The Independent Green Party of Virginia (an affiliate of the Independent Party of America) has gathered 70,000 signatures for the ticket of Michael Bloomberg and Ron Paul for president and vice-president. This is 7 times the number needed to qualify.
UPDATE: Bloomberg-Paul will not be on the Virginia ballot; see the post of August 20.
“some have speculated that the ticket could carry the state”
Who are these “some”? Posters on this site and Third Party Watch probably. There’s not a chance of them winning.
bolshevik-leninist thanks for your opinion, now go back to watching TV.
bolshevik-leninist,
They also said that Ron Paul wouldn’t outlast Giuliani.
They also said Bill Clinton would never get elected.
Never say never. Enjoy the kool-aid.
“If the ticket remains on the Virginia ballot, some have speculated that the ticket could carry the state, possibly throwing the election into the House of Representatives.”
It would be a shame if Bloomberg/Paul threw the election into the House, preventing an election for Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, or Chuck Baldwin.
Mr. Anon – I don’t think McKinney, Nader or Baldwin have a chance of getting elected. It’s better if Bloomberg/Paul did win the state and throw the election into the House. That would wake up the two major parties and possibly put some life into the minor parties as well. You would probably also see some states do more restrictive ballot access laws for minor parties, which might work in reverse and finally get the electorate mad at the two party system for repressing their choice.
Update: Paul will keep name on ballot in Virginia
Paul’s spokesman, Jesse Benton, said:
“We’re not going to take any action to get his name off, but at the same time we’re not encouraging it.â€
This is a transparent Republican dirty trick to hand the state to McCain, and Bloomberg is knowingly abetting it.
Richard Winger – This doesn’t really pertain to this thread but I don’t know where else to put it. Can you update your chart somehow to show how many electoral votes each candidate has a chance at based on the states he/she attained ballot access in? Thanks.
“This is a transparent Republican dirty trick to hand the state to McCain, and Bloomberg is knowingly abetting it.”
Yes, everything is a Republican plot. And those votes just BELONG to Obama, don’t they?
The arrogant entitlement of some Democrats is just pathetic.
“They also said that Ron Paul wouldn’t outlast Giuliani.”
Again, who is saying these things? Everyone knew Giuliani would stay in until at least Florida but everyone also knew he was running a terrible campaign. Everyone also knew Ron Paul was going to stay in regardless of how he did.
bolshevik-leninist,
Every single MSM reporter and political analyst predicted that Ron Paul would quickly go away and that Rudy was one of the most highly-favored candidates likely to go the distance.
Go back to the Motherland. And take George Soros with you, please.
I can’t imagine Bloomberg/Paul getting more than 1-3% of the vote in Virginia. The two candidates on the ticket are not even campaigning for president anymore, and they disagree on many things ideologically. Whoever “speculated” that they could win the state must undoubtedly have been involved with placing them on the ballot.
Ron Paul and M. Bloomberg differ little when they speak of whom they serve. The difference between them is in how. They differ on some very big points, like when we should end the war in Iraq. Bloomberg supported the war, and still does. Ron Paul would end the war in Iraq and stop our war of terror. Bloomberg wants to restructure taxes to benefit the people. You can’t give tax breaks to the wealthy, or yourself if you don’t throw the poor people a bone as well. Ron Paul would end some taxes and replace them with nothing. I hope people are not fooled by Bloomberg, I would support him in any act that strengthens the power of the people. I am just not holding my breath. In Bloomberg’s case, it is easy to play Robin Hood when you need not steal from anyone. Ron Paul is one of us, a person fighting for his own, you and me.
“Every single MSM reporter and political analyst predicted that Ron Paul would quickly go away”
What do you mean “go away”? No one thought he was going to drop out.
Maybe you mean go away as a serious candidate but he never was a serious candidate in the first palce so he couldn’t really go away in that sense either.
The MSM thought he would never have a shot at the nomination and he never did.
So this is a spoiler ticket, in the purest sense.
I’m surprised Paul supporters in other states have not done something like this.
So far as I can tell, Louisiana law would allow it. Only the elector candidates are required to sign and file forms:
http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/693/Default.aspx
The deadline here in Louisiana for independent slates of electors is Sept. 2.
