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Advocating for the National Election Reform Platform As Independents we are not convinced that we can rely on the two larger parties
for correcting the mess they have gotten us in to. Fixing democracy is vital and must be implemented to increase citizen involvement
in solving the issues of war, immigration, health care, environment, education, trade, etc.
Here are ten key points of our National Election Reform Platform (NERP). We are
asking all presidential and congressional candidates to pledge their support... 
1. Uniform Ballot Access for federal candidates.
Rather than candidates for president having 51 different rules for making the ballot, we make the criteria the same throughout
the land. That means those running for Senate and House also have the same criteria in each state.
2. Loosen Third Party Ballot Restrictions. Force states to untie ballot
access to past election results. Without fair ballot access in place now, the thresholds to become a recognized third party
are too difficult to achieve (by design of the two larger parties). Currently only 36 states have at least one recognized
third party and that changes based on election results.
3. Universal
Voter Registration. Legislation has already been passed that will require government standardized identification
cards which should be acceptable to election officials to allow anyone who shows up at the right precinct on Election Day
to vote on-the-spot whether registered or not.
4. Extended
Election Day. Either hold elections on weekends or move it to a holiday like Columbus Day in October.
5. Equal Media Access for third party contenders to
include broadcast time and inclusion in the debates. 
6. Institute Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) which
allows voters to rank their choices. If no candidate gets a majority of the vote – over 50% - then the lowest number
of first place votes is eliminated and the votes are recounted for how many second place votes came in. This continues until
a candidate is declared a winner of a majority.
7. Secure
the Vote - Ensure the security of our voting instruments whether it is via a papertrail or some better method. Thirteen
years after the Florida debacle and we still do not have secure voting machines – considering the fact that electronic
machines are subject to manipulation.
8. Public
Campaign Financing - Instituting a fair and equitable method of public campaign financing reduces the taxpayer burden.
Here's how: It costs the country more now under the current system that forces candidates to raise exorbitant sums of money
from corporate and private donors (read: elitists and their SuperPACs). The winner is then beholden to the group of financiers
that paid for that victory which creates a corrupt system of paybacks and legislation that raids our Treasury – at an
enormous cost to the real owners of our country – the people.
9. Direct Election of the president. Get rid of the Electoral College.
10. Voting Rights in congress for the citizens of the federal District of Columbia. written by Joseph Oddo, National Director
Contact
Joe Oddo for details bettercandidates@gmail.com 703-338-0200
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May 22, 2013
Bill Bradley on Campaign Reform: Big Money CorruptsCampaign reform: Seize the moment: Big money corrupts politics in New York BY BILL BRADLEY / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS MAY 22, 2013 Read whole article here. Excerpts: Politics is often described as the art of the possible.
However, these days our political system seems utterly incapable of meeting our most vexing challenges, much less operating
in a way in which the possible has any hope of becoming reality. We live in an age of hyperpartisanship and corrosive distrust
of our most basic institutions. Fortunately, there are reforms — pragmatic ones, well within
our reach — that can reconnect voters to their elected officials and improve our democracy. As
a former U.S. senator who witnessed firsthand the outsize influence that big donors and connected special interests have in
Washington, I applaud these efforts to create a more positive future for our politics. Everyday New Yorkers deserve to be
heard in Albany. Special-interest money has played such a pervasive role in politics for so long,
we often think we’re powerless to change it. Candidates are so desperate for cash, they ask moneyed interests for support
— then, inevitably, do their bidding once in office. And even if they don’t do their bidding,
it’s more than reasonable for the public to suspect that the men and women they elect have been profoundly compromised
by the process. Changing the calculus — by providing a taxpayer-funded match to every legitimate
small donation — would provide an alternative to the money chase that occupies countless hours of fund-raising and dialing
for dollars for challengers and incumbents alike. Supporters of reform are pointing the way toward
a positive alternative that puts voters in the driver’s seat of democracy by upending the reliance of candidates on
large donations and special interests, creating instead an approach based upon small donations from constituents matched with
public funds. Three states — Connecticut, Arizona and Maine — offer candidates for public
office the opportunity to compete in roughly the same way. The result, more often than not, is that qualified people from
all walks of life are able to serve, and the relationship between money and politics is greatly reduced. All voters have the
opportunity to be in control of their government, not just the connected few. Bradley, a former
U.S. senator from New Jersey, is co-chairman of Americans for Campaign Reform and a member of NY LEAD, a statewide campaign
finance reform advocacy coalition.
