let's print the watergate tapes
here comes the michigan presidential primary! alas, this year most democratic candidates have withdrawn from the primary because of a brouhaha over michigan moving its voting day up to january 15th. Sigh. One could vote for Clinton (though she's refused to campaign here) or Dennis Kucinich. I like Dennis and all, but I admit I'm swayed by having my vote count for something.
Which brings us to the republicans (note: no other parties have candidates in the primary, I dunno why). In michigan, one can vote for any party, no matter your affiliation. Which means a disenfranchised liberal can treat primary voting like a minimax problem: you vote for the opposite party candidate you dislike the least, which results in a minimization of your maximum possible loss.
Ordinarily, I loathe the idea of strategic voting (Katie and I totally differ on this). I'd much rather vote for the person who I would most prefer to win, not the person I think has both the best combination of a likelihood of winning and alignment with my own ideals. Perhaps in a parliamentary system, but you gotta play the game by the rules you're given.
some quaint michigan primary trivia from the early 20th century:
- Henry Ford won the Republican primary in 1916 and received almost as many votes as Woodrow Wilson. Ford then won the Democratic primary in 1924.
- Republican voting in 1920 was about 400,000 votes cast to the Democrats 85,000.
- Herbert Hoover was on both the Republican and Democratic ticket in 1920. Actually a Republican, he won the Democratic primary (but came 4th in the Republican one).
Which brings us to the republicans (note: no other parties have candidates in the primary, I dunno why). In michigan, one can vote for any party, no matter your affiliation. Which means a disenfranchised liberal can treat primary voting like a minimax problem: you vote for the opposite party candidate you dislike the least, which results in a minimization of your maximum possible loss.
Ordinarily, I loathe the idea of strategic voting (Katie and I totally differ on this). I'd much rather vote for the person who I would most prefer to win, not the person I think has both the best combination of a likelihood of winning and alignment with my own ideals. Perhaps in a parliamentary system, but you gotta play the game by the rules you're given.
some quaint michigan primary trivia from the early 20th century:
- Henry Ford won the Republican primary in 1916 and received almost as many votes as Woodrow Wilson. Ford then won the Democratic primary in 1924.
- Republican voting in 1920 was about 400,000 votes cast to the Democrats 85,000.
- Herbert Hoover was on both the Republican and Democratic ticket in 1920. Actually a Republican, he won the Democratic primary (but came 4th in the Republican one).
random bits cobbled together by j-dub
1 Comments:
That's what I like about caucusing in Iowa. You can put your vote in for the candidate you like, and once they're not viable, you move it to someone who is. You can at least start with your heart vote.
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