A reader of this blog and a fellow north Texan wrote me yesterday to tell me he's a Democrat and an Obama supporter, and asked me to consider taking a Democratic primary ballot -- which is allowed in Texas -- and voting for Obama as a way of derailing the Clintons. I thanked him for the suggestion, and told him I was thinking of doing precisely that on March 4, our primary day.
But I'm not sure. Here are the options I'm considering:
1) Take a GOP ballot and vote for Huckabee anyway, because that's who I really like. Objections: he has no chance of winning the nomination, and very little chance of winning Texas; besides, I'm ineligible to vote in most local primary races that are competitive. I'd really looked forward to casting my Huckabee ballot, but it seems pretty futile at this point.
2) Take a Democratic ballot and vote for Obama as a way of putting the Clinton campaign out of its misery, and sparing the country the possibility of HRC and C-in-C. The added benefit is that now that Dallas County, where I live, has flipped over to being a Democratic county, I can have a voice in picking the most tolerable Democrat among the field of likely office-holders. Objection: Obama will be the stronger Democratic general-election candidate, which means that even though I don't plan to vote for Obama in November, a vote for Obama on March 4 is a vote against the GOP's chances of holding the White House.
3) Take a Democratic ballot and vote for Hillary Clinton, on the theory that I'd rather see Clinton run against McCain this fall, because it boosts McCain's chances. (Plus the added local benefit I mentioned in #2). Objections: Well, what if HRC turns this thing around, becomes the Democratic nominee, and ends up beating McCain? Do I really want to have played a part in her revival? Besides, I don't much care to help the McCain campaign, which at this stage I can only see voting for if HRC is the Democratic nominee.
Given all this, which option should I choose? I don't feel the least bit bad about considering voting in a primary of a party not my own. I do think it's a bad idea for states to allow people who don't belong to a party to vote in that party's primaries, but as long as it's allowed, I can't see a strong ethical objection to doing so.
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Thanks, Rod. McCain's temper worries me, too.
I do think HRC is the lesser of two evils on the D side, though. Strange to say it, but she's grown on me somewhat.
As much as I like Obama's speeches, I'm worried that he's a con artist: that all that purple rhetoric hides purely blue convictions. I kind of suspect that Michelle Obama's lack of the politician's "filter" means that what she says is what they both really think. If so, there's a lot there that distresses me.
I think strategic voting is fine. But I'm torn by what to do...
Do I vote for HRC b/c Obama is in favor of killing full-term babies (aka Partial Birth Abortion)?
Do I vote for Huckabee b/c McCain is a supporter of using tissue from murdered babies for research (aka embryonic stem cell research.)?
Do I vote for McCain b/c he is the best of the three candidates that appear to have some possibility of winning?
I know someone who is voting for Hillary b/c they think she is an easier candidate for McCain to defeat...
I'm just not used to having to make these complex choices, being a Texan. :) We don't usually have any impact on the race!
I just read the Democratic and Republican sample ballots.
One of the first statements is (the quotes are there, too):
"I am a [Democrat/Republican] and I understand that I am ineligible to vote or particate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year."
So, what if one is not either a registered Democrat or a registered Republican? Can one vote? (I don't mean physically; I mean ethically.)
That's "participate," not "particate."
I called a person who is connected with the Obama campaign and asked about this, and she said she was puzzled by that first part, too. While I said that I could easily assent to the latter part (i.e., I can't vote in both), I was going to have to think about whether I could assent to the first part, since I am not a registered anything (and for that reason I have never voted in any primary before now).
Part of me thinks that if I am not registered with the Party, I'm in a sense "crashing the party" by voting in the primary.
Ah, decisions, decisions....
Strategic voting negates the whole point of the secret ballot. This would be a far better polity if everybody voted for the person they considered best qualified, regardless of the strategic outcome.
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