There’s something clearly wrong with a candidate set who can’t meet the rules for ballot access. Is it the fault of the rules? Well, Romney and Ron Paul both followed the rules and made it on the ballot, so apparently it IS possible.
I haven’t picked a candidate yet. When Perry failed last night, I was ready to support Gingrich as the only close-to-conservative left. But he didn’t make it either.
I am going to defend the RPV to the extent that attacks on it are rediculous. I’m not an RPV member, I’m not even a republican committee member, having dropped out in the fall of 2008. But I have personally met all three statewide leaders, and they are all honorable men who I cannot imagine would subvert the ballot process for a candidate.
And there’s no way the RPV is trying to throw things to Romney. I would note that McDonnell is close friends with Perry, and Perry came here in September to raise money for the RPV. I was half-expecting McDonnell to endorse Perry, but wasn’t sure since Perry faltered in the polls. McDonnell is a solid conservative, a bright star, and endorsed Fred Thompson in 2008.
I’ve eaten dinner with Bill Bolling. He is a solid conservative, a likeable man, does his job well, and is an honorable christian who wouldn’t play games for his candidate, even if he could which he can’t because he doesn’t have much control over the state apparatus anyway.
And Ken Cuccinelli needs no support from me, although I’ve spoken with him before and I do support him. We all know his credentials — and to think he would let the RPV get away with anything is absurd.
So if anything wrong DID happen, I fully expect McDonnell and Cuccinelli will step in and make it right, if they can. And they will have more sway than some Facebook postings or rantings from commenters on their web site.
Whoever in Virginia came up with this hurdle to get on a ballot may have had good intentions, but it’s a heavily flawed system that needs to be changed. If 5 out of 7 candidates failed to qualify, that’s evidence enough that it’s not workable. Does the RPV want Obama to be re-elected? Does the RPV not want its residents to have a clear choice in its Republican primary? Does the RPV only want the candidates with the most funds to prevail? Because that’s the way its system is designed.
If Newt had submitted more than 15,000 signatures, real or fake, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO VERIFICATION. He would be on the ballot. That's apparently how Romney and Paul got in, or maybe those stories about having been grandfathered in because they were on the ballot in 2008 are true (not sure on that one).
Maybe you can ask your buddy Cuccinelli exactly why more than 2000 signatures on Newt's petitions were rejected, and who were the "volunteers" who did the verification.
The RPV grandees owe us that much, at the very least.
Then why did McDonnell endorse Romney, as well as the Lt. Governor being a major campaign manager for Romney.
It still reeks. I don’t care how you cover for them. They look extremely bad and this needs to be fixed immediately, or it will damage the outcome of the main election.