Virginia’s GOP Isn’t for Lovers of Newt or Perry
by Charles C. JohnsonFour of the six leading Republican candidates were given lumps of electoral coal this Christmas season when they failed to gather the signatures necessary to qualify for the Virginia Republican primary held on March 6. This leaves only Governor Mitt Romney and Representative Ron Paul on the Old Dominion’s ballot a few months ahead of the Super Tuesday primary.
Newt Gingrich leads the polls in Virginia, but Michael Krull, his national campaign director, actually compared the “set-back” to the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The Gingrich campaign naturally plotted a counter-attack–an aggressive write-in campaign–but that will be of limited success because Virginia law bans write-in votes in primary elections. Not one write-in ballot was counted in 2008.
For now, Gingrich is left to grumble about the “system” of authenticating signatures in the Virginia primary. He may have a point. Candidates are required not only to collect over 10,000 signatures to get on the ballot but have to have at least 400 from each of the state’s eleven congressional districts. Both Perry and Gingrich cleared the first hurdle by at least a thousand signatures, but it appears they may have stumbled on clearing the second. We don’t know this for certain — the Va. GOP hasn’t explained why Gingrich and Perry failed to qualify– but this seems likely.
Gathering enough signatures from enough of the different districts proved too tricky. In at least one district that’s a tall order. Virginia’s 3rd and 8th congressional district, for example, are among the most Democratic in the country, with a PVI score of D+20 and D+16, respectively. Woody Allen may be right when he said 90% of success is just showing up, but it is hard to show up when there is effectively no Republican party in some congressional districts.
Worse yet, Virginia’s House of Delegates complicated matters further when voters may not know which congressional district they live in thanks to an ongoing state-wide fight over redistricting. Virginia Republicans submitted a map in April 2011, but Virginia Democrats seemed insistent on pushing the matter to January 2012 and then to federal court if they don’t enough black–and therefore Democratic–congressional districts. They would sue the state under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and toss the matter of redistricting over to the federal courts.
It’s the prerogative of any state party to set up the rules that govern its primary but it sure seems short-sighted to disqualify two candidates that fulfilled the 10,000 signatures requirement, especially given how much Virginia GOP could benefit from a renewed focus and all that earned media attention on the Old Dominion.The usually reliable red state broke for Obama in 2008, by six points over John McCain. Indeed Obama became the first Democrat to win Virginia voted for Obama in 2008, making it the first time since 1964 that the state broke for a Democrat, but these gains were reversed when Attorney General Bob McDonnell crushed Democratic senator Creigh Deeds in the gubernatorial race by seventeen points.
If only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney run in the GOP primary, it’ll mean that the ideas of a resurgent Republican party won’t be discussed in all their permutations about the party activists and loyalists who make up the primaries and the door-to-door campaigners on Election Day. Doesn’t the Virginia Republican Party want to continue being relevant to the national discourse?
Instead it appears we’ll get a match up between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, an outcome that seems likely to break decisively in Romney’s favor. This is good news for Romney, who knows that the longer the race for the GOP’s nomination goes the more likely it is that he’ll lose it. Organization favors him early in the game, but as the number of states voting increases and the race gets progressively more Southern, he’s likely to get into trouble. Romney won only four of seventeen primary contests his last go around in 2008. With Virginia, with sixty delegates available, he’ll be able to argue that if he can be organized enough to win that crucially important state in the primary, he’ll be able to win it in the general.
Organization matters in life, as in primary contests, and the success of the Romney and Paul campaign owes a lot to the discipline and focus with which both camps have pursued their goal of being elected to the nation’s high office. It seems likely that the kind of candidates or campaigns that can master the details of the campaign can master the details necessary to be president.
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153 Comments
If your organization doesn't have the sense to get onto the ballot of one of the states it makes me question whether you are smart enough for the job.
