Thoughts on voting in a GOP primary

[arely staircase]

I live in the most godforsaken, reddest of the red counties in a glowing red state. We have no Dem., Green or other progressive running for congress or our state legislature. I will probably vote in the GOP primary because the state house race is between a crazy teabagger and a very conservative establishment guy who is relatively progressive on education (opposed recent budget cuts as well as vouchers and charter schools).

So the question is, who should I vote for for president? The craziest (and least electable) one? Or be reponsible and vote for the least crazy (and most electable)?

I'm guessing those are Paul and Huntsman respectively.

[savalez]

1. Which one is least crazy?

[arely staircase]

2. huntsman, romney...then after that i draw blank

[savalez]

6. Gee I dunno. But I see what you mean.

[wandy]

21. You came up with 2 more than I could.

[arely staircase]

22. another poster found a possible third (Johnson of NM)

I guess i think Huntsman is the most sane - - based on his "i believe in science" tweet.

[progressoid]

3. I'm thinking about doing that here.

Go to the GOP caucus and make sure the worst one gets on the ticket (its a tough choice!). The problem with Paul or Huntsman is that they won't make it all the way to the nomination.
I was thinking about Newt. Obama would wipe the floor with him.

[coalition_unwilling]

4. Why don't you run for Congress? Sounds like your district could use you. As to your

question, vote for the craziest. That way you'll be neutralizing one of the pro-Gingrich or pro-Romney votes. ('NewtRomney,' to quote Bachmann, isn't crazy, just evil and scumbag-ish.)

[arely staircase]

7. They would say I don't share the local values

and they would be right.

[coalition_unwilling]

9. You might be surprised, especially if you ran as a 99%er against the 1%, how

much traction your effort might receive.

Having said that, however, running for political office is very hard work and involves a lot of grueling stuff at the precinct level. Not to be undertaken lightly under even the best of circumstances.

[rfranklin]

5. I say go for the craziest choice possible...Michelle Bachman is my choice....

Your vote will make no difference one way or the other. At least you can have the satisfaction of a tiny bit of sabotage.

[w8liftinglady]

8. I think Democrats should get together in Texas and vote for...

the least crazy.
bottom line...at least in Ellis County....80% will vote for the reddest of red candidates.It would be fun,at least, to see "Huntsman?" with a reasonable second place.

I'm still waiting to see who the Democrats bring out for Senate in 2012

[arely staircase]

41. that's pretty funny

yeah, Ellis Co. is pretty red. and a second place huntsman finish would be a riot.

[customerserviceguy]

10. Between Paul and Huntsman

Paul has by far the most staying power. Hell, if he gets enough support, he'll probably go third party, and that would fracture the Rethug support.

If you're going to do "Operation Chaos" on the Repukes, Paul's your man!

[arely staircase]

23. you might be on to something

I always know Paul is losing repub votes when he mentions the couple of things I agree with him on - drugs, police state, foreign adventures, etc. Still couldn't support him in a general because in Paul's proposed world, you can smoke a joint during the 6-hours a day you and your small children aren't working in a dangerous, unregulated factory.

[customerserviceguy]

33. Of course we don't want him as president

His only possible function is as a useful idiot. and that applies to both the Rethug nominating process and the likely third party run that he's steadfastly refused to rule out.

Anybody who really wants the Repukes to win despises Paul.

[arely staircase]

34. "Anybody who really wants the Repukes to win despises Paul."

This is very true. And the amount of amusement I take in his surge among GOP primary voters is without measure. Confession - as an 18 year old first time voter I voted for Ron Paul in 1988 as the Libertarian candidate for president. I was a dope smoking college student raised in a very Republican part of the country and I liked him for being consistent in his conservatism (keeping the government off the backs of we pot smokers as well as the backs of the CEOs) - as I grew older and wiser I realized that Libertarianism is nothing more than - as someone else has put better - the philosophy of pot smoking Republicans, nothing more, nothing less. During the dark ages of the early Bush year, when one was unpatriotic for saying anything contrary to the Bush regime, Ron Paul, in a conservative district spoke out against the Patriot Act and the Iraq conquest. For that I give him props. But I would rather have my (dissapointingly) moderate Democratic president than a libertarian. The destruction libertarians would do to our social safety net (such as it is) can not be allowed. If the general election were between Paul and Romney (or Huntsman) I would vote for Romney or Hunstman. Luckily I have the Obama choice and will take it - dissapointed (pissed off as I am.)

[customerserviceguy]

37. He's the 'broken clock' politician

Right no more than twice a day, and always ticked off!

[savalez]

11. What state?

I'm curious where the "most godforsaken, reddest of the red counties in a glowing red state" is?

[arely staircase]

12. Behind the Pine Curtain

(East) Texas.

[savalez]

25. Yikes! Ouch!

Just kidding. Actually, I've never been there. But I just read the Wikipedia synopsis! Home of the Piney Woods ecoregion.

Have you decided how to handle your dilemma?

