So, shall we vote for Santorum tomorrow in the Republican primary?

A week or so ago, when discussing the Michigan Republican primary, some of you indicated that you intended to cross party lines in oder to vote for Rick Santorum. And, now that we’re just a few hours away, I’m wondering if any of you have had a change of heart. Personally, I don’t think that I could pull the lever for him. I know that a Santorum win in Michigan would likely be a good thing for progressives, as it would mean a contentious Republican convention, and perhaps even hasten the complete implosion of the Republican party itself, but I’m not willing to take the gamble, and put the religious extremist who said yesterday that the separation of church and state – the very cornerstone of our democracy – made him “want to vomit,” one step closer to the White House, regardless of how unlikely that outcome might be. Here, with the other side of the argument, though, is Markos Moulitsas from the Daily Kos, who believes that it’s incumbent upon all of us Michiganders to vote for Santorum tomorrow.

I’m about to ask you to do something that might sound strange, but hear me out: in order to help President Obama and all Democratic candidates this November, please vote for Rick Santorum in the Michigan primary on Tuesday, February 28.

If Rick Santorum wins the Michigan primary, or at least keeps it close, the Republican presidential nomination campaign will drag out for months. That would be very good news for President Obama, Democratic candidates and most importantly, our country. Here’s why:

Less money to attack Democrats: The longer the GOP primary and caucus season continues, the less money Republicans will have to attack President Obama. For example, in January, Mitt Romney spent $32.7 million attacking Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. If Romney is able to wrap up the nomination quickly, he can start using that money to attack President Obama.

Dropping in the polls: As the Republican candidates try and appeal to the tea party and religious fundamentalists, they are turning off the rest of the country. For example, on the day or the Iowa caucus, Mitt Romney trailed President Obama by an average of only 2% in general election polls. However, now he trails by 5%. The more time Republicans have to spend winning over their crazy base, the worse all Republicans will look to the rest of America.

You are invited: Michigan is a special case where every registered voter is allowed to vote in the Republican primary. You do not have to be a Republican in order to vote.

This is why we, the Obama’s campaign, his Super PAC, MoveOn.org, and the Michigan Democratic Party are all trying to damage Mitt Romney ahead of the primary tomorrow. Your vote for Rick Santorum can help close the deal.

So please, head to your usual polling place on Tuesday, February 28, and vote for Rick Santorum. It might be painful, but you will be doing both President Obama, the Democratic Party and the entire country a big favor.

Keep fighting,
Markos Moulitsas
Publisher, Daily Kos

P.S. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM. If you don’t know where your polling place is, click here to find out.

So, how will you be voting?

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42 Comments

  1. Posted February 27, 2012 at 10:21 pm | Permalink

    Rush Limbaugh took a similar tack four years ago, encouraging his listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries. Didn’t work so well for the Republicans in ’08.

    Just sayin’.

  2. Posted February 27, 2012 at 10:40 pm | Permalink

    I remember a comic from the 90’s, of a bunch of old white men, holding newspapers, staring blankly at the headlines about Jesse Jackson having been elected President, and mumbling about how they never expected that everyone would vote for him as a goof, as they had.

  3. Posted February 27, 2012 at 10:48 pm | Permalink

    Also, I think it’s conceivable that, if there’s not a clear frontrunner by the time the Republican convention rolls around, we could have a brokered deal that puts someone even more competitive against Obama, like Chris Christie or Jeb Bush, and I wouldn’t want that to happen.

  4. Kristin
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 6:31 am | Permalink

    I just don’t think that is going to happen. They won’t broker the convention to a new candidate.

  5. Edward
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 7:06 am | Permalink

    The last I read, national polling showed both Romney and Santorum losing to Obama in the general election by 10% or more. That, of course, could all change if anger against Obama starts to grow. The last thing I’d want to see is for Santorum to be the candidate, and then gas prices to top $5 a gallon, propelling him into the White House. That’s why I won’t be voting for him today.

  6. Posted February 28, 2012 at 7:48 am | Permalink

    I was more thinking of Ron Paul as my signal-obfuscating vote. Santorum seems to be holding his own enough with Romney without my having to vote for him — I’d rather vote for the last place guy and cut into the percentage of total votes that either Santorum or Romney get.