"It seems likely that the kind of candidates or campaigns that can master the details of the campaign can master the details necessary to be president. "
Newt has never been a serious contender, but merely using this opportunity to make a few more bucks. From the beginning he has shown that mastery of details is only left to serious contenders. It should increase his speaking fees though.
Sour grapes for Perry and Newt to whine about this… boyz, this is the big time! Time to read the rules and pay attention, OR GO HOME!
MORE TEA, PLEASE!
.
It's 1980 and Ronald Reagan is in a primary fight and,……
he doesn't get the required signatures in one county,
What do you do,..what do you do,..??????
Gingrich and Perry may not be Reagans, but,…….
the country is in far worse shape and,……..
all you DUMBASS Republicans want to do is,…….
make sure the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed.
400 signatures from each congressional district doesn't strike me as unreasonable, but GOP candidates who don't want to play by the rules ought to be forced to run as what they are… DEMOCRATS!
I don't know what I'm missing here. Can anyone explain how it is that neither of these candidates' teams knew they were having problems collecting the required signatures?
I'm guessing Rick Perry had all the signatures but forgot the last third when he turned them in.
And that Romney wins (next in line)
The irony here is that Gingrich's campaign screw-up can be traced in part to his lack of focus on the campaign during the early summer, when he opted to take that trip with Calista which led most of his key staff people to quit. So organizationally, he was short the people who should have been the ones working behind the scenes to get on the Virginia ballot.
But most of Newt' ex-staff members ended up going over to the campaign of … Rick Perry. Which means, combined with the way they rolled out their new candidate, even if Newt had kept his staff intact, those master strategists might have still screwed up the petition signature rules, since they may have changed candidates, but the filing deadlines for Virginia and the other states should still have been in their Blackberry or iPhone calendars.
I will not be herded by the Republican party(again). It is bad enough that not a one of these candidates excites me.
The elitists in the Republican party have decided on Romney, and to hell what citizens want.
I may just sit this election out and wait for the citizens to rise up and take it back…Or Not.
— the Va. GOP hasn’t explained why Gingrich and Perry failed to qualify–
Obama style transparency running rampant in the GOP?? Benefiting Obama lite, er Mitt Romney?? Tell me its not so..
The media are the direct financial losers of this, less print, TV and radio advertising for candidates.
I have a question. Can voters write in candidates in VA? Whoops, just found out they can't. Wonder if there is a box on the ballot for "neither".
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/24/w...
It is essential to have in place an effective management for each state. The inability to mount your campaign in an early primary in a large state demonstrates a lack of preparation. It will be essential for the candidate that faces the media enhanced and billionaire financed Obama machine in November to have a well prepared and effective, state – by – state, national campaign. Perry wasn't ready to get in the race from the beginning and Newt has been on the "Republican Debate" lecture circuit since the beginning.
It is impossible to take seriously any candidate who fails to understand that this is a complex, difficult and challenging task. Good organizations smooth the way for their candidate, bad ones leave their candidates rear exposed – in all sense of the word. Newt's arrogance is revealing itself in glorious color as he chides a state for not toeing his line. If one is unwilling to accept federalism in the primary process, how long before it becomes inconvenient to President Gingrich.
Gingrich has displayed poor judgement time and again. His instincts are not conservative ones but rather preserve and advance Newt ones. This is another example of how Newt isn't truly comfortable with, nor ready to operate, a fragmented and FEDERAL republic.
Looks like we are stuck with Mitt. Great. We're going to get a repeat of 2008.
Obama in a landslide, IMO, if O-lite is our candidate, Romney cannot win with the baggage of Romney-care, and Newt just knocked himself out. Paul is my vote but he will be destroyed, in debates and through a billion dollars worth of lies, by an Obama running to Paul's right on so many issues.
Newt needs to fess up, admit he screwed up and hope that his honesty fires up the electorate in the rest of the states. To bad because IMO this is the last chance to save this country from collapsing into pure socialism, this is the end of the constitution as we know it.
