Virginia Republican Primary a 2-man only event

[Muldur]

The justification is that there are laws about ballot access, and only those two people cared enough about being in the primary to bother to comply with them.

I find it difficult to believe that 4 major candidates "didn't care enough" to try. In fact the article flat out SAYS other candidates submitted petitions, but were ruled ineligable either due to number of sigs or being past deadline.

Either way, it's a very odd situation, and I have to wonder just what is going on in the GOP...

 

[Muldur]

Sorry, I took your statement of voting intentions in the context of this thread to mean that you were a VA resident.

No worries...in this day and age, ANY event that could ultimately affect a party nomination on the national level is (or should be) of interest to people all over the country, not just voters in that district or state.

To take Congress as another example: Big population states have an inordinate amount of power, esp in the House. So it's in my interest to be concerned with who's running in those states and what they stand for. I may not follow every individual race, but I do try to keep up with the trends at least.

 

[fishbob]

I find it difficult to believe that 4 major candidates "didn't care enough" to try. In fact the article flat out SAYS other candidates submitted petitions, but were ruled ineligable either due to number of sigs or being past deadline.

Either way, it's a very odd situation, and I have to wonder just what is going on in the GOP...

See Lefty's post 23.
Not only is there not a rocket scientist in the bunch, they mostly appear to need help tying their own shoes. Starting with Reagan, the GOP has expended so much effort pandering to the religious right, pandering to the tea partiers, pandering to the know-nothings. trying to out conservative each other that no reasonable candidate will step forward to run carrying this kind of baggage.

 

[Muldur]

I'm going to challenge you on your characterization of Paul. He's for legalization of drugs; that's a conservative position? He's for a somewhat isolationist foreign policy; that's a conservative position? And so forth. He's a libertarian ... which is NOT necessarily congruent with him being a conservative.

That's where the issue of "what's 'conservative' " gets tricky. I would argue that "small government" conservatives place farther right on the spectrum than "moral" or "social" conservatives who share a more statist view with the far left (at least on moral/social issues).

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

I find it difficult to believe that 4 major candidates "didn't care enough" to try.

Argument from incredulity.


ETA: And as you point out, trying isn't enough. They failed to comply with the requirements to get on the ballot. That's all.

 

[Muldur]

Argument from incredulity.


ETA: And as you point out, trying isn't enough. They failed to comply with the requirements to get on the ballot. That's all.

No it's NOT "all"...I can think of no precedent whatsoever where 4 of 6 major candidates for a public office ALL failed to make the ballot in this fashion. Can you show me precedent for such an extraordinary thing to have occurred?

 

[timhau]

No it's NOT "all"...I can think of no precedent whatsoever where 4 of 6 major candidates for a public office ALL failed to make the ballot in this fashion. Can you show me precedent for such an extraordinary thing to have occurred?

The Republican presidential candidacy is a public office?

 

[SezMe]

No it's NOT "all"...I can think of no precedent whatsoever where 4 of 6 major candidates for a public office ALL failed to make the ballot in this fashion. Can you show me precedent for such an extraordinary thing to have occurred?

When was the last time there were six major candidates?

 

[leftysergeant]

Can you show me precedent for such an extraordinary thing to have occurred?

Maybe you're looking at this through the wrong end of the telescope.

Can you show me a precedent for this many bat **** crazy candidates on one party's roster?

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

No it's NOT "all"...I can think of no precedent whatsoever where 4 of 6 major candidates for a public office ALL failed to make the ballot in this fashion. Can you show me precedent for such an extraordinary thing to have occurred?

That's an irrelevant argument. Whether or not the situation is unprecedented doesn't mean that anyone excluded these guys from the ballot.

[ETA: And whether or not you personally can think of precedents to this happening is also irrelevant. In fact, whether or not you can remember anything is irrelevant to pretty much any argument unless the subject of the argument is your ability to remember things.]

The reason they're not going to be on the ballot is that they failed to fulfill the requirements to get on the ballot.

