Would you ever run as a repuke? If you wanted to run for local

[efhmc]

office in order to do some good and to effect change in your community, but you have absolutely no chance running as a Dem., would you hold your nose (and other body parts) and run as a repuklican? This idea is keeping our Texas county from getting good candidates. When we do get good people they are as routinely defeated as the mediocre so they (the prospective candidates) feel that in order to win and work within their community to make the changes they want to make, that they must run as repukes. Another idea is that at the local level it just does not matter what party one is, as long as you can get into office and do some good work.

[calimary]

1. Like a "stealth candidate," maybe?

I'm not above playing dirty pool. If it appeared to be the only way to get in and start rectifying a few things, then the answer would be - CERTAINLY!

[efhmc]

4. Well, that sounds okay, but it makes our county Dems pretty

useless. We raise money and run good candidates time and again just to see them go down the drain.

[calimary]

9. True, but there might be a "stealth candidate" way of working this.

What if some of your overt Good Guys were in on it...

You realize, of course, it's NOT unheard of for someone to get into office and get settled and start working, and then decide to switch parties...

Sorry - I'm just REALLY frustrated on MANY different accounts today. And I'm in one of those moods. I hear Macchiavelli whispering in my ear.

[efhmc]

17. This is a small county and ones true views as a person and a

candidate would be pretty hard to cover up.

[flamin lib]

2. Reminds me of the political cartoon

showing an octopus behind the sushi bar in apron and chef's hat. Caption read, "He hopes to change the system from inside."

[efhmc]

6. Is it working for him? BTW, cute mental image.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

3. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

nt

[Imalittleteapot]

5. From you subject I was going to reply that it's

the only way you can win in Tarrant County. From your message I learned that you're in Texas also. Rep. Kay Granger WAS a Democrat, but switched to win. She as Repuke as they come now.

On the county level, it is necessary to claim a party affiliation in order to get financial backing. The thought of saying I was a Republican makes me sick, but you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. No one would believe me, however.

[efhmc]

7. So should we loyal Dems just disband? I wonder about the

real motivation of people that just want to be elected. But then again you cannot do anything if you don't achieve office.

[calimary]

10. That's exactly it. You can't do ANYTHING if you don't WIN. First,

you've gotta WIN.

[efhmc]

13. But I want us and our people to win as Democrats. I would knife

myself repeatedly before even mentioning becoming or running as a repuke. It will never, ever happen.

[calimary]

20. I do, too. But playing by the rules seems to leave us in the losers column

more often than not. I think it stinks. I wish it were different. But this is an imperfect world (and HOW!) and I am occasionally given to considering imperfect solutions to problems. Well, more than occasionally. You'd sure stir up a shit storm, that I can tell ya!

[flamin lib]

8. Not quite as right wing as you can get,

but sure a long way from her Dem roots.

[Ian David]

11. Yes! Yes! See my previous posts on the subject

1) Register to run in his district as an independent candidate.

2) Campaign on the most fundamentalist, anti-gay platform you can imagine. Wake-up in the morning and say to yourself, "Today, I am going to pretend to be Alan Keyes."

Remember: Alan Keyes carried 30% of Illinois. As Jon Stewart put it, "30% of people in Illinois wear tinfoil hats and diapers."

3) Reach-out to fundamentalists, evangelicals, and other un-enlightenment types.

4) Your platforms are going to be "protecting" marriage, denying civil unions, keeping gays out of the military, making sure that private companies are not allowed to extend domestic partnership rights, gay people can't file domestic abuse cases against their partners, banning gay-straight alliance groups and tolerance training from public schools, forbidding gay pride events, etc.

5) Here are some other things you will promise:

a) You're going to say you want to make sure the government can fund charter schools, even if they are religious schools.
b) You want the 10 commandments posted in every courthouse, classroom, police station, and in the passenger seat of every police cruiser where handcuffed suspects can read them.
c) You want rooms set aside in public schools for "voluntary prayer."
d) Students will have the option of adding the words, "We ask these things in Christ's name o Lord, Amen" to the end of the pledge.
e) The pledge will always be followed by the song "God Bless America."
f) Gay people will not be allowed to name one another as beneficiaries.
g) Gay people will have their "medical proxy" rights weakened, so that "blood relatives" can over-ride the instructions of their partner.

6) You are going to run as the most godwhacked fundamentalist theocratic fundie that Pennsylvania has ever seen. This will split Santorum's vote, giving the Democrat a better chance.

7) You are going to liberally quote Fred Phelps and Alan Keyes, and perhaps even invite them on your campaign trail.

8) On the off chance that you're elected... well, politicians never keep their promises anyway, do they?

Remember: The goal is to split the bigot-fundie vote between Santorum and yourself.

More:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1547903#1547915

Also:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1501059#1501154

[MaineDem]

12. Hell no

I'd rather lose with my principles intact that win being somewhat dishonest.

[efhmc]

15. Now there is an answer I agree with but is not advancing our

cause.

