Progressive Blogmeister To His Troops: Vote for Mitt!

Superstar blogger and progressive political activist Markos Moulitsas Zuniga on Thursday urged his netroots compatriots in Michigan to vote for Mitt Romney next Tuesday.

No, the blogger hasn't suddenly changed political affiliation (he recently endorsed Barack Obama after senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut dropped out of the race.) Rather, Kos wants to mess with the Republican party the way he says it's messed with the Democrats in the past:

... And we want Romney in, because the more Republican candidates we have fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for us. We want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan.

Two polls the last couple of days show a tight race: Strategic Vision (R) shows Romney within striking distance with 20 percent to McCain's 29 (Huckabee is third with 18), while Rossman Group shows Huckabee with the lead -- 23 percent to Romney's 22 and McCain's 18.

Now here's the thing -- without a real Democratic contest on the ballot, and a lack of party registration in Michigan, this is an open primary. Anyone can pick up a Republican ballot. So Michigan Democrats and independents who want to see the Republican battle royale continue should just take a few minutes on Tuesday, January 15th to cast a ballot for Mitt Romney in the Republican primary.

If you know someone in Michigan, send them the email I've included below the fold. If you don't know someone in Michigan, send the email to your liberal friends and see if THEY have friends in Michigan. Get the word out, whether by blog, mailing list, MySpace or Facebook page, or whatever.

If we can help push Mitt over the line, not only do we help keep their field fragmented, but we also pollute Romney's victory. How
"legitimate" will the Mittster's victory look if liberals provide the margin of victory? Think of the hilarity that will ensue. We'll simply be adding fuel to their civil war, never a bad thing from our vantage point.

Members of the blogosphere met the proposal with a mixed reaction.
Someone's actually taken Moulitsas' request to heart and immediately founded a
Facebook group, with a grand total membership of one.

Meanwhile, Philip Barron of the blog Waveflux writes:

"The Great Orange Satan commands his minions to prop up a reeling Willard Romney so he can survive the Michigan primary. Someone's blurred the distinction between "crashing the gate" and "trashing the place,"
apparently. But hey, it'll be "fun." And the Repubs do it all time, so, so, so there!

The older I get, the less impressed I am with hyperpartisanism. From any quarter."

Over at MyManMitt, a Republican blogger wasn't sure what to make of the call. And a progressive blogger at Blue Mass. Group doesn't think it's a good idea:

A bunch of the comments to kos's post protest that it's morally "wrong"
to do this. I disagree with that -- people vote strategically all the time, including Mitt himself, if you believe his story, which would make doing this kind of a poetic justice. But I'm just not sure it's good strategy. Romney is, indeed, a tragically lame figure right now. Maybe it's best to keep him that way.

__Image: __DailyKos