Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
A report in The Detroit News reveals that the Santorum campaign paid for robocalls to Democrats asking them to vote for him in the Michigan open primary today. The campaign's communications director Hogan Gidley justified the robocalling strategy, explaining that, "We know that if we can get a Reagan Democrat in the primary, we can get them in the fall."
Mitt Romney is predictably upset about this maneuver, lambasting it as "a real effort to kidnap [the Republican] primary process."
And Democrats? Well, they seem to be thrilled. Earlier this month, the Daily Kos announced "Operation Hilarity," which calls for Democratic voters in states with open primaries and caucuses to vote for Rick Santorum whom they judge to be the weaker Republican standard bearer.
It's time for us to take an active role in the GOP nomination process. That's right, it's time for those of us who live in open primary and caucus states—Michigan, North Dakota, Vermont and Tennesseein the next three weeks—to head out and cast a vote for Rick Santorum.
Why would we do such a crazy thing? Lots of great reasons!
Republican turnout has sucked, and appears to be getting worse by the contest
Several of the contests have produced razor-thin margins of victory.
The longer this GOP primary drags on, the better the numbers for Team Blue.
The longer this thing drags out, the more unpopular the Republican presidential pretenders become.
[...]
And in any case, it's freaking hilarious. I mean, Rick Santorum? Really? The Republicans have offered up this big, slow, juicy softball. Let's have fun whacking the heck out of it.
I'm skeptical about the efficacy of such a hijacking scheme, but if you're on Team Santorum, I can see being delighted with the plan as you expectantly count down the days until this all blows up in the Democrats' faces as Rick Santorum lands in the White House. If, on the other hand, you're on Team Romney, you're understandably mortified by this development, as you watch the race take yet another turn toward the ugly.
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Comments:
Oct '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Stuart Creque
Joseph Eagar
Please note that I'm not saying Romney would win. I think both candidates have little chance of beating Obama. Romney has a higher chance than Santorum, but the odds still aren't good.
If we must choose the best idiot to lose to Obama, we should choose Romney. None of the candidates on the field can win. If a brokered convention happens, we should draft Chris Christie or Mitch Daniels. If it doesn't, we should concentrate on Senate races and hope a GOP Congress can blunt the damage.
I see. You've sized up the most incompetent President in US history and decided he's invincible.
Please forgive those of us who are still looking for ways to win the election, as opposed to ways to lose good. · 14 minutes ago
At this point, a brokered convention is the only chance. Also, I don't think Obama is the most incompetent president in U.S. history. . .
I think he's the second, behind Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, the voters do not seem to agree. They seem to view him as on par with George H.W. Bush, or Gerald Ford.
Jan '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Joseph Eagar
I think he's the second, behind Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, the voters do not seem to agree. They seem to view him as on par with George H.W. Bush, or Gerald Ford. · 1 minute ago
For most Americans:
Obama = inherited a recession and possibly prevented the Great Depression 2.0, definitely killed Osama, and did something with healthcare but who knows what exactly. He's also a cool guy.
Feb '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Joseph Eagar
Except George Bush wasn't a movement conservative. The Bush-era propaganda of far right theologians running the White House collapsed when Obama took office, and helped redeem movement conservatives (who were treated pretty badly by Bush themselves).
This is why the Tea Party was so successful. It disavowed Bush. ·
How many voters think Bush wasn't a movement conservatives?
I bet very few.
I don't doubt the Tea Party has been successful because it stayed away from the failure of Bush and the GOP establishment- but that doesn't help when that establishment is still around and attempting to force Romney down the throat of an unwilling party.
That's not a recipe for success, as I hope that establishment is at least figuring out by now.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Wow, John McCain is not really a guy you want on your side nowadays.
Oh, my stars and garters! Not respectful!
Apparently McCain has come to see politics as beanbag. Which is why he lost.
Feb '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Tristan Abbey
As for winning votes, Romney has received 1.19 million so far -- nearly 40% of all those cast in 9 states -- more than double Santorum's 570,000. Romney also decisively won Florida, the only closed primary. ·
It's too bad we also don't have a closed election in which only Romney fans can vote, isn't it?