[ClassWarrior]

16. Did the OP say anything about being dishonest?

Hell, you could be very open and upfront about your reasons for doing it, and force a debate about the value of the two-party system.

NGU.

[MaineDem]

18. Me running as Republican would be dishonest

At least in my mind. I can't speak for others.

[ClassWarrior]

19. That's fair.

NGU.

[efhmc]

25. Oh well, that old honesty thing. It trips us up every time.

[ClassWarrior]

29. So you're saying you WERE trying to trick people into being dishonest?

If so, you're the first one guilty.

NGU.

[efhmc]

32. Was trying to joke that being honest seems to get us nowhere. But as I

have said/indicated/referred to obliquely and otherwise that type of hoodwinking or lying is not for me. However, it leads me back to the point which is where do we get candidates and if we can get them how can we convince people to vote for Dems? That seems to be a nationwide question.

[ClassWarrior]

14. Of course. It's about doing what's right - not about parties.

NGU.

[efhmc]

26. What is ngu? Also, is it right to run under a platform that you think is

evil and wrong in every way?

[blm]

21. Possibly. Not sure. I do know someone in Greenville, SC who ran as a GOPer

even though he is a moderate Democrat in secret. I don't think I should tell what office he holds, so suffice it to say it's not a statewide one. He owns some powerful companies in SC, but he could only use his influence as a Republican,

[efhmc]

24. Here, we are having a school board election and although no one

runs as a Dem or repuke, it is widely known who holds what views. But with no label attached, the Dem leaning candidate has a very good chance of election. See what studiity is involved here.

[Mnemosyne]

22. Isn't this what cross-filing is?

There are many here that do this running for school board and magistrate.
It makes me sick due to the fact that so many vote without knowing anything about the candidates and may vote for a fundy while thinking they are voting for a democrat because they are listed there on the ballot.
I'm in PA.

SINK SANTORUM!!:puke:

[efhmc]

27. I do not know what that means? Cross filing....

[Mnemosyne]

28. Here in PA a candidate may file for the primary under both parties.

If they are a democrat they can appear on the ballot as a repuke also, if they can get enough repukes to sign a petition. So when the ballot is printed their name appears as a democratic candidate and a repuke candidate. I don't recall ever seeing them designated as the party they actually represent though with the wrong party listing. It seems strange to me, but maybe it's just a weird PA thing.

Magistrate

Candidates:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
Democrat

Tom Jones
>>>>>>>>>>>
Repuke

Tom Jones

[efhmc]

33. Not done here. Thanks for the info. So are they actually listed twice but

on seperate ballots and primarys? (Dems. and repukes)

[Mnemosyne]

39. Yes, if they win both parties in the primary

then they are listed as dem and repuke on the Nov. ballot. I think it is not right, but what do I know?

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[question everything]

30. Does not work

First, what kind of credibility does a candidate generate if s/he changes party affiliation just to win?

Second, as you say, most local offices are supposed to be non-partisan. I think that if a candidate declares that s/he is running for a non=partisan office, and details his/her platform, and really go out and meet people and talk to them, it can happen.

I was once involved in a similar campaign of a person who was registered as a third party. But his mentor suggested he changed registration to a Republican because that way he could tap into more contributions. I was really pissed, stayed on as the treasurer but stopped participating in strategy meeting. He lost.

[efhmc]

34. Did he lose as a repuke? I really think that offices such as Co. clerk,

registrar, etc., need to be nonpartisan. We have a very evil (surprise, surprise) repuke co chair who can run a monkey with no experience and no qualifications and almost beat candidates who have had positions and done great work for 15+ years (Well, that is what he always tells our Dems. when he is attempting to get them to change parties.)

[Dave Sund]

31. Yes, If I were running in 1860

[efhmc]

35. You would have been proud to be affliated with Abe.

Wonder what the vote was for Abe in that election in Texas.

[bunkerbuster1]

36. Yes. and I've canvassed for a Republican, as well.

There's nothing wrong with using all the tools at your disposal, and if you can keep the funding local without helping state or national reThugs by running as a Republican (progressive, or cynical vote-splitter) where you are, I say go for it.

I'm in a very, very Red part of a Red state. Our local school board is run by theocratic thugs. A Dem has a snowball's chance in hell of winning. There was an honest, decent man running for the Republican nomination during the primary, and I went door to door trying to persuade Republicans to vote for him.

He lost, of course, but I stand by my decision. (And yes, I did vote for the Dem in the general election, who lost, of course...)

[efhmc]

37. Doesn't it make you so sad for our country? People get their info from so

few sources and don't care to know anything that is not in front of their face (and those are the few who even take the time to vote). In the meanwhile, our schools are becoming arms of the right wing repukes, who are not committed to public education and want to see everything vouchered.

[bunkerbuster1]

38. The silver lining--so few people vote for school board

that a relatively small number of activists CAN make a difference if they're willing to work for it.

[Debs]

40. Not if I were running for Governor of Heaven itself

I would rather get a vasectomy by a street vendor than be associated with the GOP in ANY way. When you dance with the devil, the devil don't change, he changes YOU