There will only be two candidates to choose from in Virginia's primary on Super Tuesday: Romney and Paul. It's an unusual system-10,000 signatures are required to get on the ballot, with a minimum of 400 from each of the state's 11 Congressional districts.
Newt, Perry, Bachmann, Santorum and Huntsman (hard to remember that last fella!) didn't make the cut. While at least two and possibly four of those candidates will have quit the race by then, Newt was actually leading Romney by a significant margin in the last statewide poll.
Newt is crying foul and blaming the system. RedState is hinting at a conspiracy. The Republican Party of Virginia, who was responsible for verifying the signatures, better have clean hands on this one. But assuming their hands are clean, it's hard to muster too much sympathy for Newt. The rules may be dumb, arcane, whatever. But they're not new rules. Eight candidates managed to get on the ballot in 2008. Goes to show you the vital importance of organization.
Some Ron Paul supporters approached me to sign their petition, but I pointed out that if Romney wins, my buddy the CW may become the Secretary of the Navy and would surely find a spot for me on his staff.
ReplyDeleteDamn those establishment Republicans and their silly rules. How's a transformational figure to make things happen when he has all these bothersome admin issues to attend to?
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