  7. Posted February 28, 2012 at 7:54 am | Permalink

    I’m with Murph. Since we’re not a winner take all primary, depriving Romney of delegates, (whether the delegates go to Santorum or Paul) achieve much the same results.

  8. Lynne
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 8:36 am | Permalink

    I am going to vote for Ron Paul. I cannot bring myself to vote for Santorum regardless of how strategic such a vote might be. My hope in voting for Paul is that it will help keep him in the race because as long as he is in the race, things like his anti-war stance will remain in the national conversation.

  9. EOS
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 8:50 am | Permalink

    Yes, you should all request a Republican ballot today so that you will be put on their mailing lists for the next 8 years. It would force many of you to consider another point of view for a change and might even save your souls.

    Mark,
    Why is it that what you consider to be the “cornerstone of our democracy”, that is “the separation of church and state”, is in no way included in our constitution and neither does our constitution establish our form of government to be a democracy? I think our educational system would better serve students if they taught a few facts rather than merely stoking the self-esteem of woefully educated individuals.

  10. Posted February 28, 2012 at 9:21 am | Permalink

    I voted in the 08 Republican primary and get no mail from them.

  11. Mr. Y
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 9:25 am | Permalink

    We live under a representative democracy, EOS, and people say “democracy” as shorthand. I thought that that everyone who made it past 2nd grade knew that. Sorry that you were confused.

    Mark, I’d also like to request that you limit yourself to only two-syllable words. The three-syllable ones make my brain muscle hurt.

    And, when possible, could you illustrate your posts with chalkboard drawings like Glenn Beck used to do, with lots of lines connecting Obama’s name to the swastika?

  12. Mr. Y
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 9:33 am | Permalink

    I posted this in the discussion about how the rest of the world was leaving America behind, but I also think that it’s appropriate here, as we’re discussing whether or not to vote for Rick “homosexuality leads to dog fucking” Santorum.

    For those of you who don’t know your history, here are some photos of Iran in the 1970s, before the onset of widespread religious fundamentalism. They were a lot like us. These things happen if you aren’t vigilant. America is a few bad elections away from becoming a fundamentalist state.

    http://funnytogo.com/pictures/iran70s/lifestyle.htm

  13. Dan
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 10:11 am | Permalink

    more correctly, we are a constitutional republic

  14. EOS
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 10:14 am | Permalink

    Thanks Dan!

  15. Mr. Y
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 10:19 am | Permalink

    We are both, actually. Look it up. In a book.

    As for Santorum, it looks as though he’s also asking Democrats to cross party lines and vote for him.

    http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/dirty-trick-santorum-targets-michigan-dems-with-robobcall-that-sounds-like-it-came-from-uaw.php?ref=fpb

  16. EOS
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 11:25 am | Permalink

    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_form_of_government_does_the_US_have

  17. Mr. Y
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 11:38 am | Permalink

    From Wikipedia:

    The United States is the world’s oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, “in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law”. The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country’s supreme legal document. In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government, federal, state, and local; the local government’s duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There is no proportional representation at the federal level, and it is very rare at lower levels.

  18. Posted February 28, 2012 at 12:14 pm | Permalink

    Pete: The Michigan legislature changed the law about that. See http://www.michigan.gov/documents/sos/Public_FAQ_2-13-12_376851_7.pdf

    By law, you must make your ballot selection in writing, and will do so on Election Day in the polls on the Application to Vote/Ballot Selection Form if voting in person…In late 2011, the Michigan legislature passed a law (Public Act 163 of 2011) that guides the conduct of the Feb. 28, 2012 presidential primary. The law requires that voters indicate in writing which political party ballot he or she wishes to vote. This requirement only applies to presidential primary elections, and voters will not be required to select a political party ballot type in writing at other types of elections…By law a public list must be made available that includes the presidential primary ballot type chosen by each voter in the Feb. 28, 2012 presidential primary. This list must be made available by May 9, 2012. County, city and township clerks must retain the forms indicating each voter’s presidential primary ballot selection for 22 months. This ballot selection information is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

  19. Posted February 28, 2012 at 12:24 pm | Permalink

    So the world thinks I’m a Republican? Thankfully, I get no mailings from Mark O or anyone else.

