by guest blogger Ken
While Jon is trying to keep the politics to a minimum out here in the Selenian Boondocks (and so I now owe him several space-related posts), this is a little something that you’re not likely to see through major news sources.
Libertarian candidate Bob Barr filed suit in Texas court to keep the candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties off of the Texas ballot (more).
It seems that neither the Republicans nor the Democrats bothered to certify their candidates for the ballot by the deadline legislated by…Democratic and Republican legislators.
Talk about karmic justice! Both parties are of course kicking and screaming that they can’t be kept off the ballot just because they couldn’t bother to abide by the rules they created. That would be mean and partisan and not fair.
Libertarians and other parties have to fight tooth and claw every single election to get their candidates on the ballot, and can expect no mercy when they don’t get everything properly put together. The privileged parties, the Democrats and Republicans, however, apparently get privileged treatment. Even though they’re very strict about enforcing the rules on others, they don’t expect to actually have to abide by said rules themselves.
Of course, one need only read the headlines to see where that has gotten us.
I have to admit that Mr. Barr has risen in my esteem by this act. It is a crafty revealing of the basic hypocrisy of both the Democratic and Republican political machines. It’s in the same spirit as Michael Badnarik obtaining a court injunction against the taxpayer-funded political presidential debate in AZ back in 2004 from which he was excluded even though he was on the ballot in all 50 states (IIRC, I think the Libs only got 45 states this time around). Rather, he was ‘detained by authorities’ for attempting to serve the court order. Imagine that, ‘detained’ for trying to enforce a respect for law.
I hope the suit is recognized, as it has merit just on the basic facts conveyed. As far as I’m concerned, if they can’t respect our Texas laws, laws which they wrote, then they can be write-ins, just like the Constitution Party candidate is here in Texas because they didn’t get their paperwork right either. It’s not the Libertarians who will have excluded the candidates from the ballot – any fault would lay squarely with the Democratic and Republican parties and no one can say otherwise.
The obvious compromise is to allow the Dems and Reps on the ballot, but also allow all of the other parties onto the ballot as well. This would really be the only fair solution. Otherwise, I say let ’em twist in the wind by their own rope.
Update: The Texas Supreme Court ruled today (09/23) to deny the Motion to keep the Democrats and Republicans off the ballot. No reason was given. Like the Nike motto, they “Just Did It”.
I find myself wondering why I should vote for anyone from either of these two parties for any position in government. They’re clearly not interested in serving the citizenry at large, only themselves, and I have no interest in being governed by those who think the rules don’t apply to them.
If we can’t count on the law being just and equitable (and those who ‘enforce’ it), then what can we count on?
Latest posts by lunadyne (see all)
- The long road to the Moon… - November 17, 2008
- So where does space stand in all of this mess? - September 24, 2008
- Meanwhile, on the Texas political front… - September 22, 2008
Ha!
As a big pro-lifer, I naturally want Texas to be able to vote Republican this year. But politics ain’t beanbag. And rules are rules. Too bad, Texas GOP. Like the man says, you can always be a write-in.
I and the rest of the GOP kicked up a fuss when New Jersey allowed the Democrats to change out their Senate candidates against the rules when their current candidate was indicted. Rules are rules, we said.
By the way, from what I know of the Baradnik injunction thing, I don’t think its as clearcut as you’re making it sound.
Another scheme is to shut third parties out of the debates. I watched “An Unreasonable Man” (a documentary about Ralph Nader) last weekend, and, although I knew that Nader and Pat Buchanan were shut out of the 2000 debates, I didn’t realize who the debate organizers were: not the major networks or cable networks, not a major newspaper, and not a state body, but a coalition of republicans and democrats.
They did the same thing this year to radical candidates like Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul.