Posted on 01/13/2012 1:49:52 PM PST by Quicksilver
Following a hearing in Richmond today, U.S. district judge John Gibney ruled against Rick Perry's challenge to the Virginia ballot rules.
In his opinion, Gibney says Perry, and the other candidates who joined the challenge, waited too long to bring the suit.
"They knew the rules in Virginia many months ago; the limitations on circulators affected them as soon as they began to circulate petitions," he writes. "They plaintiffs could have challenged the Virginia law at that time. Instead, they waited until after the time to gather petitions had ended and they had lost the political battle to be on the ballot; then, on the eve of the printing of absentee ballots, they decided to challenge Virginia's laws. In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair."
The decision means Perry, as well as Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman, will not appear on the ballot in the state's March 6 primary.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
“We have too many effing judges, lawyers and functionaries who decide things for us.”
Actually, it was the Virginia GOP and the Virginia legislature who decided how the candidates would be selected for the Virginia Primary.
“Instead, Iowa and New Hampshire screwed up yet another presidential election.”
so its Iowa and NH fault that the Perry campaign couldnt figure out how to get on the VA Ballot? Its Iowa and NH fault that Perry made such piss poor showings at the debates calling conservatives “heartless” and saying oops because he forgot what he was doing in the middle of a debate. I am sorry but all of Perrys woes are self inflicted. He either should have waited for another cycle or gotten in much earlier. the man clearly was not ready for prime time - he may now be damaged goods for any future runs as well.
Has nothing to do with Perry in particular. Front-loading the system with small blue/purple states gives us the most left candidates.
Had red states (big or small) been at the front, you’d have seen Romney, Huntsman, etc. disappear into irrelevance almost immediately. Outside of Texas, Paul would have been treated like the kook that he is in most red states.
The game is rigged to give us big government leftists as the only “choices”...candidates who better represent the Democrat Party than the GOP.
Has nothing to do with Perry in particular. Front-loading the system with small blue/purple states gives us the most left candidates.
Had red states (big or small) been at the front, you’d have seen Romney, Huntsman, etc. disappear into irrelevance almost immediately. Outside of Texas, Paul would have been treated like the kook that he is in most red states.
The game is rigged to give us big government leftists as the only “choices”...candidates who better represent the Democrat Party than the GOP.
“EVEREYONE in VA should now vote for Ron Paul and deny Mitt Romney any of its delegates!”
NO! That geriatric clown is 1000X more dangerous to this country than Romney could ever DREAM of being.
“Truth be told, conservatives need a new party. It’s been a long time since the Republican Party has represented conservatives in America and I don’t see that changing soon.”
While I don’t see traditional conservatives being well represented, I do see the libertarians and to a lesser extent the paleo-conservatives getting a better shake in the coming years.
Unfortunately, third parties just don’t work. In the last 150 years, only one third party has risen to displace an existing primary political party. And that was the GOP in the 1860’s. That’s the reason why the libertarians are working to get Ron Paul elected as a Republican. If the Libertarian Party was capable of competing, it would have done so a long time ago.
Write-ins are not part of the VA primary process. It's only Romeny or Pauly.
So there are no write in’s huh? That is kinda dumb! Then everyone don’t vote!
In the end the judge decided.
But, if there is but one vote for Romeny, then Romeny wins all the delagates. How about everyone that wants romeny vote pauly, those that want pauly vote romeny. and those that want Perry/Santorum/Newt vote Pauly. Just the hunstmans don't vote, because whether they vote or not, it makes no difference.
“In the end the judge decided.”
The people of Virginia decided how they wanted to run their primaries, but agitators from out of state took the people of Virginia to federal court in an attempt to have a Federal Judge of the Judicial Activist persuasion, force the good people of Virginia to hold a primary as prescribed by the federal government.
In the end, States’ Rights and the 10th Amendment won in the courtroom!
Agree with your sentiment, but the ruling was that the plaintiffs simply waited too long to bring suit. Had it been earlier, outcome might have been different.
I just hate seeing Romney and Ron Paul being able to compete free of other potential candidates.
“I just hate seeing Romney and Ron Paul being able to compete free of other potential candidates.”
As do I. However, the other candidates should met the Virginia standards and Paul and Romney were able to do.
However, I do find it ironic that the candidate who speaks about States’ Rights and writes about the 10th Amendment, is the first one to run to a federal court and demand that it intervene in what is absolutely a state’s issue.
yeah...messed up all the way round.
If Rick Perry had not gone to the federal courts and instead said, “I’m a strong supporter or States’ Rights and the 10th Amendment and I stand by my commit to States’ Rights even when a state’s decision is not in my favor,” he would of gained traction in Iowa and SC.
Wasn't Perry ahead at one time in the polls in Iowa too? Before he turned round and called conservatives “Heartless” for opposing his policy of using tax payer money to give free education to illegal immigrant kids? And didn't he raise a heap of money wen he was ahead of everyone in the polls afew months back? And didn't he know the rules ? Why on earth couldn't he dot his “i”’s and what not in Virginia? Doesn't say much for his competence does it?
Wasn’t about Perry in particular. However, if Texas had been one of the first three states, Romney would have placed in the bottom tier instead of assuming mainstream “credibility” by strong showings in tiny blue/purple states. Paul would have done okay in Texas as a native son but would have faded in other red states.
Imagine coming out of the first three states with Bachmann, Cain, Santorum, and Perry contending and the rest gone. A lot different than what we’ve got now. And that’s because we were screwed by a rigged game.
Yea but look at the message it sends!
If a candidate forgets about, or is unable to follow the rules, then why should others help them along? I really care about competence and conscientiousness first, instead of politics but that is only me. I like Perry but he made his own bed as did Newt.
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