Romney Democrats?

The wildly successful Web site DailyKos is up to some good old fashioned mischief. They're fronting a campaign to ensure that Mitt Romney wins in Michigan. You see, like in New Hampshire, Michigan has an open primary. So if you're a Democrat, you can vote for a Republican, and vice-versa. But since the Democratic Party has rendered Michigan null-and-void because it moved up the date of the contest without official permission, Kos figures, why not play the spoiler?

The theory goes that a Romney win further muddles the GOP race, and insures a protracted, mud-slinging campaign between rival factions of the Republican Party. Lest you think that Kos secretly holds a soft-spot for Romney, watch the following video:




Kos has stated that another reason he's encouraging his readers to do this is simple payback. You see, back in 1972, Republicans crossed over and voted for George Wallace, a segregationist, thereby embarrassing Democrats. In '88, GOP meddlers were at it again, propelling Jesse Jackson to a big win in the Democratic primary.

With a history of meddling in our primaries, why don't we try and return the favor. Next Tuesday, January 15th, Michigan will hold its primary. Michigan Democrats should vote for Mitt Romney, because if Mitt wins, Democrats win.

This kind of eye-for-an-eye mentality doesn't sit well with me. It breaks the Golden Rule, and all that. While progressives like Kos are to be admired for forcefully fighting back against corruption, dirty-politics, and the like, taking up your enemies methods just because you can doesn't appeal to this author. Strategic voting in Michigan is perfectly legal, of course. But it bothered Democrats in '72 and '88. The "they started it" line of thinking may be historically true, but that doesn't make retaliation any more justified.