There's other states besides VA that the contenders needs to get. Thank GOD we have 50 states and not just afew.
What does that tell you about Romney and Paul that they are the only ones who could get the required signatures in heavy Democrat districts?
The Democrats will nominate the Republican candidate, again.
This comment from someone without the cajones to reign in corruption in his state..your vote is irrelevant in Chicago anyway Ralphie…they vote FOR you there!
Normally, I would agree. However, VA changed the rules, shortened the application period by 2 MONTHS. And, they redistricted with lots of voters in the dark as to which district they currently fall under. Too funky to call.
Don't forget that the northern portion of the state is just DC lite.
LoL… Looks as if we stepped on some toes this mornin' SVP. Now I see why Newt missed that Va deadline… He was too bizzy organizing his own version of the Ron-bot i-net TD army. Now we need to name these peeps of Newt's… Perhaps we should hold a contest… Would anyone get it if we called them GingRinches… nah, prolly not…
What do you do….What do you do. Obama's and Clinton's folks found some forgers to come up with more names. The Acorns did the rest. See what we are stuck with as a result.
Rick Perry has forgotten more than Obama and company know about running the country.
that said, we cannot sit it out with the crooks in place. Sitting it out is GIVING UP. ACCEPTING FAILURE. Throwing away what is left of our freedom and our once great country. We can accept what is available and work to make it better for the next election.
Unfortunately, neither equates to the status quo. UNACCEPTABLE.
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus, but no Newt or Rick.
sooooooo hound,
Why don't you lay out a plan for Ralph. Tell him, and for that matter me, exactly how one man would "clean up" the most enduring and corrupt political machine in the history of this country?
Make a list, you know…..step one, two, etc. How would YOU clean up Chicago politics?
……holding my breath.
"It’s the prerogative of any state party to set up the rules that govern its primary…"
Actually, it is not. The "rules" are a matter of state law, and the parties must abide by them if they wish to run a primary.
When will Republicans learn from the Democrats……………………..Rules? We don't need no stinkin Rules! Not enough signatures, keep countin till you do, if all else fails take it to court.
No need to lie to destroy Ron Paul. Just run video and audio clips of him in interviews, and print ads of the newsletters. His own words are sufficient to end his candidacy.
There are no write-ins in primaries in Virginia. That Gingrich said he would mount a write-in campaign is more evidence of who incompetent he really is.
Given that the requirements to get on the ballot are a matter of state law, putting the folks who have not met the requirements on the ballot would be ILLEGAL and invalidate the results of the primary.
Thats the same line we are fed election after election.
This time it's different. They play their backroom power moves to our face.
My opinion is. Until America decides enough is enough. And acts upon it, we are nothing more than pawns in their private game. A game I will no longer play. Both parties are thoroughly corrupt.
kinda hard to "play by the rules" when a state keeps changing those rules just weeks ahead of the deadline, no?
They have not published their new district boundaries. They did not start to check apps until it was too late, if you didn't meet the requirements, to fix it. They clearly don't want a competitive primary in VA.
From where I sit, VA voters are the big losers. if any of them wanted to vote for a candidate who was disqualified, those voters have been disenfranchised. Way to go VA.
To all 'real' conservatives in Virginia…there are only (2) write in names you will need to match your convictions with your vote…Rep Bachmann and Rick Santorum!
Get their spellings correct…so your votes are not thrown out…and do what we all should have been doing for years…putting our vote where our convictiions are and not with the 'pretenders' and 'fence sitters'!
Congressional record…Rep Bachmann…
http://ontheissues.org/House/Michele_Bachmann.htm
Congressional record…Rick Santorum
http://www.issues2000.org/senate/Rick_Santorum.ht...
Santorum telling it like it is…and not backing down!
http://bigpeace.com/jpollak/2011/12/11/santorum-f...
http://bigpeace.com/sfr/2011/12/22/interview-rick...
