What does it mean to be a “fake” politician? I have to think that Machiavelli did not envision this when
he wrote “The Prince.” The Republican Party of Wisconsin has managed to field six of their own to run
as Democrats in primaries across the state this year.

Initially, their motivation was simply to be on the
ballot for the primaries so that all general elections would be held on the same day. Otherwise, without
a primary challenger, some general elections would be held earlier on the same day as the other
primaries, thus ensuring high Democratic voter turnout for the general elections. However, now some
of those “fake” Democrats are planning to actively campaign for the primaries.

At first hearing this, it sounds totally ridiculous. My first thought was: How is it fair for politicians to
pretend to be something they are not? Then I laughed at myself.

The open primary system in Wisconsin, which allows any registered Wisconsin voter to vote in
any primary he or she wants, has created some interesting drama this year. At least in theory, the “fake”
Democrats have just as much chance of winning as their bona fide counterparts because any eligible
voter in the state can vote for them. Furthermore, because of this open system, the Government
Accountability Board decided in their favor by letting them run precisely because Wisconsin does not
require official party affiliation to run for a party’s nomination.

While this all may seem adverse to the democratic process at first, it really does not impinge it in
any significant way. At worst, it effectively turns the primaries into general elections. So what? Every
registered voter is allowed to vote in them, and if the Democrats are too lethargic to even get out and
support their candidates in the primaries, then they deserve no defense. The primaries should be no
problem for them, and if they are, then they were never going to win the general election in the first
place.

Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the primary system is a sham anyway, and this exposes
that to some extent. What does it even mean for a candidate to run as a Republocrat? To begin with,
I don’t want to be so dismissive as to say that there is not a dime’s worth of difference between the
parties, but it would be tough to get someone to take more than a quarter for it. Second, running as
a legitimate Republocrat basically means that a candidate agrees to tow the party line and say the right
things, and in exchange he gets funding and support from other candidates.

Why, though, do we continue to limit ourselves to only two stifling options? This is the perfect
opportunity to field a third option. We have heard since last summer how fed up every one is with
both parties; well, this would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that. The leniency of the open
primary system in Wisconsin permits an opening for unorthodox candidates to get on the ballot without
having to sell their souls to either party.

Some people are up in arms about a Republican running as a Democrat, but what difference does it
really make? It is still the same old game: one party gaming the system in order to beat the other. If
we want to change the way things run in this state or just have a more productive conversation
by having a more diverse field of candidates, now would be the time to find and support a candidate
without ties to either party. If we cannot do that, then we get what we deserve: Republocrats.

Ryan Plesh ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in philosophy and physics.