Since ballot access here is so easy, it’s certainly not too late.
Sorry to hijack the thread, but is anyone in either Louisiana or Virginia willing to stand as an elector for a possible Star Jones/Jimbo Wales ticket? Is there anyone willing to circulate a petition to get Star Jones/Jimbo Wales on the November ballot in those states?
This is the ultimate smear.
Bloomberg stands for everything that is the OPPOSITE of what Ron Paul stands for…
This was intentionally done to hurt Ron Paul’s image.
Jack — sorry !
“This is a transparent Republican dirty trick to hand the state to McCain, and Bloomberg is knowingly abetting it.”
LOL no good ‘republican’ would ever vote for BLOOMBERG even if Ron Paul’s name is attached to his…
Get real! Bloomie is a NWO shill, elitists, and tool for the UN/CFR.
I’m sorry, Jones ’08, but I do not live in Louisiana, even though I like your idea. Hopefully someone else living in Louisiana would be interested, hopefully for a Ron Paul/Lew Rockwell ticket.
I’m sorry, Jones ’08, but I do not live in Louisiana, even though I like your idea. Hopefully someone else living in Louisiana would be interested, hopefully for a Ron Paul/Lew Rockwell ticket.
Abolish the timebomb Electoral College NOW.
Uniform definition of Elector in ALL of the U.S.A. NOW.
Approval Voting for executive / judicial offices NOW — vote for 1 or more, highest win.
Otherwise — is everybody ready for Civil W-A-R II between the EVIL leftwing and EVIL rightwing control freak MONSTERS in the U.S.A. — due to the making of each Prez since 1932 into a god- king- world emperor by the MORON media ???
Simply incredible that this ballot drive flew under the radar – 70,000 sigs is a major accomplishment.
It appears the intention is to use Bloomberg to attract liberals upset with Obama and to use Paul to attract conservatives upset with McCain to maximize the “independent” vote. Presumably these voters will ignore the other half of the ticket so they can vote for a brand-name protest candidate who shares their views.
With Virginia so tight, if this ticket polls even 3% it will have national implications. Pollsters will go crazy trying to figure out who is helped, and whether the protest vote is more for Paul or Bloomberg. And if the electoral vote comes down to Virginia, this ticket will be the new excuse – like Perot and Nader before it – that the losing side uses for the next 8 years.
I’ve heard of voting for the lesser of two evils, but I’ve never heard of voting for pleasure and pain. What kind of sadistic trick is this? Here, accept this juicy apple with a huge worm inside! It’s got to be some twisted plot from the Republicans, who are well versed in the pleasure vs. pain principle (I think there’s a religious connection). Bloomberg totally stinks up the ticket.
Writing from Virginia where there will probably be a VFW mega-rally toasting McCain’s victory with bombs, a flyover, and vivid pictorials (I mean, newsreels) of WWII. Do hope that war ends soon.
This will hurt Obama more than McCain, I’m fairly sure about that. Very few Republicans are going to for Bloomberg, he’s the the left of many Democrats and the only thing that makes him a moderate is the fact he used to be a Republican (and of course he was a RINO). Paul has lots of passive supporters, mostly college age Kucinich types, he support him because all they know about him is that he’s anti-war.
sorry for the typos, “he’s to the left” and who “support him because”
Mr. Winger,
There’s a small typo in the post. The name of the party is the “Independent Green Party”. See their website:
http://www.votejoinrun.us/
As for this news, its *very* interesting. In 2006, the Independent Green candidate for Senate got 1.1% or 26,102 votes. This was more than the margin between Jim Webb and George Allen (which for the record was 0.3% or 9,329 votes). If the Presidential election result were to go the same way, it could make a difference. In whose favor is a matter of debate, as Bloomberg and Paul appeal to different people.
To Steve Z (post 8):
According to my calculations, the numbers are:
Libertarian (Barr): 38 states – 418 electoral votes
Green (McKinney): 25 states – 274 electoral votes
Constitution (Baldwin): 28 states – 240 electoral votes
Independent (Nader): 23 states – 231 electoral votes
Thanks Larry. Much appreciated.
bolshevik-leninist,
You said:
What do you mean “go away� No one thought he was going to drop out.