Too bad.
I refer you my earlier comment #44 for a more detailed response.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Tristan Abbey
Joseph Eagar
I think he's the second, behind Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, the voters do not seem to agree. They seem to view him as on par with George H.W. Bush, or Gerald Ford. · 1 minute ago
For most Americans:
Obama = inherited a recession and possibly prevented the Great Depression 2.0, definitely killed Osama, and did something with healthcare but who knows what exactly. He's also a cool guy.
Of course, as important as it is to understand and acknowledge the strengths of one's opponent, the key to victory is understanding just as thoroughly his weaknesses.
Or has Obama no weaknesses a Republican candidate can exploit?
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Xennady
Tristan Abbey
As for winning votes, Romney has received 1.19 million so far -- nearly 40% of all those cast in 9 states -- more than double Santorum's 570,000. Romney also decisively won Florida, the only closed primary. ·
It's too bad we also don't have a closed election in which only Romney fans can vote, isn't it?
Too bad.
I refer you my earlier comment #44 for a more detailed response.
It's also too bad that the voting is state-by-state and staggered over time, so that aggregation of total votes cast loses a lot of its meaning.
Mar '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Stuart Creque:
Apparently McCain has come to see politics as beanbag. Which is why he lost. · 19 minutes ago
That and he seemed to be more interested in winning the Miss Congeniality title rather than the Presidency.
Jan '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Xennady
It's too bad we also don't have a closed election in which only Romney fans can vote, isn't it?
I don't follow your point...
Mar '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Joseph Eagar
Santorum would do more than energize the liberal base--he would demoralize a lot of Republican activists and political talent. In a worst case scenario we could suffer outright defections, or even worse, a third party might form.
Funny, we've been saying the same thing about Romney. Guess we'll find out, eh?
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Percival
Stuart Creque:
Apparently McCain has come to see politics as beanbag. Which is why he lost. · 19 minutes ago
That and he seemed to be more interested in winning the Miss Congeniality title rather than the Presidency. · 3 minutes ago
Same point: being congenial, treating the contest as a gentle and gentlemanly game.
His line "you have nothing to fear from an Obama Presidency" kind of summed it up. I imagine he meant "you have nothing to fear from electing a Black man President" -- a self-evident proposition -- but in this particular instance, it turns out we had a lot to fear from electing Barack Obama the individual to the Presidency. That McCain didn't understand how to draw that distinction underscores how weak a candidate he was.
Jul '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
DrewInWisconsin
Joseph Eagar
Please note that I'm not saying Romney would win. I think both candidates have little chance of beating Obama. Romney has a higher chance than Santorum, but the odds still aren't good.
Recent Gallup polling says that Santorum has a better chance of beating Obama than Romney. Not sure whether that's an outlier, but it's worth noting. The idea that Romney has the best chance has never been solidly backed up by polling. · 46 minutes ago
Yeah, you've been singing this tune a long time Drew.
The problem is that you are running out of bands.
Or is Herman Cain gonna appear for an encore?
Mar '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Joseph Eagar
At this point, a brokered convention is the only chance.
A brokered convention = the end of the GOP. You think there was anger with the Tea Party in 2010? Try anointing a candidate no one voted for at the convention. The GOP would return to the dust of the Whigs from whence they came. And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's time for a real conservative party.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Tristan Abbey
Joseph Eagar
I think he's the second, behind Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, the voters do not seem to agree. They seem to view him as on par with George H.W. Bush, or Gerald Ford. · 1 minute ago
For most Americans:
Obama = inherited a recession and possibly prevented the Great Depression 2.0, definitely killed Osama, and did something with healthcare but who knows what exactly. He's also a cool guy. · 30 minutes ago
I'm detecting a shift: people who used to argue that Romney is the only one of the candidates who can beat Obama now seem to be arguing that we are going to lose no matter what, so we should nominate Romney to avoid being tainted by association with that wacko kook religious nut Santorum.
Are my spider-senses deceiving me?
