According to Mark Seidenberg, the American Independent Party, a ballot-qualified party in California, will hold its presidential nominating convention in Sacramento on August 11, 2012, instead of the previously announced date of June 8.
Between 1992 and 2007, the American Independent Party functioned as the California unit of the Constitution Party. However, in 2008, the American Independent Party did not nominate the Constitution Party’s presidential candidate, and instead nominated Alan Keyes, who had sought the Constitution Party’s presidential nomination but who had not received the Constitution Party nomination.
Virgil Goode, Constitution Party nominee, voted for the Iraq War and the Patriot Act as a member of Congress. These positions are identical to those of Alan Keyes, the AIP nomimee in 2008, so there is probably no barrier to the California AIP nominating Virgil Goode.
#2, Virgil Goode has changed his mind on those things.
Okay, well there are two logical reasons for the move. 1. They need more time in negotiation with the Constitution Party. 2. They are trying to implement the national launch of the AIP which Mark talked about in previous posting. Even if it is latter it could still be a good idea for them to put Virgil Goode on the ballot because then they could get more people to register with the party and help with ballot access in other states. As for Gene, to be fair to Virgil Goode he has called for a repeal to the Patriot Act, withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, and a cut to the military budget. Some supporters of the AIP disconnecting with the Constitution Party like Ed Noonan did so for foreign policy disagreements, others like Mark Seidenberg claim to be non-interventionism and had conflicts with the CP including a claim that Howard Phillips had too much influence over the nomination process. However I hope that regardless of past conflicts the AIP will put Virgil Goode on the ballot even if they choose to remain separate from the CP.
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