Today the Virginia Board of Elections handed down a decision that likely has not warmed the dishonest hearts of Republicans: former Congressman Virgil Goode (pictured above) will appear on the presidential ballot in November as the candidate of the miniscule Constitution Party. Why does this matter? Because Goode may siphon off votes that might otherwise have gone to Mitt Romney. Which is why the Republican Party fought tooth and claw to keep Goode off of the ballot (the GOP is doing the same thing to Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson). The Virginian Pilot has details. Here are highlights:
Virginia's Republican-dominated electoral board rejected an effort Tuesday by the state's Republican Party to keep conservative former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode off the presidential ballot to avoid draining votes from the GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, in a deadlocked swing-state contest.
Goode, nominee of the obscure Constitution Party, and Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson of New Mexico were both added to the Virginia ballot after Republican Party of Virginia attorneys asked the board for an independent review of alleged irregularities in both candidates' qualifying petitions.
"We're on the ballot, so I'm happy," said Goode, 65, who has been a Democrat, an independent and most recently a Republican during a 36-year career that spanned 12 years in Congress and 24 in the Virginia Senate. Goode lost his U.S. House seat in 2008 to one-term Democrat Tom Perriello.
The Republican Party leveled the challenge against Goode as a Quinnipiac University poll showed Romney and President Barack Obama tied in Virginia. Goode, who was elected five times to Virginia's 5th District seat representing rural Southside Virginia, could draw thousands of votes from a conservative base less than four years after leaving office.
Virginia Constitution Party Chairman Mitch Turner called it an effort by a moneyed major party to intimidate conservative third-party rivals and limit their access to the ballot.
"I think that sends a message to the people that if you are going to buck the establishment, if you want to get out there and make a difference, you better watch out," he said. Goode, who has said he's on the ballot in other states, said early this year he was focused on balancing the budget and limited government. He acknowledged that his likelihood of winning was small, but he said his campaign was more about a message than winning.
Once again - as in the case of voter ID laws that address a nonexistent problem - we see the GOP being unable to win on the basis of its policies and candidates and resorting to blocking legitimate candidates and American citizens from voting to steal elections.
No comments:
Post a Comment