I agree with your assessment but not your plan.
DON'T STAY HOME. MAKE SURE obama IS stuck with this mess. Put HIM in the driver's seat when the train goes off the cliff. And make the dems OWN him when it does. It will destroy their party. And while we're at it, do away with the GOP too. They're still dictating to us….and still getting it wrong.
A vote for obama could kill both parties…Dems can't stop the inevitable. We, the dollar, housing, and the economy are going down. Soooo, make them be captains of the Titanic. And let the GOP die cause they failed, again, to pick a decent candidate voters could support without holding their nose.
Remember the governor's race in Louisiana? Edwin Edwards, under fed investigation and facing indictment on multiple counts of fraud was running against David Dukes, grand pooh bah of the clan? Remember the bumper sticker?
VOTE FOR THE CROOK. THIS IS IMPORTANT!
So "vote for the crook", make popcorn, and let gravity take care of the rest.
One version of the story is that a lawsuit was filed after 2010 because someone could not get on the ballot. This is the first time the VAGOP has used a database comparison verification of the signatures IF the candidate had less than 15,000 signatures. If (like Romney) the candidate got over 15000 sigs – then no review of them.
There are likely problems with the data file, as well as the district confusion mentioned above. The VA GOP definitely has a problem.
Also, supposebly the VA dems helped their candidates by getting a lot of the sigs for them. The VA GOP sure didn't help the GOP candidates. They have made themselves irrelevant in 2012.
That's not an all together bad thing, M. Read my reply to Jingoist.
57 states.
Sorry, it is Paul or Mittens.
No write in votes are allowed.
VOTE CONSERVATIVE. VOTE THE GOP THE HELL OUT OF DC. INCOMPETENT, CLUELESS LEADERSHIP IS NOT WHAT AMERICA NEEDS. VOTE CONSERVATIVE. IT'S OUR TIME, IT'S OUR COUNTRY, IF NOT NOW WHEN?? WE CAN PUT OUR MAN OR WOMAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE. STOP BEING HERDED BY THE RINOS, STOP ALLOWING THEM TO TELL US WHAT WE WANT. VOTE CONSERVATIVE
Sounds like Virginia's GOP has less love for Marxism.
Mitt Romney made it, so Marxism still stands a chance there.
Well…one would understand if one had the rules wrong…but some of these men…have been around the block a few times and should know better!
Perhaps…the Virginia legislature could change/bend the rules since so many are NOT on the ballot and cannot be written in.
What a sad…sad state of affairs for 'real' conservatives in Virginia!
I guess being a Republican Election judge in the 11 Ward and,……
being a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Dems,…..
against their redistricting map isn't enough for our;…….
'kill the messenger and forget about the message' friend hound.
I could walk down my south side streets with you honey and,…..
know that you would do your share if push came to shove.
As for our friend, he's the first "jarhead" I met that didn't sound like one.
jarhead?
ooops, his white flag is showing, lol.
You watch your back, sweet boy. I've been down those south side streets. Wish I was with you. But I'd get arrested……unless IL has gone "open carry" lol.
These two are part of the "entitlement" class. They feel entitled to be on the ballot, even though they did nothing to get there.
OK, I'll play.
Which candidate is "conservative?"
Paul? He will not win against obama.
Who's next up on the 'conservative' ticket?
anybody?
Buehler?
Buehler?
Buehler?
Get real. There ARE no conservatives in this race who can win. The GOP has seen to that. You're only choice is to toss away your vote on someone who cannot win, or vote to kill both parties. Vote obama and let the Titanic sink and take the DNC and the GOP with it.
Then we start over with decent, independent candidates.
It's not just Virginia, they also did not qualify to be on the ballot in Ohio and Missouri. The petition process worked as it should by limiting the ballot to only viable candidates with the necessary support to be elected president. Get over it, only Romney and Paul are electable. Future debates should also only include those two as the others cannot win enough delegates.