  20. Dan
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 12:42 pm | Permalink

    @ Mr Y,

    a constitutional republic is a FORM of a representative democracy, however, it has many more restrictions on powers (government AND individual) and protections of minority rights, than a rep. democracy.

    As i posted originally the “more correct” definition of our government is a constitutional republic. It would be like someone asking you what you ate for breakfast, and you responded with “fruit.” That could be a lot of things. An apple is much different than an orange.

  21. Meta
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

    Someone on Reddit summed it up like this.

    The only problem with nominating Rick Santorum is that we would be one Obama gaffe away from a Santorum presidency. It is a fine balance between putting up somebody unelectable and putting up somebody who shouldn’t be elected even in the worst case scenario. I think I’d prefer a Romney presidency to a Santorum presidency, even though I would prefer many others over Romney. The idea of a Santorum/Obama race would have me waking up every morning shaking as I go to check the news and hope that Obama hasn’t said something wrong.

    I think it would be hard to lose a general election to a man who outright opposes sexual freedom, the right to privacy, and separation of church and state… But these are not ideas that I’d like to take a chance on. At least Romney just seems to be the representative of corrupt business as usual.

    http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/q9olv/reminder_if_you_live_in_michigan_or_arizona_go/

  22. james
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 2:46 pm | Permalink

    Another problem with casting a Santorum vote just to gum up the Republican primary is that a win by Santorum in Michigan could be used by social conservatives in our state to push their agenda by claiming a wider base of support. If someone honestly thought that Rick Santorum would be a good president, I would be fine with him/her voting for him in the primary. But for a liberal to do so could end up advancing an agenda that he/she does not agree with.

  23. Gene
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 3:25 pm | Permalink

    I voted for frothy. I’m a cocksucker, not a Super PAC. i don’t have money, i DO have one vote. to throw a wrench in the machine at the cost of the crap mail i’ll now receive – i see it a fair trade. trust, my vote for president won’t be wasted.

    And as a republican for the past 3 hours, i feel different. maybe i’ll suck cock from within. Maybe we really are all the same, and there are no bad guys.

    At the very least, it’s a game, and last night i decided to play.

  24. Robert
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 4:16 pm | Permalink

    Exit polls are showing this thing to be incredibly close. It is a toss-up between Romney and Santorum. Romney currently has a very narrow lead – less than 1%. Both hovering just under 40%. Ron Paul edging Gingrich for third.

  25. anonymous
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 4:22 pm | Permalink

    Gene, are you suggesting that you’d be willing to suck off Romney and/or Snatorum if it would help the Obama campaign, or am I reading too much into your last comment?

  26. Robert
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 4:34 pm | Permalink

    All constitutional republics are not representative democracies. All representative democracies ar not constitutional republics. The US is both.

  27. anonymous
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 4:38 pm | Permalink

    Apparently this thing has a name. If you’re voting for Santorum as a Democrat in Michigan, you’re participating in “Operation Hilarity.”

    http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/818796/democrats_for_santorum_in_michigan_%28aka_operation_hilarity%29%3A_romney_once_did_the_same_thing/

  28. Bob
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 7:08 pm | Permalink

    I voted for McCain in an effort to thwart George W. Bush’s first campaign, an Michigan effort that nearly derailed him. You could argue that McCain wouldn’t have been much better anyway, as he slid further into right-wing crazy after that point.

    I was advocating voting for Santorum to do the same to Romney this time, ultimately I changed my mind. Listening to Thom Hartmann’s argument against doing it made sense to me. He, and many others, seem to feel that if Santorum knocks off Romney, it could be worse. The GOP establishment seem to be indicating that they know Santorum could never be elected, and would hijack the convention.

    Installing Jeb Bush or Christie, or even Marco Rubio (the guy to really feat in coming years) could really hurt Obama’s chances. Romney should be fairly easy to beat, but any of those other guys could be tougher. If the gas prices get well over four bucks come election time, even Romney could pull it out. I think the gas price manipulation is going to be the real October surprise.