May 20, 2013
Bolling PAC encouraging ‘mainstream’ voters to leave larger party?Bolling announces PAC to boost ‘mainstream’ Republicans
BY OLYMPIA MEOLA Richmond Times-Dispatch | Posted: Thursday, May 16, 2013 12:00 am Republican
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who recently decided against an independent run for governor, has created a political action committee
to focus on electing “mainstream Republicans.” He says the Virginia Mainstream Project
will recruit and support GOP candidates at the state and local levels — especially for the next General Assembly elections
— and offer a platform to discuss “mainstream approaches to governing in Virginia that put policy ahead of politics”
as well as develop “responsible conservative policy solutions.” “As I’ve
said many times over the past several months, there is a growing need in the Republican Party in Virginia to recruit and elect
mainstream, conservative candidates to state and local office and promote responsible policy solutions to the most important
challenges facing Virginia,” Bolling said in announcing the PAC. “The Virginia Mainstream Project will
work to address these issues while encouraging bipartisan cooperation and compromise on the major issues facing the commonwealth.” Bolling
deferred a 2009 gubernatorial run to allow then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell to run unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Bolling had the backing of McDonnell to run in 2013, but faced a challenge from current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, also
a Republican. Last year, GOP activists and tea party supporters engineered a takeover of the state
party’s central committee, which changed the nomination process from a primary to a convention — a shift that
favored Cuccinelli. In December, Bolling withdrew from the race but did not endorse Cuccinelli. omeola@timesdispatch.com (804)
649-6812
Bishop Jackson for Lt. Gov Virginia?
20 may 13 @ 12:29 am
March 7, 2013
Bolling offers alternative in a dismal contest
MARCH 1, 2013 / BY TEAM BOLLING By: Robert Powell
Bill Bolling may have found his moment.
The
Republican lieutenant governor is expected to announce by March 14 whether he will run for governor as an independent. Bolling
dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination in November, conceding that he didn’t have a chance against conservative
firebrand Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli in a June nominating convention dominated by the party’s right wing.
Since then, Bolling has been flirting with the idea of an independent candidacy, possibly building a ticket with
other independent candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Most of the time, such
campaigns are inconsequential. In 2005, Republican state Sen. Russell Potts garnered only 2.2 percent of the vote when he
ran for governor as an independent against Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore.
This
time, however, may be different. Bolling, a well-known political figure statewide, could have an outside shot of making it
to the Executive Mansion because of the dismal dilemma now facing Virginia voters, a choice between Cuccinelli and former
Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe.
Both men want to claim the “Bob’s
for Jobs” mantle used so effectively by Gov. Bob McDonnell in his 2009 campaign.
McAuliffe
is making his second stab at running for governor based on his credentials as a businessman. His record didn’t persuade
enough Democrats in 2009 when a Washington Post editorial endorsing state Sen. Creigh Deeds was enough to defeat McAuliffe
in the primary.
McAuliffe appears to have spent much of the past four years trying to build his
case as someone who can bring jobs to Virginia. One of those efforts involved buying a Chinese car company that he relocated
to the United States. The company’s manufacturing operations, however, wound up in Mississippi, not Virginia.