Now, will you answer my questions? Who do you think "excluded"* them? Do you suppose there is some conspiracy to keep them off the ballot in Virginia?

*ETA: This goes back to my questions about your repeated use of the passive voice to suggest an agent without naming one.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

The Republican presidential candidacy is a public office?

Good point. On the other hand, Virginia has open primaries, so there's little distinction between a primary election and an election for public office (at least wrt procedural things like getting on the ballot).

 

[A'isha]

Good point. On the other hand, Virginia has open primaries, so there's little distinction between a primary election and an election for public office (at least wrt procedural things like getting on the ballot).

Don't worry, the Virginia GOP has the solution to that problem: loyalty oaths from voters!

The Virginia State Board of Elections has given the party permission to go ahead with their plans to make primary voters pledge their support to the eventual nominee no matter who it is.

“The code of Virginia allows for political parties to require individuals who wish to participate in presidential primaries to sign a pledge that he or she will support the party’s candidate in the general election,” Board of Elections Deputy Director Justin Riemer told NBC Washington.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, voters will be required to sign a document that reads: “I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican Party for president.”

Virginia does not oblige voters to be registered to a party before participating in the primary. Voters are welcome to vote in both Democratic and Republican primaries unless they are held on the same day.

 

[MaGZ]

Thge only thing the old whacko has to offer to the left is legalization of weed.

I would think being the "peace candidate" would be an appeal to the Left.

 

[MattusMaximus]

Actually it does appear that, while the rules haven't been changed, the way the rules are enforced has been changed.

Is This Man The Reason Newt Gingrich Isn’t On The VA Ballot?

This time however (for reasons you can read in the article I linked if you're interested) they're actually checking the signatures and making sure they are valid. This is what they were supposed to do in the past, but didn't.

The fail on this on the part of the various GOP hopefuls is palpable. Here in Illinois when you are gathering petition signatures, the standard procedure is to get far more (sometimes even 75% or 100% more) signatures than what is required, because it is simply assumed that your signatures will be challenged. And, chances are, some of them will be disqualified because the signer is either not legitimate or they simply didn't fill out the information correctly.

The fact that these GOP hopefuls didn't take the process seriously enough to a) check up on the process, b) treat it seriously, and c) bother going above-and-beyond to insure a valid set of signatures is just downright foolish. Not one of those idiots who failed to get on the VA ballot deserves to be even considered for president, because if they cannot be trusted to treat this process seriously and work to get it right, then how the hell can we trust them to help run the country?

 

[MattusMaximus]

Good point. On the other hand, Virginia has open primaries, so there's little distinction between a primary election and an election for public office (at least wrt procedural things like getting on the ballot).

Oh my. And with Obama being essentially unchallenged, just imagine all the fun the Democrats can have going to the VA primary polls and voting for Ron Paul. The potential for lulz is immense

 

[MattusMaximus]

Don't worry, the Virginia GOP has the solution to that problem: loyalty oaths from voters!

Yeah, like that's in any way, shape, or form enforceable. What a joke

I hope this kind of stupidity just makes even more Democrats vote in the VA GOP primary in the hopes that it swings to Paul, further mucking up the works.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Just an update: a federal judge ruled against the 4 candidates (presumably they all sued, and their cases were joined).

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/politics/virginia-gop-primary-ballot/index.html?hpt=hp_t2



The judge said, "In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair." And, "The plaintiffs have waited too long to file, and the doctrine of laches bars their claim."

 

[Travis]

Whoops.

 

[Rich_C]

The judge said, "In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair." And, "The plaintiffs have waited too long to file, and the doctrine of laches bars their claim."

I love this judge.

Hopefully Virginia changes the law because the requirements are too much. But Gingrich and Perry were happy to go along with them when they thought they could get on the ballot and others couldn't.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Hopefully Virginia changes the law because the requirements are too much.

How tough could it be? Both Romney and Paul managed to comply.

I think the issue isn't so much that the other 4 couldn't collect enough signatures as that they thought they had but their campaign workers faked so many signatures that they didn't have enough legitimate signatures.