[arely staircase]

35. likely i'll make the decision in the ballot box

like i said, i will be there to vote for a repub much less likely to fuck teachers vs a teabagger set out with fucking us in mind. so the presidential vote just might depend on how the spirit moves me - though there have been lots of good theories on this thread and I'll keep reading new ones.

btw - please don't slam my lack of grammar on my posts - I teach grammar all day and like to let my hair down every once in a while.

[savalez]

39. lol

I like your spontaneous approach. Your grammar is fine too. lol!

[slay]

13. There is actually another Repub running - Gary Johnson

ex-governor of New Mexico. not sure if him or Huntsman would be the more responsible - or if he will be on your ballot - but that's what i would do - vote for the best choice. it's not like a responsible repub will win their loony bin party's nomination anyways.

this is johnson's website - the fact that the media totally ignores him makes me wonder if he might be the best of that crew - says he wants to end the wars and bring the troops home on his front page, and on his main page says he supports gay marriage -- http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/

[arely staircase]

14. huh, interesting

Roemer (sp?) the former Louisiana Gov. is running too - I found out on NPR recently. So how does Hunstman get invited to debates but not those two guys?

[slay]

16. I think the reason Huntsman gets in is that he is polling around 2%

and I think that is the cutoff to be in the debates. Johnson has been in a couple of the debates i think when he met the criteria. i blame the media in large part for him not getting the 2% needed to get invited to the debates - nobody knows he's even running! and it's not like he's a nobody - he was Governor of New Mexico for 8 years. it is odd how nobody in the media talks about him at all though.

[arely staircase]

18. isn't Johnson a gay man himself?

naybe i'm confusing him with someone else, but it would have been cool to have him there when the gop mob booed an American soldier becasue he is gay.

[slay]

19. No

"He is engaged to Santa Fe real estate agent Kate Prusack, whom he began dating in 2008 after meeting on a bike ride. Johnson proposed in 2009 on the chair lift at Taos Ski Valley Resort in New Mexico.[75] He lives with Prusack in Taos, New Mexico,[76][77] in a home that he built himself.[54]" -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Johnson

and he was previously married w/children.

[arely staircase]

20. You are right. I guess my brain mixed him up with McGreevey

who is a Dem. But I knew there was a gay-frindly NMx gov. and guessed he was gay too.

[gkhouston]

24. I wish Colbert would invite Roehmer to his debate.

If you think the Republicans look next to each other, put 'em next to Roehmer.

[SomethingFishy]

36. He's another wingnut in disguise.. Hartmann had him on today..

finally got it out of him that he wants to eliminate all payroll taxes and put in place a "consumption tax" of 23%... Huntsman is still the only sane one.

[slay]

38. I hear ya

i just find it a bit fucked that the media totally ignores him. i mean, i couldn't vote for him or any of the republicans - even Huntsman. in a primary i guess i'd pick Huntsman but the repubs are so crazy about tax stuff i don't see how anybody who isn't part of the 1% can vote for these fools.

[B Calm]

15. Gingrich will bring out the Obama vote

The man is hated by democrats! Just saying. . .

[spanone]

17. abstain.

[Jim Lane]

26. My inclination is "craziest who's still viable"

If someone like Bachmann has officially suspended her campaign, or insists that she's still in it but has plummeted in the polls and is no longer being invited to the debates, then voting for her doesn't accomplish much.

One possible exception is Ron Paul. With enough votes in the primary, he might decide to run a third-party campaign. Alternatively, a good showing for him might encourage someone like Gary Johnson to run as a Libertarian. I think that's a long shot, though.

I've considered the same question, because I also don't expect to have any meaningful Democratic primaries to vote in. My current inclination is to vote for whoever is Romney's principal opponent by the time the circus gets here. That will probably be Gingrich, although Perry might stage a resurgence.

[demtenjeep]

27. God, I couldn't vote for any of them

truly goes against my principles

[arely staircase]

29. yeah but i'll be in their ballot box anyway

voting a conservative christian the state house who hates vouchers, charter schools and cuts to education against a teabagger (who when asked by our union) said she thought that once we "sent all these Mexicans back" our schools will get better - and she strongly supports vouchers, charter schools and the budget cuts. There will be no Dem. or Green running in the fall. So I have a big stake in this GOP primary for State Rep.

So.

While I'm there and allowed to touch stuff - figured I should do something.

[jimlup]

28. I'd say you should vote...

The reason is simple. Your views and participation in the process is essential. Since there is no responsible alternative you are obligated to participate in my opinion.

[arely staircase]

30. all my dem friends agree i should vote

but half want me to pick the biggest crazy while others warn i could be helping to stick us with a crazy president.

[jimlup]

31. Yeah be careful!

I think that could be dangerous. Instead maybe vote to try and disrupt the nightmare senario. In 2000 I voted for Mc-lame against Bush. I knew Bush was really bad news and so I voted in the Reptilian primary to oppose him early and often. I voted against that man every chance that I could (three times total). I knew in intuitively that he was a nightmare to come. I was dead on.

[arely staircase]

32. well i have boiled it down to this

If I vote for the person I think Obama could most easily beat (the fun vote) - it will be gingrich, paul or bachman.

If I do the good citizen thing and vote for the Republican who could do the least damage to the country - huntsman.

[Chemical Bill]

40. What makes you think they count the votes? n/t