McAuliffe’s explanation was the Virginia Economic Development Partnership wasn’t interested in his
plans. PolitiFact Virginia, however, concluded after an exhaustive study of communications between VEDP and McAuliffe’s
company, GreenTech Automotive, that the company continually failed to provide information VEDP requested. PolitiFact labeled
McAuliffe’s claim “false.” I wonder why it didn’t receive PolitiFact’s more emphatic description
“Pants on Fire.”
Cuccinelli, his handlers say, also plans to campaign on economic issues.
Oddly, jobs are not the first thing that come to mind with Cuccinelli, who has made headlines by suggesting that Catholic
bishops should go to jail in acts of civil disobedience; Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has become too liberal; and
Social Security recipients are pawns trapped in a cycle of government dependence.
In contrast to
these pretenders, Bolling has a legitimate claim to be the only candidate with a real economic development record. He has
been the “chief jobs creation officer” under McDonnell during the past four years. If you think “Bob’s
for Jobs” was good for Virginia, then “Get Rolling with Bolling” would appear to be a natural extension.
Bolling’s connection to McDonnell brings up another point in his favor, a sense of fair play among Virginia
gentlemen. Bolling and McDonnell were lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively, during the term of Democratic
Gov. Tim Kaine (now a U.S. senator). Bolling stepped aside in 2009 to let McDonnell have the Republican nomination. The lieutenant
governor, in turn, had McDonnell’s support for his long-awaited shot at the commonwealth’s top job. Cuccinelli,
however, let it be known he would not wait in line for anyone. As a result of a conservative takeover of the Republican state
central committee, the nomination process was changed from a primary to a convention, a switch that heavily favored Cuccinelli.
Bolling has refused to endorse Cuccinelli and appears to be finding his own voice in state affairs after cleaving
to the McDonnell administration line for most of the past four years. He opposed uranium mining in Southern Virginia and supported
the expansion of Medicaid in Virginia.
McAuliffe, in fact, appears ready to neutralize Bolling’s
appeal, saying that he would like to have the lieutenant governor join his administration.
But
would Bolling actually be more help to McAuliffe as an independent spoiler in the governor’s race, peeling moderate
Republican votes away from Cuccinelli? That appears to be the conventional wisdom, but University of Virginia political analyst
Larry Sabato disagrees. “Bolling has been taking very moderate positions and as a consequence, I could see him taking
a lot of votes from both candidates,” he told the Daily Progress in Charlottesville. Maybe it’s time to have a
third choice for governor. If not Bill Bolling, then maybe this entry, which appears on ballots in Nevada, “none of
the above.”
March 5, 2013
Government is Stupid Deliberately. Power Resides in Bloggers.
5 mar 13 @ 8:25 am
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2013.05.01 |
2013.03.01
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Joseph Oddo
Certified Sales Manager, Writer, Business Operations & Political Campaign Director
Three time ballot certified candidate for congress.
Co-Founder and Director
Joseph Oddo formed a writing and political/sales consulting practice in 2002. He is a three-time ballot ertified candidate
for congress and founder of a number of political advocacy organizations including Independent America, the Independent Greens
of Virginia and the Citizens Alliance for Better Candidates. He has served in many capacities with local charitable and service
organizations. A Public Policy major from Penn State, he spent over twenty years in sales management. Oddo is a church member,
volunteer DJ at public radio WTJU and a Friend of the Library. | | 
Joseph Oddo delivering speech during the 2006 campaign. - Available for surrogate or spokesman role. |
Transcript of five minute News8TV taping. Joe
Oddo, Independent Candidate, US House of Representatives Oct
6, 2006 A patriot must always be ready to defend
his country from his government. I’m
Joe Oddo, Independent Green candidate running for Congress and I encourage you to get involved. To run for office. To insist
we be allowed in the debates. To fix our democracy. And stop the mudslingin I believe in expanding civic participation by fixing election rules and instituting universal registration.
