[TBBT]

Will the media take note? This story doesn't comport well with their desired narrative...

[Tex-Con-Man]

...and the thot plickens...

[EagleUSA]

Do we smell fish from the Republican establishment?

[ConfidentConservative]

The media better take note.

One small problem with that: as Winger argues, the rules were allegedly drastically changed. In November of this year.

There should be law suits in the works. If this is true Newt and Perry will be on the ballot.

[DeaconRed]

HMMMMMMMMMMM
VA doing a stop-da-noot.

[qwerty1234]

>> allegedly drastically changed

What is all this baloney about ‘allegedly changed the rules’, they either did or they didn’t. It should be easily provable one way or the other.

[Redmen4ever]

http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2011/12/virginia-ballot-non-access-story-behind.html

[Free Vulcan]

I always tell my candidates that if we need X number of signatures, I want 2 or 3X that turned in, and we focus our efforts on doing that so our butts are protected.

That doesn’t speak to the screwed up system they got there and changing the rules mid-stream. But in the end if you got 2 or 3 times the signatures you need you’re golden no matter what. I’m sympathetic but to a point. Harsh but sometimes the best offense is a good defense.

[normy]

I believe the VA GOP is fixin to be in hot water. They tried to be slick and now they look like cheats. This will hurt Romney as well as the Lt. Governor.

I expect Perry and Newt to both be on the ballot.

[bwc2221]

“Did the VA GOP change the rules on primary ballot access in November 2011?”

Yes, and it brought in the grandson of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to plan the attack. Tora ... tora ... tora. Newt was about as well prepared as we were at Pearl Harbor.

[Burkean]

The article makes a fundamental and valid point that can be applied to any state—a candidate who has run for president in a prior election cycle will have the advantage of experience and recognition. It is never a level playing field when one candidate has been through the process before, and ultimately the other candidates can claim ignorance when things don’t go their way.

[Gideon7]

---

More info about the undated letter can be found on this thread.

---

Romney submitted 16,000 sigs. Perry 12,000, and Newt 11,000.

The rumor is that Newt was bounced because he dropped below 400 in one or two districts. A couple of the NOVA districts around DC are 90% Dem, and finding a Republican there (who will admit it) is like finding a needle in a haystack.

[EternalVigilance]

The death throes of the Republican elephant are so ugly.

[kabar]

one (Romney) had more than enough signatures (15K) to bypass the verification process entirely.

Not true. Even if you believe the undated letter of RPV Chair Pat Mullins is valid and the way the certification process was carried out, any candidate with over 15,000 signatures would have to have 600 valid signatures from each of the 11 Cogressional districts.

[mrsmith]

"But we used to be able to cheat!"

I hope they can find a better claim than that...

[YHAOS]

The described events have Repubic Establishment stink all over them.

[Gene Eric]

The establishment is manipulating the rules to circumvent the intent of the voters -- period exclamation!

[apillar]

Saw a story where Perry is filing suit in federal court to get the entire primary access rule regarding number of signatures tossed on the grounds of voter disenfranchisement. Be interesting to see if it goes anywhere and if any of the other candidates will jump on board or would rather watch from a distance in case Perry get accused of “sour grapes” and using the federal courts to accomplish what he can't on the ground.

[apillar]

Saw a story where Perry is filing suit in federal court to get the entire primary access rule regarding number of signatures tossed on the grounds of voter disenfranchisement. Be interesting to see if it goes anywhere and if any of the other candidates will jump on board or would rather watch from a distance in case Perry get accused of “sour grapes” and using the federal courts to accomplish what he can't on the ground.

[Rashputin]

The bottom line is that no one knows whether a single signature for Romney is valid because with 15,000 they just qualify you and don't bother checking. So, under the new rules, Newt and Perry just didn't tell a big enough lie.

[jusduat]

When I heard this news, I knew that the ‘fix’ was in.
It seems that TPTB don’t even want to take a chance that
Myth might not win the primary.