So if none of the Republican candidates "excites" you, maybe you should vote for Barack Obama.
I'd rather have a boring, imperfect Republican as President than the current occupant.
"Kudos" to ya' Ralph, you and I both live in states that are of the same "corrupt" dynasty.
Paul is electable? I guess you believe there is a tooth fairy and that there really is a Santa Claus that lives in the North Pole. Forget Paul's idiotic foreign policy — he's 74 years old? Bob Dole was 73, John McCain was 72. The American electorate will NEVER vote for a person age 70 or over to a first term as President of the United States.
Texas …. What we have here are two parties who have controlled us.
We are a very large economy so first and foremost we need a business leader. Remember a few years ago when Ross Perot (businessman) presented us with the way out on national tv. Both parties about lost it, and made promises that were promptly ignored the day after he dropped out.
I am weary of being lied to and deceived.
Well, I guess it doesn't bother you that Romney was basically operating from an inside track, and out of Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling's already set up campaign headquarters (Bolling turned in the signatures for Romney). Bolling had access to the names, and addresses, of every registered voter in Virginia, and there is no requirement that the voter be a registered Republican to sign the petition, since Virginia is an open primary. Also, the Va GOP took the word of the Romney campaign that at least 25% of the signatures had been verified, BY THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN. Ummmmm………..
And why was Ron Paul certified before his less than 15K signatures were verified? One rule for Ron, another for Newt and Rick, a rule that was not decided until last month?
It doesn't matter if the candidates are smart enough for the job, what matters is that the Virginia voter has just had their vote disenfranchised and voided out unless they are supportive of either Romney or Paul. How does eliminating choice in a primary make a primary serve what it should serve, choosing a winner.
· 1 hour ago
"It’s the prerogative of any state party to set up the rules that govern its primary…"
Actually, it is not. The "rules" are a matter of state law, and the parties must abide by them if they wish to run a primary.
you reaffirm the statement that you claim to disagree with.
lol. yes….. believe EVERYTHING you read…. you government knows what is best… paul can't be elected…… you need to pay your fair share…..
More hypocrisy!!!! Choosing who the people are allowed to vote for!!!
I couldn't agree with you more. It's just that I'm not willing to get mad. I plan to get even. They both need to go, not reform or promise to do better. GO.
They have given us decades of the worst governance imaginable.
They have given us crooks and liars instead of patriots with a sense of duty.
They have robbed from us under every ponzi scheme they could invent.
They have squandered the wealth of two generations of workers and business owners.
They have sold our allies out for trade deals that only sent American business abroad
They have lied to us and taken us into wars our children sacrificed life and limb to fight.
They deserve to become extinct.
I plan to make that happen. I plan to vote against both of them every time they run someone for office. I plan to support ONLY independent candidates. And as I told you in another post, this time, I intend to hand this current can of worms right back to obama and give him and his party full responsibility for their corrupt and utterly cynical actions.
The one thing I cannot do is quit.
I have kids and grand kids. I plan to do whatever I can to give them a chance to pick up where I leave off and keep going till America looks like America again. I don't have a lifetime to see a plan through.
So i'm going for lethal force every election at every level for as long as I can.
Not really. A state party cannot simply "set up the rules" for a primary — those rules are set for them in state law.
The only option they have is whether or not to hold a primary — which is not the same thing as setting up their own primary rules autonomously.
Paul electable? Who will his VP be? Jeremiah Wright? After all, they share a foreign policy.
Now you're telling people to vote FOR Obama? Wow…..
Paul will win against Obama. Strike that, he'll beat Obama in a landslide.
We don’t know this for certain — the Va. GOP hasn’t explained why Gingrich and Perry failed to qualify– but this seems likely.
They failed to qualify because they didn't get enough signatures. It doesn't "seem likely", that's just simply what it is.
Hey Ralph,
I have a curious question.