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Palaeologus
DrewInWisconsin
Joseph Eagar
Please note that I'm not saying Romney would win. I think both candidates have little chance of beating Obama. Romney has a higher chance than Santorum, but the odds still aren't good.
Recent Gallup polling says that Santorum has a better chance of beating Obama than Romney. Not sure whether that's an outlier, but it's worth noting. The idea that Romney has the best chance has never been solidly backed up by polling.
Yeah, you've been singing this tune a long time Drew.
The problem is that you are running out of bands.
Or is Herman Cain gonna appear for an encore?
RealClearPolitics' average has Obama ahead of Romney by 5.0%, with Romney doing no better than a tie in any single poll.
RealClearPolitics' average has Obama ahead of Santorum by 5.9%, with Santorum ahead of Obama by 3.0% in a USA Today/Gallup poll.
I'd say that Romney and Santorum have equal claims to electability on that score. (We've already looked at why Romney's resources and experience mysteriously aren't doing him much good in the primary contest.)
Put another nickel in....
Jul '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Stuart Creque
Tristan Abbey
Joseph Eagar
I think he's the second, behind Jimmy Carter. Unfortunately, the voters do not seem to agree. They seem to view him as on par with George H.W. Bush, or Gerald Ford. · 1 minute ago
For most Americans:
Obama = inherited a recession and possibly prevented the Great Depression 2.0, definitely killed Osama, and did something with healthcare but who knows what exactly. He's also a cool guy. · 30 minutes ago
I'm detecting a shift: people who used to argue that Romney is the only one of the candidates who can beat Obama now seem to be arguing that we are going to lose no matter what, so we should nominate Romney to avoid being tainted by association with that wacko kook religious nut Santorum.
Are my spider-senses deceiving me? · 6 minutes ago
They are.
I think we can win this election. Joseph has, I believe, been more pessimistic for some time.
Feb '12
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
As Corombos & Geraghty pointed out earlier today in the Three Martini Lunch podcast (go here and scroll down on the right), Santorum did make a big mistake today: he appealed to Democrats from a leftist perspective ("That durn Romney favored the Wall Street bailouts but not the auto bailouts!"). There is no problem with appealing to Democrats from conservative principles - e.g., right to bear arms, freedom of religion - but the appeal should never be made from leftist premises.
Many anti-Romney folks, such as I, are particularly aggravated by Romney's willingness to embrace leftist vocabulary and premises. Santorum should be careful not to repeat this mistake.
One of Santorum's finer moments was when he refused to criticize Romney when Perry and Gingrich were opportunistically going after him for firing workers (how dare he try to turn around businesses!).
I hope very much that Santorum doesn't end up falling into the same trap after his earlier, admirable display of principle.
Edited on February 29, 2012 at 2:29amJul '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Stuart Creque
Palaeologus
DrewInWisconsin
Recent Gallup polling says that Santorum has a better chance of beating Obama than Romney. Not sure whether that's an outlier, but it's worth noting. The idea that Romney has the best chance has never been solidly backed up by polling.
Yeah, you've been singing this tune a long time Drew.
The problem is that you are running out of bands.
Or is Herman Cain gonna appear for an encore?
RealClearPolitics' average has Obama ahead of Santorum by 5.9%, with Santorum ahead of Obama by 3.0% in a USA Today/Gallup poll.
I'd say that Romney and Santorum have equal claims to electability on that score. (We've already looked at why Romney's resources and experience mysteriously aren't doing him much good in the primary contest.)
Put another nickel in....
Here is the problem: the only folks in the country familiar with Santorum (now) or Cain (then) are those whose states have already held primaries.
As was already said by Tristan: Rick is "ABO," not "Rick" to those voters. That will change if he sticks long enough.
Edited on February 29, 2012 at 2:28amFeb '11
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
Romney and Santorum are far superior to Obama and our job is to get the Republican nominee elected. Obama's destruction of the economy, enlargement of government control and bureaucracy and attacks on the Constitution, especially on freedom of region, should be enough of a starting base to take him down.
Dec '10
Re: Santorum Calls Upon Michigan Democrats to Help Him Defeat Romney
I agree - I'll gladly vote for either in the general election over Obama.