Posted on 01/11/2008 10:59:21 AM PST by jdm
My friend Jazz Shaw at Middle Earth Journal points out a plan in the works, endorsed by Markos Moulitsas and Duncan Black to have Michigan Democrats play spoiler in the Republican primary. Their idea is to have Democrats vote for Mitt Romney so that he wins the primary and blunts John McCain's momentum. If Huckabee or Thompson win in South Carolina and then Rudy Giuliani wins in Florida, the thinking goes, the GOP Super Tuesday will go all higgledy-piggledy and the Millenium will have truly started. Or something along those lines.
Well, it's not illegal, and they could do this in any open-state primary if they wanted. However, it seems exceedingly silly and more than a little risky. Romney could put together a very credible general-election campaign; he's got essentially the same kind of resources that Michael Bloomberg has, and a much larger established constituency. All Mitt really needs is one win before February 5th to regain credibility and momentum; the money's already there. If the Democrats want to hand that to him, Mitt won't have a problem with it.
I suspect that almost all of the crossover votes will get cast earnestly. We'll see how that plays out, although I suspect McCain would get the biggest boost from it. While Kos and Atrios reach a good number of people nationwide, I doubt that they'll be more effective than the Michigan state Democratic Party, which is organizing people to vote in their own primary instead. This is just another footnote in the annals of open primaries, an old story resurrected to likely little effect.
Stupid Kos. Romney stands a chance to win Mittengan without the X-over votes.
Romney, in the general election is “hold your nose and pull the lever” electable to Republicans.
Actually I would love this for thing to go to convention. It would be healthy for the process and the party.
All of the the other artciles about crossover voters in MI speculate that the Democrats will vote for McCain because he’s one of them, Huckabee because they want to run against him, or Ron Paul because he excites the Michael Moore conspiracy types.
The winner will have a lot of cross over votes , that is why I don’t think the winner will be Governor Romney .
It would be ‘must see tv’ no denying it.
You have to wonder how the MSM and the alternative media would cover, and influence a brokered convention.
you also wonder what role Bush would play behind the scenes.
The problem in Michigan is the only major candidate on the Dem ballot is Hillary. Obama’s camp has been encouraging people to write him in. And of course, independents are eligible to vote and they will go to McCain. Michigan is just a mess and the results from here should not be taken seriously.
Hmmmmm ... I thought the Independents and Democrats crossed over in New Hampshire to give McCain that state over Romney? So the strategy is reversed in Michigan?
Go figure .... typical MSM dribble ....
Incredible. There must be a God.
Write-in votes wont count here, they go in the trash.
McCain, Huckabilly, and Paul will divide the RAT/Ind vote
And Republicans are already dividing their vote.
Romney could eek out a 3rd place finish if he is lucky.
“Michigan is just a mess”
Just leave it at that.
I’m thinking exactly that!
Agree they will vote Schmuck and McLame. Romney will be lucky to get third.
G-d makes our enemies morons!
The Newsmedia wouldn’t be able to annoint McCain the frontrunner so easily, if McCain doesn’t win the Michigan primary. I would hope that Democrats DO vote for Romney to stop a McCain victory.
If we didn’t have RINOs to worry about, all of them, we might be able to win.
Lets drop ALL of the headless horsemen and try something new.
Vote for a real CONSERVATIVE in 2008!
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