Frightened Republicans Try To Shut Down Election Competitors - Forbes - Doug Bandow:
October 22, 2012 - "The Republican Party claims to believe in freedom. But not really. Certainly not if that means being able to vote for someone who truly believes in liberty.
"Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a Republican who cut spending while advocating legalization of marijuana, originally ran for the GOP presidential nomination. But most of the debate organizers refused to let him join the largely undistinguished candidate herd which included another unknown former governor ... and a businessman with no political experience....
"Johnson switched parties and won the Libertarian Party nomination (joined by former Judge Jim Gray, the vice presidential nominee). Now Republicans fear the LP might take votes away from their candidate.... GOP operatives were able to keep Johnson off the Michigan ballot — after the LP filed the paperwork three minutes late. In Pennsylvania state Republican officials unsuccessfully challenged Johnson’s petition campaign (as elsewhere, the major party duopoly requires its competitors to collect signatures to go before the voters)....
"This is the most important election in a generation (or is that millennium?), GOP apparatchiks proclaim, so any vote for anyone else is wasted. Of course, they said the same thing four years ago. And eight years ago. Alas, in those elections most Americans end up 'wasting their votes' on the two RepubliCrat candidates dedicated to the failed status quo."
Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2012/10/22/frightened-republicans-try-to-shut-down-election-competitors/2/
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October 22, 2012 - "The Republican Party claims to believe in freedom. But not really. Certainly not if that means being able to vote for someone who truly believes in liberty.
"Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a Republican who cut spending while advocating legalization of marijuana, originally ran for the GOP presidential nomination. But most of the debate organizers refused to let him join the largely undistinguished candidate herd which included another unknown former governor ... and a businessman with no political experience....
"Johnson switched parties and won the Libertarian Party nomination (joined by former Judge Jim Gray, the vice presidential nominee). Now Republicans fear the LP might take votes away from their candidate.... GOP operatives were able to keep Johnson off the Michigan ballot — after the LP filed the paperwork three minutes late. In Pennsylvania state Republican officials unsuccessfully challenged Johnson’s petition campaign (as elsewhere, the major party duopoly requires its competitors to collect signatures to go before the voters)....
"This is the most important election in a generation (or is that millennium?), GOP apparatchiks proclaim, so any vote for anyone else is wasted. Of course, they said the same thing four years ago. And eight years ago. Alas, in those elections most Americans end up 'wasting their votes' on the two RepubliCrat candidates dedicated to the failed status quo."
Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2012/10/22/frightened-republicans-try-to-shut-down-election-competitors/2/
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