Is it coincidence that this past week Mitt receives approval from papa bush and both Newt and Perry get the boot from the Virginia primary?
Given that both have crossed the Bushes at some point, I am one to consider it not a coincidence.
Gotta wonder….
I haven't seen anything about Perry whining about VA.
How can a website concerned with the bloated size of our government sound disappointed that Ron Paul is the only other option to a closet liberal like Romney? Ron Paul should be your candidate, yet you prefer to pine over the others chances at getting lected and selling our freedoms like the past 4 Presidents have.
No, I don't agree that government knows what is best out there, and I don't agree with the economic inequality crap. But neither am I a Robert Taft isolationist conservative. I have my opinion, I respect yours, but nothing anyone can say to me will get me to vote for Ron Paul — unless he runs for Health Commissioner or Surgeon General, or possibly Chairman of the Fed. However, I will not vote for Ron Paul for President or Dog Catcher.
God, the lack of information on the part of some people is just mind boggling to me. Newt's original campaign staff was Perry's old gubernatorial campaign staff. When Perry decided to throw his hat in the ring, they went back to him and Newt had to find replacements.
So what? Every campaign goes through changes. That doesn't mean the new people are inept, or the old staffers were. But if you really looked at how the Va GOP did this primary, there are more red flags than there should be. And only the voter in Virginia got shafted.
What does it tell you about the Va GOP that allowed Romney and Paul to canvass for signatures at polling places last August?
It tells me that they appeal across the spectrum. However, if you want your candidate nominated, don't listen to the media and get out and vote for him/her.
Eileen, you show, once again, how poorly informed you are. There is no write in for voters in the Virginia primary, only the general election. And the rules, changed as late as mid-November, were changed by the Va GOP (the 15K threshold).
So tell us, since Ron Paul only got 14,361 signatures, why was he certified BEFORE those signatures were verified? Ummmmmm?
That would be you who believes in the tooth fairy and Santa if you think a candidate who is not on the ballot in Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, and failed to appoint a full slate of delegates in New Hampshire can win. You can't win a primary without delegates and you can't get them if your not on the ballot and have no support to even get on the ballot. Like it or not this is a two man race between Romney and Paul. But, keep sending money to Newt and buying his book, that's why he ran anyway and he will stay in the race until he has milked out every dollar he can.
Paul won't be destroyed. I think the people have had enough establishment crap. Iowa voters see this. Why do you think that, all of a sudden since Mitt or Newt isn't on top, we're being told that Iowa doesn't matter, and that a Paul win there could "destroy" the caucus? The more they try to tear him down, the more people decide they want to support him.
In my opinion, Obama wouldn't have to do anything to destroy a Paul campaign. "Conservative" media such as talk radio and this website seem to be doing a pretty good job of that right now.
"open carry"
that would sure clean up this town.
On the ballot, electable. Not on the ballot or have appointed delegates, un-electable. Simple as that. Newt is unelectable Romney and Paul are. You may not like it but sometimes reality just sucks.
This has Rove rats hand's all over-it. Funny, week last– Rove had mentioned numerous times how Gingrich's campaign wasn't on track and very disorganized. Hmmm, so this pretty much sums-up the GOP Establishment and how they work behind the curtain. Redistricting Rove, from the same play-book as the Dem's.
Thinking outta the box;…………
and ya can find all sorts of "coincidences"
need more like you there SP.
And all we worry about is making sure,……..
the kids eat their veggies.
Who says ONLY Romney or Paul are electable? Since we're talking possible/impossible, let's talk possible. What if no candidate gets enough delegates in the primary process to lock up the nomination. This is possible. Not probable, but possible. If that turns out to be the case it would leave us with a brokered convention at which ANYBODY could emerge as the nominee. A true Conservative could emerge and get the support of the required number of delegates present at the convention. My favorite would be Sarah Palin, but it could be anybody. Once again, not probable but possible.
