CNN Criteria Would Have Kept John Anderson Out of a Hypothetical June 27 Debate

In the 1980 presidential election, independent candidate John B. Anderson, who got on the ballot in all 51 ballots, had only been certified for the ballot in four states as of July 1, 1980.  This information is from an AP story, dated July 1, located by historian Darcy Richardson.  The states were New Jersey, Utah, Kansas, and North Carolina.  Furthermore, after he was certified in North Carolina, the Democratic Party sued to remove him, and although Anderson won that lawsuit, as of July 1 he was therefore not absolutely on the ballot in North Carolina either.

On September 9, 1980, the League of Women Voters, which was sponsoring the general election debates, invited him into the September 21 debate, because he met their polling requirement of 15%.  The League also required him to be on the ballot in states containing a majority of electoral votes, but the League accepted states in which the petition had been submitted; it did not insist on waiting for certification.


Comments

CNN Criteria Would Have Kept John Anderson Out of a Hypothetical June 27 Debate — 20 Comments

  1. It did not insist in waiting on certification

    That is KEY

    This is where Kennedy is being wronged and the FEC should step in

  2. BEAT THE CNN *DEBATE* DEAD HORSE EVEN MORE


    VARIOUS OTHER MEDIA FOLKS [ AND EVEN CANDIDATES ] CAN SPONSOR SO-CALLED *DEBATES* AT ANY TIME

    CHEAP TV RATES AT 3-5 AM LOCAL TIMES — CAN TAPE THEM

    WHOLE *DEBATES* SCHEME IS A BIT OBSOLETE WITH CANDIDATE / PARTY INTERNET WEBSITES.

  3. https://electionlawblog.org/?p=143786

    Who can sue in federal court to enforce the date of holding presidential elections (and perhaps by extension some provisions of the Electoral Count Reform Act)?

    ONE MORE *STANDING* MESS — MERE ENTIRE ELECTION SYSTEM FOR VOTING FOR PREZ/VP

    NV — GOP UNHAPPY WITH AFTER ELECTION DAY ABSENTEE BALLOTS

  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases_involving_standing

    —– LATEST S OP

    FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION ET AL. v.
    ALLIANCE FOR HIPPOCRATIC MEDICINE ET AL.
    CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
    THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
    No. 23–235. Argued March 26, 2024—Decided June 13, 2024*

    602 U.S. _____ (2024)

    MERE CITIZENS/ELECTORS-VOTERS HAVE NOOOO ***STANDING*** RE CONSTS / LAWS / ACTS/OMISSIONS OF PUBLIC OFFICERS ??????

    ONLY TYRANTS HAVE ***STANDING*** TO KILL / LOOT / ENSLAVE/ ETC ???

  5. DAVID –

    IF ANY RFKJR CASE — THEN PERHAPS IN FEC — CAMPAIGN FINANCE ADMIN / REG LAW — CNN DONATION STUFF

  6. And remember, then-President Jimmy Carter refused to take part in thar first debate because Congressman Anderson was invited to take part in it.

  7. From its founding in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been a worthless agency, setting ridiculously modest limits on how much money non-wealthy candidates can raise from individual donors, etc., while wealthy candidates could spend unlimited amounts of their own money to buy an office, reinforcing the notion that American politics is nothing but a playground for the rich and powerful.

    The toothless commission, moreover, has become even less effective in the age of unlimited, anonymous Super Pacs. Candidates of modest means — those without Super Pacs — are fucked. The joke’s on us.

    And the FEC will never involve itself in CNN”s blatant refusal to include RFK Jr., in the June 27th debate…a debate in which the independent candidate clearly met the network’s ridiculously high thresholds for inclusion.

  8. It’s a travesty, folks. Like John Anderson in 1980 and Ross Perot a dozen years later, Kennedy has the polling numbers and will be on the ballot in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, but won’t be allowed to appear on the debate stage with his major-party opponents, both of whom should have been put out to pasture by now.

    Like I said, the joke is on us…

  9. @Darcy do you think Bobby should sue the FEC instead of focusing on suing CNN?

    Myself as a person with disabilities the FEC action has caused me psychological distress as i have no other candidate that shares my values

    I know you have to prove that it caused harm to you

    Do you think it’s possibly for such a private citizen to Sue the FEC?

    Thank you

  10. ABC WILL HAVE THE CNN SO-CALLED ***DEBATE*** ON ABC- SAME TIME.

    ANOTHER CONSPIRACY – MEDIA BRANCH

    ANY RE-RUNS OF OLDE SILENT MOVIES AT SAME TIME ON CABLE TV ???

  11. Darcy Richardson, I’m sure you couldn’t have forgotten Ross Perot’s debate inclusion. You might be suffering the ravages of age, much like me, but good Lord – you wrote books on the subject! You might also recall that Anderson did participate during the first debate in 1980, as well.

    As for the FEC, never say never. Trump has an amazing plan to replace 50,000 mid level bureaucrats throughout the federal government – the heart of the deep state – with MAGA loyalists to our Homeland by reclassifying them as political appointments. The failure of the first term to gut the deep state taught Trump that appointing only the top levels which have traditionally been considered political appointments does not go nearly deep enough. With kool Kash Patel in charge of prestaffing, we’ll see a whole different FEC starting next year! CNN’s arrogance might get come back to haunt them in a very major way they don’t currently foresee.

    Despite what you say, money is far from being everything in politics. The Americans Elect/No Labels bunch couldn’t even buy one candidate in twelve years (or twenty, if we count the prior aborted Unity efforts), much less an election. Michael Bloomberg couldn’t make much headway in the 2020 primaries, regardless of how much he spent or was willing to spend.

  12. Furthermore, Kennedy only marginally has or doesn’t have the polling numbers. I realize they were only subsequently adjusted to 15%

    Mea culpa: on reread, the senior moment was mine alone: you did not actually mean that Perot and Anderson were likewise excluded. In my partial defense, my morning chores include feeding pigs.

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