Maybe you mean go away as a serious candidate but he never was a serious candidate in the first palce so he couldn’t really go away in that sense either.
The MSM thought he would never have a shot at the nomination and he never did.
Again, b-l, put the glass down and step away from the Kool-Aid. The MSM deliberately kept Ron Paul out of the spotlight. Time and time again. Do you not remember how Fox News wouldn’t allow him to participate in the New Hampshire debates, yet allowed Giuliani in, saying they only had room in the trailer for the top candidates? Keep in mind that Ron Paul had just beat Giuliani in a primary and had raised far more money from his supporters. Giuliani’s campaign was in debt at that point, with his top staff members going unpaid, while Ron Paul had millions in his coffers. In fact, at one point, Ron Paul had received more money from military voters than all of the other candidates put together. Even now, with Ron Paul on a suspended campaign, he is second only to Obama, having received more from the military than McCain, who is still in the race, and who makes a big deal about being ex-military.
Make no mistake about it. If the people truly had their vote and we had unbiased media which did not control the elections, Ron Paul would win this election in a landslide. You can’t get more of a serious candidate than that. Don’t let yourself be a lemming lead and fooled by the MSM. They don’t speak for the people.
“Make no mistake about it. If the people truly had their vote and we had unbiased media which did not control the elections, Ron Paul would win this election in a landslide”
I don’t believe that but let’s assume it’s true. All I said was the media didn’t think Ron Paul was going to come close and he never did. What about that statement is untrue? I didn’t say anything about why. I’m absolutely correct to say he had no chance (for whatever reason) and I’m absolutely correct to say Bloomberg/Paul has no chance (for whatever reason). You think Ron Paul got a bad break when he was running, do you think the media is now going to be fair to him when he isn’t even campaigning?
There’s something fishy about this story.
Everything that’s been published about it has been outside of Virginia. None of the major Virginia news outlets — not the Richmond Times-Dispatch, not the Virginian-Pilot, not the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star — has reported that a Bloomberg/Paul ticket has qualified for the Virginia ballot.
I’m an election official in Virginia (chairman of the Electoral Board in the City of Charlottesville), and no petition for Bloomberg/Paul came to my attention. To claim to have collected 70,000 signatures (!) without having petitioners seen in any of the usual places (supermarkets, post offices, local fairs, etc.) really raises my suspicions.
Besides the New York City newspaper web sites and Politico’s blogs, has anyone obtained independent verification that these petitions have been submitted and verified?
I talked to the Virginia State Board of Elections and they confirm that the signatures were submitted.
bolshevik-leninist,
I think you would be well served by taking a step back and examining your own thought process. You had stated that Ron Paul was not a serious candidate. Now, you’re coming back and claiming that you only stated the media didn’t think he would ever come close. Yet, you don’t think that the media had anything to do with eliminating him as a candidate?
B-L, people aren’t excited about McCain. Republicans aren’t excited about McCain. Most are voting for him only because he’s a Republican, or because he’s not Obama or Clinton. Have you caught this AP article today, that many of Ron Paul’s and Huckabee’s supporters were young people and that many of those same voters are either not excited about McCain; voting for him by default;looking at 3rd party candidates; or voting for Obama?
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5fTsjYvwlnyGwR3YR1QvxW3y3vAD92M3HQG1
Wake up and smell the coffee, my friend.
Incidentally, IGP leader Joe Oddo is, strangely, the Northern Virginia coordinator for the Nader campaign. Joe, I think you need to phone the office and get up to speed. Then you can trade in your Nader/Gonzalez button for a (presumably nonexistent) Bloomberg/Paul button.
This is hilarious. First the IGP offered their Bloomberg signatures to Nader this spring after Bloomberg inconveniently decided that he wasn’t going to run. Ooops. But the Nader campaign refused to accept them since, among other reasons, Nader’s two co-chairpeople in Virginia threatened to resign from the campaign if he did. I know this because they both told me so directly (I mention this because IGP fanatics always claim that any criticism of their group is “unsubstantiated”).
