Greens: Right And Wrong
Douglas Campbell, the Green Party’s candidate for Governor of Michigan, published an editorial in the Detroit News today. He argues that Democrats need to stop complaining about how the Greens spoiled an election, which they have been doing ever since it became apparent that Andy Levin would have beaten John Pappageorge for the 13th District seat in the Michigan Senate if the Green candidate’s votes had gone to Levin instead.
Mr. Campbell is right, of course. The Green Party isn’t going to stop running candidates any time soon. Democrats need to position themselves to win even with a spoiler on the ballot. It’s just a fact of life and the sooner Democrats accept it, the sooner they will regain control of the Michigan Senate.
Of course, the one fact that Mr. Campbell forgot to mention is the presence of a Green candidate on the ballot will almost certainly cause the Democratic candidate to move farther to the right in all of his positions in order to win. The Greens, therefore, who do well to be more careful in selecting which campaigns they are going to field a candidate for.
That or quit complaining when there’s no one in Lansing who is even close to their ideology.
Mr. Campbell is right, of course. The Green Party isn’t going to stop running candidates any time soon. Democrats need to position themselves to win even with a spoiler on the ballot. It’s just a fact of life and the sooner Democrats accept it, the sooner they will regain control of the Michigan Senate.
Of course, the one fact that Mr. Campbell forgot to mention is the presence of a Green candidate on the ballot will almost certainly cause the Democratic candidate to move farther to the right in all of his positions in order to win. The Greens, therefore, who do well to be more careful in selecting which campaigns they are going to field a candidate for.
That or quit complaining when there’s no one in Lansing who is even close to their ideology.
