Friday, June 10, 2011

We Are Wisconsin's Idiotic Call for Democrats to Run Sham Candidates in GOP Primaries

If someone asked me what the stupidest thing the Democrats could possibly do in the face of the sham primaries the Wisconsin GOP is forcing with fake candidates, I would say to run fake candidates of their own, but they aren't that stupid, are they? Maybe not, but We Are Wisconsin sure as hell is:
In a major development, the group argues that the strategic and on-the-ground implications of the GOP tactics are far more complex and serious a threat to Dem chances than has been publicly explained. They argue that if Republicans do this and Dems don’t, the GOP will be able to dictate the election calendar with a free hand, deciding which general recall elections happen on July 12th and which on August 9th — a huge strategic advantage for Republicans. 
WAW's argument is, at best, spurious bullshit. Their reasoning is so thin that what they are suggesting amounts to nothing more than "The Republicans are doing it, so we have to too!" The recalls are not arms races. This is not an issue of bringing a gun to a fight when you know you're opponent is carrying a knife. This is an example of trying to out asshole the other side. It's the kind of too-cute-by-half maneuver that backfires and the Dems would be foolish to go along with it.

WAW thinks that the Dems need to have some "control" over the election calendar, but this seems to mean determining whether the general elections are held on July 12th or August 9th. It shouldn't really matter what date the elections are held: the Dems know what they have to do and as long as they do what they need to do they will either win or lose. Regardless of what happens this summer, no one will say "The Dems would have won if only they ran fake candidates like the GOP."

Some one has to act like an adult in this mess. Tit for tat acts of childish retribution will not help the Dems. I'm a bit disappointed that DPW didn't dismiss this idea out of hand yet. The Recall Season is already confusing enough as it is.

No comments: