Republicans against ballot access

It well known that the GOP is hell-bent on making it more difficult for people to vote. In nearly a dozen states Republicans have passed new voter ID and early voting laws specifically targeted at groups they fear may vote Democratic. Their cries of "voter fraud" are itself a fraud on the American people. Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent in the U.S.A.

Not content with keeping people from voting, Republicans in several states, including Virginia, are working overtime to keep candidates off the ballot. Yesterday, over objections and legal challenges by the Virginia GOP, the State Board of Elections ruled that former congressman and Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode qualified for the presidential ballot in the commonwealth. The board also certified Libertarian Party and Green Party candidates for the ballot.

With some help from the Green Party in collecting signatures (Greens like his stand on increased spending for passenger rail), Goode submitted over 20,500 signatures to the State Board of Elections. The law requires 10,000 valid signatures of registered voters with a minimum of 400 in each congressional district.

Will Goode's presence on the ballot impact the outcome of the presidential contest in Virginia? Apparently the state GOP believes the former congressman's name recognition and extreme right wing views will be attractive to tea party and xenophobic types that are a major block of GOP support in the commonwealth. There is some evidence to support that point of view. Late spring and early summer polls that included Goode's name showed he might pick up 5-9% of the Virginia vote with nearly all of that coming out of Mitt Romney's political hide. Virgil won't lay that many eggs, but even if he only lays one or two, in battleground Virginia the yoke will be on Romney.

Mitt Romney is the nominee only because $$$ made him the last man standing in a field crowded with wackos. He's flipped and flopped on nearly every issue under the sun. His Mormon religion isn't trusted by the evangelicals in the GOP. The only reason Romney even has a chance is Republican's over-the-top fires of hatred of President Obama that are stoked daily by Karl Rove and the Koch brothers money and slick ads. With their nominee neither liked nor trusted it is no wonder Virginia Republicans are horrified that Virgil Goode is on the ballot - he is everything they want Mitt to be!

We can expect the GOP, with help from the wild man in the Attorney General's office, to keep the challenges going if for no other reason than to raise questions about Goode in voters' minds in hopes it will reduce his appeal. Goode will be their morning-after excuse (couldn't be a crummy nominee or a bankrupt party) when Virginia's 13 electoral votes end up in the Democratic column for the second straight time!

Goode Deal

Virgil Goode, the eccentric former congressman from Rocky Mount, Virginia captured the Constitution Party's nomination at its Nashville convention yesterday. James Clymer, a Pennsylvanian who has been the party's chair for more than a decade will be Goode's running mate.

Goode promises to attract disaffected Republicans and Democrats, saying,"Romney's and Obama's positions are not all that different. There's not much distinction. My position would be significantly different from either of them." Mirroring the Constitution Party platform, Goode wants to close the borders and sharply curtail programs like food stamps, foreign aid, and defense. The platform, and presumably Goode, also support life begins at conception laws (like the controversial trans-vaginal ultrasound), repeal of the 17th Amendment, reversing the "surrender" of the canal to Panama, and reestablishing the religious basis of all education. Reading the platform is akin to jumping into a time machine and finding your way into the minds of men such as Edmund Ruffin.

The Constitution Party has qualified for the ballot in just 15 states, but Goode and party officials promise they will be on many more ballots by Election Day. In Virginia Goode will begin circulating petitions - he needs at least 400 valid signatures in each congressional district and 10,000 statewide.

Hopefully Goode will qualify for the Virginia ballot. He will prove attractive to the Fire-Eater types in the tea party who despise President Obama and who, with no other choice, might hold their noses and vote for Romney. With a close race in purple Virginia that could make all the difference for the Commonwealth's electors and the White House. Goode's presence on the ballot could stir the pot in the 5th District congressional race as well.

So Virgil, welcome to the presidential race. May your appeal be irresistible to the birds of a feather now flocking together in the Grand Old Party.

Game On, Game Off

It is game on for two House of Delegates districts in the Valley -

Republican chairs in the 20th picked Dickie Bell to replace Del. Chris Saxman who shocked the local political scene when he took himself out of the game. About 100 party faithful attended a forum at Buffalo Gap HS where the seven candidates gave cloned answers to questions on taxes, gays, abortion... same old GOP grist. Then the chairs picked who they (and Del. Saxman?) apparently wanted all along. Is it the same person local Republican voters want? Bell, who is currently on Staunton City Council and has occasionally bolted from the majority (and some would say common sense), faces Democrat Erik Curren. Both have promised a clean and positive campaign.

As posted yesterday, Democrat Carter Turner will run in the 8th district. Turner is an assistant professor at Radford University and resident of the area since childhood. Turner was recently involved in efforts to block the asphalt plant coming to Glenvar. He called for bipartisan "solution oriented politics" and said he'll focus on the economy, education, and transportation. Turner replaces Ginny Weisz and will be formally nominated at a caucus tonight.

Across the mountain it is still game on in the fight to stop Walmart's invasion of the Wilderness Battlefield. The public hearing planned for last night was cancelled late in the day, or at least the word of the cancellation got out late in the day. So, you still have time to contact the Orange Co. Board of Supervisors and express your opposition to Walmart building on the edge of this national treasure. See earlier posts for links.

But it is game off for Virgil Goode who says he won't try to make a comeback in the 5th Congressional District. Goode lost a squeaker to Tom Periello and had overtly hinted he'd run in 2010. But, Goode apparently wasn't able to attract many donors or much enthusiasm for him to get back in the game.

High flying with Rasoul and Periello

The Roanoke Times has endorsed Sam Rasoul in the 6th District with this strong statement of support:

Americans are dissatisfied with a dysfunctional Congress that has placed rabid partisanship and the influence of lobbyists above the interests of the Americans who elected them.

This Nov. 4 affords an opportunity for Americans to force change. Voters in Virginia's 6th Congressional District can help to hasten reforms by electing newcomer Sam Rasoul to replace longtime incumbent Bob Goodlatte.

Rasoul, at age 27, is the youngest person running for Congress. He is still wrapped up in the naïveté of youth. He believes that, with enough principled members, Congress could change. He is idealistic but doesn't seem to fully grasp or appreciate how the system works. Still, voters could do worse than give Rasoul a chance to prove himself.

He has shown through the campaign that he lives up to his principles. He won the Democrats' support as their nominee, but he has shunned all party and political action committee money.

The Roanoke Times also endorsed Tom Perriello in the 5th District. Saying that Virgil Goode gives "conservatism a bad name" and that Goode had run an ugly and negative campaign, the Times went on to praise Periello:

He is an intelligent, articulate, caring individual who has done important work in Afghanistan and Darfur.

Unlike Goode, he does not appear to be driven by partisan ideology, repeatedly saying that governing shouldn't be about "right or left, but about right or wrong.

The voters of Virginia's 5th Congressional District should elect a representative who will make them, and the rest of the commonwealth, proud.

Unseating an entrenched incumbent with a huge war chest is always tough. A newspaper endorsement doesn't guarantee victory. But, it is heartening to see a respected editorial board, which has closely followed both races, come out with a bold and positive statement supporting Rasoul and Periello. Hopefully, in this last week before votes are cast, the Roanoke Times has given undecided voters a reason to take a second look at these two qualified candidates. That second look may just change the outcome in one or both contests