With presidential primary season heading into full swing, I've been pondering a political theory lately: When it comes to the other party, who should you root for?
I'll explain. Say you're a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. Should you root for the most polarizing candidate in the G.O.P., probably Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee, in the hopes that he gets blown out of the water in the general election? Or, in the event that he should win in November, is it better to stump for a more centrist candidate like Rudy Giuliani or John McCain. That way, you won't find yourself moving to Canada if your party loses.
Similarly, let's say you're a Republican. Do you advocate for Hillary Clinton, a candidate who's loathed by more people than any politician in recent memory? Or, do you play it safe and encourage a Democrat you can live with, perhaps Barack Obama or John Edwards?
It's a tough quandary, really. The easy answer is to declare yourself a patriot and root for the best people for the job, regardless of their political party. But I know Democrats who would sooner emigrate to Australia than see another Republican in office. And I know Republicans who will similarly renounce their citizenship if Clinton takes the top prize.
Maybe it comes down to how passionate you are about your favorite candidate, and if you could handle a term (or two) from the other side of the aisle -- and how far you're willing to go to ensure it. In Michigan, for example, the primary is open, which means mischievous Democrats could technically usher in an unwinnable candidate like Fred Thompson, or Republicans could send some delegates the way of Dennis Kucinich.
Don't laugh, it's happened before. In 1972, Republicans voted for segregationist Democrat George Wallace. In 1988, they helped Jesse Jackson win the state. And in '98, they even helped Jack Kevorkian's lawyer win the Democratic primary for governor, assuring the state stayed Republican.
On the other side, the liberal blog, the Daily Kos, is advocating for Democrats to help Romney win Michigan, using the slogan "Democrats for Mitt: Because the GOP Deserves The Very Worst."
Maybe it's all just political theater, and the best man or woman will win, anyway.
But primaries and the electoral college are weird machines. It doesn't take all the much, as history has shown, to throw a monkey wrench into their works. I know that I, for one, will be watching this all unfold with gradually increasing interest and scrutiny.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