So then they go back to a person who made it crystal clear that he’s not running for president, and pair him up with someone (Ron Paul) whom they apparently decided on by rolling dice or spinning a wheel, since these two men have absolutely nothing to do with each other ideologically or in any other way, except that the IGP can glom onto their fame, I suppose. Then they “nominate” both of them without either their knowledge or permission. As Yakov Smirnoff says, “what a country!”
Since it looks as though Barr, Baldwin, and Nader are going to be on the Virginia ballot, and probably Cynthia McKinney as well, already giving Virginia voters six candidates from which to choose, I wonder if anyone can tell me why submitting over three times the required number of signatures for this particular ticket (made up of gentlemen who aren’t running for anything) wasn’t a bizarre waste of time.
And to add to the continuing confusion this was posted on the Constitution Party’s website:
Important note: We have been working with the conservative Independent Green party in VA to get petitioning done. We plan to use their petition (following guidelines by the State Board of Elections) and we are well on our way to being done (about 70% complete). You can use this explanation (memorize it to explain to people quickly why you have the Bloomberg petitions): “Bloomberg and Paul have siad they are not running, so we will be able to switch them to Baldwin and Castle per state rules. This gets Chuck Baldwin on the ballot in Virginia.” If you have any questions send us an email. For most people, all you have to say is, “Please sign this petition to get a Presidential candidate on the Virginia ballot in Novenber.” If they ask who, say Chuck Baldwin.
ANYthing that stirs the People into recognizing that there are viable options to the two-party scam is good.
But playing musical candidates with ballot lines makes third parties look like idiots. Many 3rd party candidates are already perceived as not viable and this makes it look even more like we are not running serious campaigns.
The perception is that the IGVA will run ANYONE without a D or R after their name. Many of the IGVA’s candidates have clearly differing values from their colleagues in the same party, unlike the GP, Libertarians, Naderites, Constitution parties.
Anonymous: It’s not a perception. It is a reality – that is what they do. They run anyone with a pulse or, if they can’t find anyone to run, they endorse anyone with a pulse, sometimes without their knowledge, as more than one puzzled Virginia candidate for public office has reported to the media.
Carey Campbell is no doubt enjoying once again the bright glow of the national spotlight with this maneuver. The people who are getting misty-eyed over his statement – which appeared throughout the national political blogs today – that they are “keeping their promise to Mr. Bloomberg” should know about their attempts earlier this year to foist their then-useless signatures onto the Nader and then the Constitution Party campaigns. So much for promisekeeping, Mr. Campbell.
I’m very sure the noise over this will die down long before Election Day, and the only people not laughing hysterically at this situation will be the Ron Paul cultists scattered around Virginia who would otherwise have stayed home, voted for Bob Barr, or cast a write-in vote.
I just received this in an email as an official notice from the Virginia State Board of Elections:
<>
For some reason the pasted information did not convey in my last comment.
I received an email from the State Board of Elections with the headline “INDEPENDENT-GREEN AND LIBERTARIAN PARTIES FILE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.”
It notes that Bloomberg/Paul and Barr/Root will be on the ballot in November.
It also says: “In addition to the Independent-Greens and Libertarian parties, the Democratic and Republican parties will also have their nominees on the ballot this November.”
Rick Sincere: This email is eminently bogus.
Let’s put the clunky style and general silliness in tone aside (“presidential elections?” plural? there is more than one presidential election going on in Virginia?). First of all, “Independent Greens” doesn’t have a hyphen in it & the Virginia BOE knows that. Second, the deadline for submitting presidential ballot petitions in Virginia is not until August 22nd. Third, there is no information of any kind related to ballot status certifications at the Virginia Board of Elections website, nor should there be until the submission deadline has passed and the state has certified the final appearance of the ballot.
Fourth, the Virginia BOE doesn’t issue emails like this anyway, even if all the above didn’t apply.
I believe the 70,000 signatures includes those they gathered for five US House of Representatives candidates and a US Senate candidate as well. It seems the number they gathered for this curious presidential ticket itself was only 18,000, while 22,000 were gathered for their Senate candidate Gail Parker, and 30,000 for the five other candidates.