Tells me Romney and Paul have support that Newt, Perry and the other losers don't. BTW, Ohio, Virginia, and Missouri are swing states so please explain how a candidate in three of the largest swing states who don't have enough support to get on the ballot is going to beat Obama.
Least it would even up the teams. Course the gangs have fully automatic weapons, but baby steps.
First just get the right to return fire, lol!
Because they're not concerned with any of that. They're concerned with keeping the status quo. You seem new to this site. Take a look around and you will see that they were so quick to defend Herman Cain with cries of "liberal media" and excusing it as "Oh, that happened 15, 20 years ago, it shouldn't matter". The same thing with Newt. But suddenly, when Ron Paul is in the spotlight, they're going along for the ride. For the past five or so months, we've been told, "Anybody But Obama", "Reagan's 11th Commandment" and "Republican Unity". Unless, of course, the guy on top is Ron Paul.
Taft wasn't an isolationist he was a non-interventionist but you are correct in that he was a conservative. All the GOP candidates are interventionist who believe we are the policemen of the world like Wilson and FDR. Except of course the one real conservative, Ron Paul.
The Virginia rules to qualify for the primary ballot are set by state statute (not by party rules). And they're not nearly as onerous as the article suggests. Those same rules have been in place for decades. Dozens of statewide candidates in both parties have been able to meet those rules and qualify for statewide primary ballots.
The law requires 10,000 signatures statewide (less than 1/4 of 1% of the state's registered voters). The law also requires at least 400 signatures from each of the state's 11 Congressional districts. That's a very modest and achievable number, even for Republican candidates in districts that are dominated by Democrats. There are still plenty of Republican voters in those areas — in 2008, McCain had 72,000 votes in the 3rd District (Richmond-Norfolk), and 100,000 votes in the 8th.(Arlington-Alexandria-Fairfax).
As one who has collected signatures for multiple GOP candidates in the 8th District, I can attest that it's generally EASIER to do so here than elsewhere. We have large number of residents who are politically active, there are sizeable gatherings of local politicos (County Committee meetings, GOP clubs), and our population density means many venues with large crowds (festivals, supermarkets, transit stations). Signature collection is more challenging in rural areas, where population is more spread out (even though those areas are more Republican.)
And the Presidential candidates had an added ADVANTAGE, by virtue of the election calendar. The November elections were within the petition-signing period, so any Presidential campaign could easily have organized volunteers to collect signatures from voters at polling places in Republican-leaning precincts. (Candidates for other statewide offices must collect signatures from January-March, and do NOT have the benefit of a large election.)
Never give up there CG
Nice try…Bubba…but I am not privy to all the voting regulations in all 50 states…and even though it stated it in the above article…my eyes skimmed right across that portion while reading the portion on the Gingrich campaign launching a 'write in' campaign.
So foregive me for erring…but give me credit for admitting…you on the other hand…are showing who YOU are in using poor judgment in voting for "Pot" Paul!
He cannot win…AGAIN!
He will not win…AGAIN!
He should not have run…AGAIN!
WANT ME TO REPEAT THAT…AGAIN?
Enough said!
I believe that is the goal of the MSM and the democrats who are trying to keep Newt and Perry propped up. Causing chaos by forcing a brokered GOP convention is how they will try to get Obama reelected. Another reason the quicker republicans boil this down to the two man race between Romney and Paul that it is the better chance we have of beating Obama. Good Point sir.
Then by all means elect one. Just don't whine when you always get what you're always gotten after always doing what you've always done. The only way to change anything is to do something different.
The "party" system is killing any hope of decent government in this country. They both need to be shown the door. Sadly, the only folks who can do that, folks who, btw, complain about both parties every election, can't figure out how to get rid of them.
When this house of cards comes down, and no matter who's president it's coming down, the Dems need to be in charge. That handles the DNC. Never voting for a republican candidate handles the GOP.
Et voila, no more party politicians.
