On January 12, an attorney for the national Reform Party argued before the 11th circuit that the Federal Election Commission’s repayment demand against the Reform Party should not be considered valid. The case arose because the Reform Party was entitled to money from the federal government in 2000 to pay for its national convention expenses (the Reform Party was entitled to such money because it had polled over 5% of the presidential vote in 1996). Long after the convention was over, the FEC determined that some of the money had been spent improperly and that the party should repay $333,558.
The FEC sent its demand to the Reform Party’s Convention Committee, not the national committee. The party’s national committee argues that it was never formally notified of the FEC determination. There are other technical issues in the case as well. The 3 judges assigned to the case are R. Lanier Anderson (a Carter appointee), Stanley Marcus (Clinton), and Cecilia Altonaga (Bush Jr.). Questioning was so active that the hearing went on longer than the scheduled time. It is difficult to predict the outcome, but one plausible outcome might be that the fine stands, but that the lower court’s injunction might be modified. That injunction forbids the national party from spending any money until the FEC is repaid. The Reform Party pointed out that this makes it impossible for the party to spend any money soliciting contributions to raise money to repay the FEC.
If the Reform Party loses in the 11th circuit, it intends to ask for U.S. Supreme Court review.
THE REFORM MOVEMENT IS LOOKING MORE AND MORE LIKE A REFORM PARTY, REFORM PARTY, WHOSE GOT THE REFORM PARTY?
CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD:
TO THE UNINFORMED, THE GROUP ON THE HOT SEAT IS THE ‘MIRACLE IN THE DESERT’ FROM YUMA [ARID ZONA], NAMELY RODNEY MARTIN AND ASSOCIATES FROM THE REFORM PARTY OF ARIZONA. THEY ARE DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING WHILE ALLIED WITH THE ‘NAME PARTY DEFENDANTS’ FROM CALIFORNIA AND THE EX-TEXANS NOW IN OKLAHOMA.
THE TEXANS AND FLORIDIANS AND MICHIGANERS HAVE WISELY SAT OUT 2005 AND 2006. FLORIDIANS LUCKED OUT BIG TIME WITH A HOME GROWN ‘SUN SHINE STATE’ INDEPENDENT RUNNING UNDER THE REFORM PARTY BANNER.
NOT WILD ABOUT ROSS PEROT? THE BISON/ AMERICAN BUFFALO ORIENTATED AMERICAN REFORM PARTY IS MORE GEARED TOWARDED FORMER MINNESOTA GOVENATOR JESSE VENTURA!
THE FOUR POLITICAL CHARACTER IS THE WEST VIRGINA, MAINE AND ‘KEY STONE STATE’ ACTIVISTS OF THE REFORM PARTY USA – AG [ACTION GROUP]
THE FEC FINE IS PURE PARTICIAN STEER MANURE [BUT TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, THE REFORM PARTY USA FAILED TO MIGRATE ‘EN MASS’ TO THE AMERICAN REFORM PARTY.
BETTER YET, THE BALLOT ACCESS * NATURAL LAW PARTY STATE SHELLS [SINCE THE NATIONAL CORE FOLDED LIKE A CHEAP FULTON IN APRIL 2004] WERE WAITING FOR UTILIATION!
* SAN FRANSCISO’S RICHARD WINGER, SACRAMENTO’S PHILIP SAWYER AND CITIZENS FOR A BETTER VETERANS HOME’S DON LAKE ALL PUSHED [INDEPENDENTLY] FOR RADICAL CENTRISTS TO REGROUP QUICKLY AND CHEAPLY UNDER THE NLP UMBRELLA! IDAHO’S UNITED PARTY DID SO IN A MATTER OF WEEKS IN 2006!
Thanks again for the mention, Don. The powers that be in the Reform Party of California have never said a word about this suggestion that you, Richard, and myself made way back when it could have actually worked! The silence has been deafening!
And Don Lake is suing current [John Blare] and immediate past [Valli Sharpe Geisler] California Reform Party state chairs for funds expended by he and Tish Firmiss on personally backed party related projects! They are both currently dodging a small army of judicial process servers in a number of court actions while in the fetal position sucking their thumb[s] and not answering the door…….