Anyone that shows up at the right polling place with their official ID should be able to register and vote on the spot. Plus we should expand the hours of Election Day, or make
it a holiday so everyone can take off work to cast their vote. Our
team of Independents have spent weeks out in all weather extremes to qualify to make the ballot. We talked to over 150,000
Virginians who understand the need for Independent voices. And by listening to your concerns, we have formulated a sound platform
that addresses diverse issues like lobby reform and term limits. Together with our statewide candidate for the US Senate Gail “for Rail” Parker, we propose
Rail Now solutions. More Trains Less Traffic. We need hi-speed Rail from Danville to Charlottesville, from Charlottesville
to Richmond, and on to Washington. Modern high-speed rail utilizes existing right-of-ways. We can run elevated rail right
along I-64 and Rt. 29 with minimal disturbance. It is the time to develop alternative energy solutions, and end our dependence
on oil. We must pay closer attention to how
government spends OUR money, and to ensure that it is on realistic, long-term solutions. So one of our initiatives is to solve
the fiscal crises in our federal budget. We need a balanced budget now. We can to pay off the federal debt in five years.
And we can fix the tax code for real tax cuts, not credit card advances. We are more conservative than our opponents. There is nothing compassionate or conservative in military
adventurism. This administration promotes addiction to a new drug called fear. We no longer face facts. We prefer to fabricate
them. We lost over 3,000 young American soldiers since Nine Eleven. Why? For war industry profits. Everyone knows it. One of every four tax dollars are being spent at
the Defense Department. From their own report, billions are being mismanaged through "improper payments". And this
Congress has been complicit and needs replaced. We
can fix Pentagon waste with an auditable accounting system so we know where our money is going. We can save $2 Billion a week
by withdrawing from Iraq. We can save Billions more by closing bases in Germany and Japan. And Billions more by scrapping
useless weapons programs. Now I ask you, what
real liberal or conservative would ever sanction the Patriot Act, or NSA domestic spying? Why should we give away rights guaranteed
by the Constitution now? They served us well for the multitude of threats we defeated during the last 230 years. Now it’s: be afraid. Be very afraid. Don’t worry
about your tax dollars going to campaign contributors through no-bid contracts. Don’t pay attention while they strip
away our rights, or rob our Treasury blind. We
won’t hear them say: War as a foreign policy of the United States is wrong. Peace is the answer. Nonviolence is the
answer. We can protest all we want. We can
editorialize, we can lobby, we can strike, we can boycott, we can hold endless numbers of meetings. This only gets us so far.
If we are going to accomplish real change in government, then we have to resort to action. The only real action against apathy
is to get on the ballot and run for office. Now
is our chance to restore the optimism and promise of a world for all to live in peace. Join us as an independent - not bought
and paid for by corporate rulers. We run on
positive issues. We listen. We do not sling mud. Because
I am an optimist, I offer solutions that the two parties will not address. Please Join us. Our Web site is www.VoteJoinRun.us.
Please Vote Oddo on November 7th. ### |
 Tammy Parada with Governor Gary Johnson
and Joe Oddo Join this team of Citizen Advisers...
Tammy Parada Certified Political Action Committee Director Tammy Parada- Senior Consultant
Mid Atlantic Region, Open Market Research Entering
the political communications and fundraising arena in 2005, Tammy Parada became Political Action Committee (PAC) Associate
Director for the Virginia Medical Political Action Committee (VAMPAC). Under her direction, VAMPAC garnered record contributions,
exceeding $365,000 annually. As government affairs coordinator for the state medical society, Parada also offered contributing
coordination in board and committee management, grassroots and advocacy efforts, legislative event planning, constituent communications,
and health care policy campaigns. Parada
excels in strategic development and political efficacy when it comes to her design and implementation of political campaigns.