  29. Elvis Costello
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 8:01 pm | Permalink

    Hey Mark, I, my wife and daughter all voted for the right wing hack Santorum. The longer this clown show continues, the better. However, something else happened at my poll i wanted to ask about. Did anyone else have a form that asked you to fill in a bubble that said you are a citizen? I refused to fill it in, and said that as a long time registered voter, they should already have that information. They discussed it and let me vote…anyone else?

  30. Edward
    Posted February 28, 2012 at 10:36 pm | Permalink

    Breaking News Alert
    The New York Times
    Tuesday, February 28, 2012 — 10:18 PM EST
    —–

    Romney Wins Michigan Primary
    Mitt Romney has narrowly won the Republican presidential primary in Michigan, deflecting a powerful challenge from Rick Santorum and boosting his hopes of becoming the Republican nominee.

    Only weeks ago, Mr. Romney had viewed his home state of Michigan as a firewall against his rivals, an important battleground state where his background and his message would carry the day.

    That changed dramatically in the wake of victories by Mr. Santorum in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota earlier this month. Within days, Mr. Santorum surged to a double-digit lead in Michigan.

    Read More:
    http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na

  31. Robert
    Posted February 29, 2012 at 9:47 am | Permalink

    The GOTV operation in Oakland County saved Romney. He won Oakland County by 31,565 votes, and the entire state by only 411 votes over that…31,976.

    Statewide Totals
    409,120 Romney (lead over Santorum: 31,976)
    377,144 Santorum
    115,778 Paul
    65,002 Gingrich

    Oakland County Totals
    74,030 Romney (lead over Santorum: 31,565)
    42,465 Santorum
    16,498 Paul
    9,632 Gingrich

  32. Meta
    Posted February 29, 2012 at 5:48 pm | Permalink

    From CNN:

    Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum will each get half of Michigan’s 30 delegates, according to CNN estimates.

    Romney won the popular vote in Tuesday’s Michigan Republican presidential primary. However, Michigan’s delegates are distributed proportionally.

    A total of 1,144 delegates are needed to clinch the GOP nomination.

  33. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 1:52 pm | Permalink

    Mark, are we doing a “Super Tuesday” election watch blog-cast tonight?

  34. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:24 pm | Permalink

    Polls have closed in Georgia and Newt Gingrich has won the state with a big majority as expected.

  35. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:28 pm | Permalink

    Polls have closed in Virginia and Mitt Romney has gotten the 3/4 or so of the vote there as expected. Gingrich and Santorum did not get on the ballot. Ron Paul got about a quarter of the vote there.

    Polls in Ohio close in 2 minutes.

  36. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:46 pm | Permalink

    The polls closed at 7pm in Vermont and it appears that Romney will not secure all the delegates there, as he would if none of the other candidates could garner 20% or more of the vote. Ron Paul has achieved that and will receive 4 or 5 delegates of the states 17. Santorum will likely secure 4 delegates there. Romney will take no less than 8.

  37. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:50 pm | Permalink

    Polls in Massachusettes, Tennessee, and Oklahoma close in 10 minutes.

  38. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:54 pm | Permalink

    It looks now like Romney got a considerably less percentage of the vote in Virginia than expected. He may have secured as little as 60% or less.

  39. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 7:55 pm | Permalink

    Ron Paul did VERY well in Virginia. He may have gotten over 40% of the vote there. Of course the media is ignoring it.

  40. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 8:08 pm | Permalink

    Santorum is ahead in the Ohio count, but exit polls suggest Romney has narrowly defeated him.

  41. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 8:16 pm | Permalink

    It looks as though none of Romney’s opponents have garnered a big enough chunk of the vote in Massachusettes to secure any delegates. Romney appears to have secured all 41 delegates there.

    Tennessee is looking to be a Santorum win.

  42. Robert
    Posted March 6, 2012 at 8:18 pm | Permalink

    Santorum has won Oklahoma very comfortably…by 10 or more points over Romney.

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