The only winning move really is not to play.
state party = state government
If that is the case I WILL SEE YOU AT THE CONVENTION.
Me and every other American that is voting for Liberty over slavery.
A few weeks ago Paul was short in a few districts. This is where support comes in and having smart people working for the campaign. The best way is how the Paul campaign does it by getting copies of the republican voter rolls and going door to door gathering signatures. Signatures gleaned from voting rolls in the proper district is how you get VALID petition signatures that will pass any challenge in Virginia or any other state for that matter. What happened to Newt, Perry, and the others is what happens when you have Astroturf campaigns with no real support.
The only winning move is not to play,in other words do nothing???I respectfully disagree, The only way to win is to educate,yourself,your familly, your friends,and hopefully they will do the same,if we do nothing at all, it will desend into anarchy,and we really don't want that.
Yeah its weird, sometimes the NEWTCAKES are out in force. My FU to the Republican party is a primary vote for Paul. I don't think they got the message in 2010 and suggest they have another cup of TEA in 012. At least with Paul I know what I'm getting, and the legislative branch would writhe should he get the nod.
More TEA absolutely! Its gonna get alot worse before it gets better, sadly.
Learn to read. I didn't say "do nothing."
The republican elite smell stinkier and stinkier the more I llearn.
Hey jerk. Buehler? WTF gotta insult to make a point? Jerk azz.
You say there are no conservatives that can win. says who? you? the GOP? the MSM? so, you're all for being herded along the trail towards what? what the GOP says is gonna happen? you're gonna vote for Obama, and do what exactly? I've been saying loud and clear, vote conservative. Santorum ain't? Bachmann ain't? gonna let the MSM dictate to you your choices? why? the country is middle right. it ain't what the MSM democrat controlled pundits say it is. Who gives a rats azz about Paul, I wouldn't vote for him. if all the conservatives in this country would get off their whining azzes and vote for our man, we'd own the white house. sadly, the majority sound like you,, acting as if their vote is a waste unless it's for what and who the GOP losers say.
VOTE CONSERVATIVE, VOTE THE GOP THE HELL OUT OF DC. IF NOT NOW, WHEN? AFTER OBAMA HAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE COUNTRY. STOP WITH THE DEFEATIST WHINERS WHO WANT TO GIVE UP AND DO SOMETHING STUPID WHEN WE CAN GET OUR CANDIDATE IN THE WHITE HOUSE EVEN THOUGH THE MSM SAYS WE CAN'T.
Red Herring! I'm calling BS on this one.
<Bolling had access to the names, and addresses, of every registered voter in Virginia, >
EVERY campaign has access to voting registration records but you must have the support along with people smart enough to run an organized campaign first. Astroturf campaigns with no support don't make it on the ballot.
They were verified and found to be VALID with over the required 10,000 total and with over 400 being from each district. . A few weeks prior to the deadline the Paul campaign was a little short the 400 required in one district. And how did they know this? Simple, they have the organizational skills and support necessary to find out. They then used the voter registration rolls to go out and get more VALID signatures from the district they had to be obtained from. They also double checked the petitions to make sure they had MORE than enough VALID signatures, from every district, and were properly notarized BEFORE they were turned in. This takes organization and real support from volunteers to make happen. It's also how you win elections.
Most likely Newt and Perry relied on paid signature gatherers (who could care less about validity because it's just a job) because they don't have the professional people working in their campaign necessary or committed volunteers to do it properly by checking the petitions.
That's how you lose elections.
I wouldn't have voted for either candidate.
But isn't the primary election about choices for the voters?
If the republican establishment thinks they can force us into accepting Romney what will they do if RP wins in Va?
We don't like Romney, they really aren't thinking if they only give us one other choice.
The republican party in Virginia probably didn't coordinate the requirements with the candidates.
The republican establishment is totally out of touch with everyone but themselves.
It's so. With all the same wisdom that keep Boehner failing in every fight.
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