She recently managed Floyd Bayne's independent congressional campaign (VA CD-7) garnering more votes than any other
independent candidate in the state and forcing the incumbent to spend more money per vote than during previous elections,
ending the race with the lowest vote count yet. Parada works closely with local, state and congressional candidates
in Mid Atlantic states providing a vast array of campaign services. Parada currently serves as Chief Bill Tracker for Virginia’s 10th Amendment Coalition. Simultaneously,
Parada serves on the Legislative Committee for a statewide constituent advocacy organization. Parada is the Capitol
Region Director forVirginia Conservative Party’s Board of Directors. --- Jabari Zakiya DC Coordinator Jabari Zakiya is a Certified FairTax Advocate with intelligently radical political positions. He has served on the
community board for WPFW Pacific radio in Washington, DC. He is a professional tutor, writer and adviser to community organizations
in the District of Columbia. Read his piece entitled "Why We Need the FairTax" here.
You can contact
Jabari by e-mail.
This is how we tracked prospective 2012 challengers to President Obama. Should Obama be primaried in his own party? Should
two prospects team up to run independent? Who would you move in this grid?
Progressive | Liberal | Moderate | Conservative | Far
Right | Uncategorized | Ralph Nader | Russ Feingold | Michael Bloomberg | Gary Johnson | Herman Cain | Mitch Daniels | Cynthia McKinney | Mike Gravel | Mitt Romney | Joe
Scarborough | Sarah Palin | Jesse Ventura | Dennis Kucinich | Elizabeth Warren | Mark Warner | Andrew Napolitano | Steve King | Lou Dobbs | Bernie
Sanders | Hillary Clinton | John Bolton | Ron Paul | Jim DeMint | Dan Corceri | Alan Grayson | Howard Dean | Jeb Bush | Haley Barbour | Alan Keyes | Condoleezza Rice | Kent Mesplay
| Matt Gonzalez | Bob Corker | John Thune | Mike Pence | Keith Olbermann | | Tim
Kaine | Bobby
Jindal | Tim Pawlenty | Rick Perry |
| | Evan Bayh | K. Bailey Hutchinson | Jon Huntsman | Michele Bachmann
| | | | Lincoln Chafee | Rick Snyder | Rick Santorum | | | | George Pataki | Scott Brown | Chuck Baldwin | | | | Sam Brownback | Chris Christie | Newt Gingrich | | | | | Mike Huckabee | Paul Ryan | |
Discuss
where these candidates stand on the political spectrum. Post your take on who is up and who is out...
Progressive
| Liberal
| Moderate
| Conservative
| Far Right
| Uncategorized
|
| Considering a
campaign for local, state or federal office? Our team provides the most unique combination of campaign preparation. Whether founding
a draft for your preferred candidate, or an exploratory committee to begin campaign activities, we provide comprehensive services. Washington DC based campaign servicesinclude: team-building, volunteer recruiting, office opening/staffing,
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Become an authority in your trade. Publish
articles or books under your name to promote your business or issues. Learn to create effective marketing tools you may not
have considered possible.
You don’t actually need to be a good writer. You don’t need to set aside
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|
Our members have at various times had an association with the following
organizations: Independent Greens of Virginia Americans for Fair Taxation Col. Jim Leslie for Delegate 2009 &
2013 (VA) Terry Modglin for Delegate 2013 (VA) Jeannemarie Davis for Lt. Governor 2013 (VA) Ken Hildebrandt for
Congress (VA 12) Floyd Bayne for Congress (VA 10 & 12) Karen Kwiatkowski for Congress 2012 (VA) Imperato for President 2008 /
for Florida Governor 2010 Hagler for Council (DC) Joseph Oddo for Congress (VA 04, 06 & 08) Gail "for Rail"
Parker for US Senate (VA 06 & 08) Gail for Rail for Congress (VA 10 & 12) Parker for Delegate 2013 Nader for President (04 & 08) Kent Mesplay for President
2004 Virginia Bill of Rights Coalition
Citizens Alliance for Better Candidtates Draft and Exploratory Political Campaign Services
| Stood for Congress in 2012. Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski, Retired The Citizen’s Alliance is a political action committee
(PAC) established to provide citizens with a unified voice to their elected officials. Incumbents running for reelection and
prospective candidates for federal office will be presented with a questionnaire. Voters can evaluate their responses and
make a selection based on interactive participation. It is our objective to have responses in all 435 congressional districts
in 2012. We urge nominees of the all political parties to open up the dialogue, be accountable, and fully engage in debates
with all opponents including independents to inform voters and give fair voice to all willing to run for office.
