If you are a Democrat living in Wisconsin I’d like to encourage you to vote, tomorrow, for Tim Michels in the US Senate primary, and, if you live in the Second District, for Ron Greer in the Congressional primary. The Democratic candidates in the general election are Russ Feingold and Tammy Baldwin respectively. At present Russ Darrow seems the Republican most likely to cause trouble for Feingold; Michels is not (quite) as wealthy, has worse name recognition, and is more immoderate: I think Feingold would find it easier to beat Michels, so I’d like to see him win the primary. Greer makes Alan Keyes look like a raving pinko (in both senses of pinko). His opponent, Dave Magnum, seems fine in many ways (‘fine’ here being a relative term, in a world in which pretty much everyone is pretty awful), and is much more likely to give Baldwin a real fight. If you care about Kerry winning, by the way, a Greer candidacy is more likely to trigger lefty voter turnout in this district than Tammy alone or than Kerry himself (unless he turns out to be the Manchurian candidate).
All registered voters are allowed to vote in the Republican primaries; it’s just that in doing so you disqualify yourself from voting in the Democratic primary. In several Wisconsin congressional districts nothing is at stake in the Dem primaries, so there is no opportunity cost.
Of course, in a better electoral system parties would not allow their opponents to participate in candidate selection. But between them the Republican and Democratic Parties and the State of Wisconsin have given you this power, so I am encouraging you to use it.
{ 11 comments }
Tom Bozzo 09.13.04 at 9:04 pm
Fantastic! This was almost exactly our (Dudgeon-Monroe) breakfast table conversation this morning. Your rendition improves upon it by suggesting Michels vs. Anybody-But-Darrow. My wife did recover once it became clear that there was no particular reason to vote in the Democratic primary.
OT — I caught the exchange in the State Journal letters over the increased minimum wage vs. expanded EITC. I was curious as to the source for your claim that employers can capture the EITC. Is there a published reference?
mhbrigho@wisc.edu 09.13.04 at 9:10 pm
Thanks Tom — pass the word along.
Yes, the published reference is in Anne Alstott’s book ‘No Exit’. ALthough the book is about family policy, she is mainly an academic tax lawyer. Did you notice, incidentally, that my accuser in fact didn’t contradict any of my claims. I said ‘People do X in considerable numbers’ and he siad ‘People can do Y if they want’. I thought of pointing this out in another letter, but then the university and elementary school years grabbed hold of me!
Sebastian Holsclaw 09.13.04 at 10:13 pm
“Michels is not (quite) as wealthy, has worse name recognition, and is more immoderate: I think Feingold would find it easier to beat Michels, so I’d like to see him win the primary. ”
And if he wins the primary AND the general election I’m sure you will feel free to rail on the evils of Republicanism and Republicans rejection of moderation.
Steve Carr 09.13.04 at 10:19 pm
This is a serious question: what are both senses of the word “pinko”? I’m assuming the second has something to do with seeming gay. But are you really trying to say that Greer makes Alan Keyes look gay? (Needless to say, there’s nothing wrong with looking gay, etc. This just seems like a bizarre thing to say.)
harry 09.13.04 at 11:55 pm
Calculated risk, Sebastian. I think its very unlikely that Michels could beat Feingold, or I’d be more cautious.
Have you noticed me railing on those evils by the way? I’m immoderate myself.
Mrs Tilton 09.14.04 at 12:06 am
This is a serious question: what are both senses of the word “pinko� I’m assuming the second has something to do with seeming gay. But are you really trying to say that Greer makes Alan Keyes look gay?
Perhaps the second has nothing to do with seeming gay. Like Mr Keyes, Mr Greer is that rara avis, a conservative black Republican. Perhaps Mr Greer is darker-skinned than Mr Keyes (who would then, by contrast, be more white, and after all white people are really pink); though I’ve never seen either in the flesh, and have no basis to judge. Needless to say there’s nothing wrong with looking black or (for that matter) white. But that too (with all due respect to Harry) seems like a pretty bizarre thing to say.
harry 09.14.04 at 12:27 am
Good grief, I was being flip, suggesting, for effect, that he was even more prohibitionist than Keyes about homsoexuality. He may not be: but virulent anti-gay activism of a particularly unpleasant sort (as opposed to the particuarly pleasant sort? I hear you say) is how he has made his name.
bad Jim 09.14.04 at 8:34 am
A Latino employee, rather dark, once jokingly challenged me, saying that I wasn’t actually “white”, but more like pink.
My face and arms may be assortedly pink, freckled and tan, but I pulled up my shirt and refuted him. This belly was paper white.
Mrs Tilton 09.14.04 at 10:24 am
I have a good deal of respect for Thomas Sowell’s personal achievements, if not for his ideas. But I just loved the title of one of his books: Pink People and Brown People. Spot on (bad jim’s belly notwithstanding).
aspen 09.15.04 at 1:47 pm
Well, looking at this morning’s Appleton Post-Crescent (http://www.postcrescent.com), it appears that Michels won pretty handily (43% to Darrow’s 30%). I must admit to feeling a little skeevy when I went in and voted Republican, but then I felt better when I went into the local KE04 office to work on the phone bank and found just about everyone wearing an “I Voted” sticker.
HarryF 09.16.04 at 5:45 pm
Isn’t it great how you can switch parties at
the primaries in Wisconsin regardless of your party
affiliation? I consistently do just that when I see a
weak Democrat and will vote for him in hopes that he
will be defeated by the challenging Republican. I
honestly believe that is the reason Wisconsin is
slipping into the Republican mode over the last 4
years.
Now in some states, my home state for example, your
party affiliation and ticket must be the same, but in
Wisconsin, it’s up for grabs. Whaty a state…you
gotta love it!
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