and if you don't think it will change it all the way through the election and beyond, you apparently believe we have some other mainstream media than the one we actually have
- It demonstrates we can't win with our platform, our ideas, our people. Whether or not that's actually the case, that's what the Repubs will say, that's what they'll see, that's what every damn news outlet in the country will hammer home. Basically forever.
We not only can win without Operation Hilarity, we
must. I know Kos means nothing but excellent ol' mischief and tit-for-tat by it, but it smacks far too much of dirty tricks, gamesmanship, and adopting the tactics of the enemy after complaining about those tactics for years. It sucks when Republicans tamper with elections (and don't give me any "it's not really tampering" -- if you're not voting
for the person you'd most like or least dislike in that office, even if you're holding your nose, then it isn't really a valid vote, is it?) -- it's worse when Democrats tamper with elections.
Don't give them a brand new weapon to use against us.