The Citizen’s Alliance is committed to a better functioning American Republic
based on freedom and security. Our grassroots efforts will empower citizens to take a personal interest in the operation of
their government. Our mission is to recruit candidates, engage citizens, and organize a massive nationwide grassroots team
to spur higher turnout and elected official accountability. It is time to force our elected officials to provide real answers.
Too often they dodge, spin and exclude challengers. And if that is not enough, they impose new restrictions on participating
- especially directed at any challenges outside of the titanic party duopoly. |
March 4, 2013 Let's Start
Early - Who Should we Draft for 2016?Bloomberg DeMint Rice 
Napolitano Dean Bush Scarborough See full 2012 list here. x
February
4, 2012 Two new groups catching my attention: DeMint Watch & Citizens
Alliancehttp://rally.org/draftdemint http://rally.org/citizensalliance
July 7, 2011 Draft
Cain Founder Describes Herman's Meteoric RiseHerman Cain has
broken the business model of retail politics. I really find it humorous that the media, and political pundits have been hammering
his unorthodox campaign. They just don't get it.
Consider the other candidates. They're defined by their handlers,
press releases and advertisements. Their persona for the public is created. Their events and public appearances are carefully
crafted to deliver a specific message that the media lazily reports on. Cain, in stark contrast, has been straight to the
people.
In 2004, Cain had a campaign mantra "They Will Not Outwork Us". It is blatantly obvious that
the campaign motto of 2004 is present in the campaign of 2012. Herman Cain is working the entire country to present himself
and his message. It is working!
When we started <http://electcain.com/default.aspx> DraftCain.org, people laughed. Heck, some folks said I had a man crush on Cain. Nah, there was appreciation for Cain,
but at the end of the day, he's a human being. The advances in networking technology have made it incredibly important to
connect the message to the people. Facebook provides an unparalleled ability to ANY social networking site to broaden the
message. It maximizes every event Cain goes to, every news story, every thought, comment, video and demographic.
In March, our volunteers were on hand for the Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Iowa. Reports to me were that the response
was so overwhelming that other candidates spoke and immediately ducked out of the building and didn't engage their supporters.
The following week, our supporters were on hand at Rep. Steve Kings Conservative Coalition event, delivering Cain a straw
poll victory. The list of successes of our network goes on and on.
We never solicited donations, we direct
donors to Cain's campaign, yet we've built a network of more than 25,000 strong across the U.S. When people inquire about
our organization and our activity I have to chuckle and tell them, "we're nothing, but a whole lot of nothing".
What we evolve into remains to be seen. However, it is undeniable that <http://electcain.com/default.aspx> DraftCain.org has been the most successful "draft" effort ever assembled for a "potential candidate".
The entire apparatus of DraftCain.org, now <http://electcain.com/default.aspx> ElectCain.com is completely autonomous of Herman Cain's campaign. It's like target shooting in the dark, but we've
been hitting bulls eyes every time.
I received an email from a soldier serving overseas just yesterday. It reminded
me of why we started this network in the beginning. He wrote, "after I complete my tour of duty . I will join his team
to help Mr. Cain
become our president 2013."
Our purpose is simple, connect people.
<http://draftcain.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/stats.gif> Description: stats
Best Regards,
Maurice Atkinson
www.ElectCain.com 2:38 pm edt Comments
June 17, 2011 Newt
Gingrich Criticizes Departed Staffers, NBC News, For Bashing His Wife[Jason Linkins] takes a look back on how Gingrich began his defense of Callista:
"She's the
head of Gingrich Productions and has helped make seven different documentaries, one of which, about Pope John Paul II, was
picked as one of the top three films by the Vatican this year about the pope. She chairs a foundation which has given away
$800,000 to charities. And she's currently writing a children's book, in which Ellis the elephant introduces 5 to 8-year-olds
to a sweet land of liberty, the history of America."
You see, while Gingrich is sort of saying that his old
staff wanted to run an old-school campaign and that he wanted to mainly play with YouTube and Facebook and stuff, it seems
pretty clear to me that "the Gingrich campaign" is less about an authentic run for the White House and more about
a marketing campaign to monetize and synergize all of the Gingrich Family's lucrative side projects. It's been pretty apparent
to me, this whole time, that this is what the Gingrich campaign has been built to do. Gingrich says, "Barack Obama stands
for European secular socialism" and "We stand for American exceptionalism," and by the way, he has a book out
on the former and a movie coming out on the latter, and he takes all major credit cards.
So let's remember that
all this Callista-slagging, justified or not, is coming from a bunch of people who resent the fact that they spent all this
time on a merchandizing project when they thought they were working on a political campaign and now feel that they look sort
of stupid, the end. Read whole piece in HuffPo.
June 12, 2011 By PAUL FEELY
New Hampshire Union Leader Published Jun 12,
2011
A
senior adviser for Gary Johnson’s presidential campaign staff voiced opposition Friday to Johnson’s exclusion
from Monday’s Republican presidential primary debate, and supporters placed full-page newspaper ads stating the former
New Mexico governor should be given a place on the podium.
“Debates are supposed to be opportunities for
the voters to see and hear credible candidates without all the trappings of handlers, poll numbers and name ID,” said
Ron Nielson, the campaign adviser.
Some of that outrage is being expressed in the form of political advertisements.
The full-page ads ran in the New Hampshire Union Leader and the Concord Monitor last Thursday and Friday respectively, and
a newer version appears in this week’s New Hampshire Sunday News. The ads, placed by Kerry Welsh — a self-described
entrepreneur and inventor from Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif. — contend Johnson has in fact qualified for the debate,
citing polling criteria.
The New Hampshire Union Leader and its debate co-sponsors invited every candidate
who met any one of the following three standards:
- An average of at least 2 percent voter approval in at least
three national polls released in April by ABC, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, CBS, CNN, FOX, Gallup, Los Angeles Times,
Marist, McClatchy, NBC, Newsweek, Pew, Quinnipiac, Reuters, USA Today or Time.
- An average of at least 2 percent
in at least three national polls released in May by any of those organizations.
- An average of at least 2 percent
in polls of New Hampshire voters conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center and released in May.
Organizers report that Johnson fell short, receiving no support in the Granite State in two local surveys conducted by UNH.
Welsh and other supporters cite poll numbers they say show he met the 2 percent threshold:
- A May 27 CNN
Opinion Research Corporation Poll that shows Johnson received 2 percent of the vote
- A May 26 Gallup Poll that
shows Johnson with 3 percent of the vote
- And a May 4 Quinnipiac Poll that shows Johnson at 1 percent.
Welsh says if you add up the numbers from those three polls, Johnson receives an average of 2 percent of the vote.
But organizers point out that one of those polls featured language that excluded two potential GOP candidates, asking voters
whom they would support if certain candidates, such as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, were dropped from consideration.
Charlie Perkins of North Village Media, a debate organizer and former news executive at the Union Leader, said: “The
debate is open to unannounced potential candidates who have significant public support. Therefore, invitations could not be
based on restrictive polling that excluded those names. In unrestricted polling, Johnson’s average in the three surveys
cited by Welsh and other Johnson supporters was 1.33 percent, not 2 percent.”
Last week, Perkins and other
organizers defended the criteria, saying that without using polling results as a standard, there would be no objective way
to determine who among the field of 144 presidential prospects who have already filed with the Federal Election Commission
should receive invitations. Kerry Welsh said:
Thank for the story. You even spelled my name right. Let me say that Mr. Perkins' comments are disingenuous at best.
Many of the polls did not mention Rudy Giuliani's name, including the May Gallup Poll. The results of those polls
were accepted by the sponsors.
In fact, none of the polls listed the exact same candidates as another poll, as
there are too many 'potential' candidates out there for any kind of uniformity amongst the polls.
The sponsors
now claim that the CNN and Gallup polls are not legitimate, even though they both accurately list all the current candidates.
At best the debate sponsors are splitting hairs here, and that is just plain wrong.
If there is any
question as to whether Governor Johnson's has qualified, then the sponsors should have erred on the side of inclusion and
allowed the most successful and most fiscally conservative governor in modern US history to participate in this early season
debate.
Hope y'all enjoy my ad in Sunday's paper!
:-)
--Kerry Welsh
March 24, 2011 Worth
the watch: Rand Paul on Reason TVInterview Excerpt... Issues are more important than party. There are a lot of people out there who want somebody
who believes passionately in small limited constitutional government. People want to be left alone from the nanny state. But
they are not all republican, some of them are independent, some libertarian, some may be Democrats as well. You
see polls where people say they don’t like the rhetoric or partisanship. What they don’t like is ‘empty
partisanship’. They don’t mind if we disagree on an issue. I don’t think they mind us having a spirited
discussion on the issues, they don’t like us to yell. But what they don’t want is me disliking you just because
you are a democrat or a libertarian. They want me to engage on issues. So it is more important what
the issues are than what any party wants. I agree with the tea party in dishing out equal parts chastisement to both parties
because both parties have let us down on spending and debt. - Senator Rand Paul
March 16, 2011 Better
way to create jobs.by Gary Johnson, former Governor New Mexico I have a better idea. As a businessman and as one who talks every day with employers and
entrepreneurs, I am absolutely convinced that one fundamental change to the tax code will create more jobs more quickly than
all the so-called stimulus President Obama has ever dreamed of: Eliminate the corporate income tax.
February 22, 2011 Judge
Napolitano highlights this so-called tea-inspired congress failings - ALREADYExtending
the most unconstitutional provisions of the PATRIOT Act.
February 9, 2011 Gary
Johnson Addresses CPAC Friday morningPosted by Mark Halperin on The Page Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico has been invited by CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), to
speak at their 2011 conference on Friday, February 11th at 9:30am. Ron Nielson, a longtime Johnson strategist and consultant,
says that Governor Johnson is consistently heralded as a true fiscal conservative. Nielson states. “As Governor
of New Mexico, he eliminated the State’s budget deficit and cut the rate of growth in state government in half. Additionally,
for the past several months, he has continued to emphasize the danger of our federal debt, and how it poses the greatest single
threat to our national security.”
January 31, 2011 Ron
Paul only GOP presidential contender addressing Egyptian crisesRon Paul on Aid to EgyptRon Paul has been a persistent critic of foreign aid including
aid to Egypt. For example, in 2009, he spoke out against aid to Egypt and to the IMF that provides aid to Egypt. He opposed a– “$108
billion loan guarantee to the International Monetary Fund, allowing that destructive organization to continue spending taxpayer
money to prop up corrupt elites and promote harmful economic policies overseas.  “As Americans struggle through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, this emergency
supplemental appropriations bill sends billions of dollars overseas as foreign aid. Included in this appropriation is $660
million for Gaza, $555 million for Israel, $310 million for Egypt, $300 million for Jordan, and $420 million for Mexico. Some
$889 million will be sent to the United Nations for ‘peacekeeping’ missions. Almost one billion dollars will be
sent overseas to address the global financial crisis outside our borders and nearly $8 billion will be spent to address a
“potential pandemic flu.’”
Other GOP presidential contenders are mainly hiding from the
Egyptian crisis but I will keep you posted after they figure put what their positions are. 8:29 am est Comments
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