Democrats and Republicans miss Texas deadline

[independentobserver]

Both parties miss the deadline to file Obama and McCain on the ballot. Link and Link

Libertarian candidate Bob Barr has filed a lawsuit to have Obama and McCain removed from the ballot, because they missed the deadline. If this lawsuit is successful (not bloody likely, unfortunately) he would be the only candidate on the ballot.

Independent candidate Ralph Nader has supported Barr's lawsuit. He says that it's unfair that 3rd party candidates have to jump through all kinds of hoops to get on state ballots, while the rules apparently don't apply to the 2 major parties. Link. He has called for reform of ballot access laws, and for the Dems and Reps to be write-in candidates in November, like himself.

[Squire Allworthy]

I wish the Libertarians every success.

[Defeated Romanticist]

Even if they were off the ballot McCain would win on write ins anyway. This is Texas people.

[independentobserver]

Ooh, I forgot to say that these are the same democrats who used taxpayers' money to illegally knock Nader off the ballot in about 10 states in 2004.

DR:
It doesn't matter that McCain would win even if he were a write-in candidate. The point is that the big 2 should have to abide by the same rules as anybody else. An independent candidate in Texas has to collect over 75,000 signatures of people who are registered to vote in Texas and who didn't vote in either of the democratic or republican primaries/caucuses. They would have to do this before the middle of July!

The democrats and republicans have things easy. All they had to do was file a form. That was it. If they couldn't manage that, then they don't deserve to be on the ballot. The rules always seem to apply to Ralph Nader and Bob Barr.

[Squire Allworthy]

This just emphasises the split standards. You can bet that when a 3rd party hands in its 75000 signatures that the Solicitors for the big two go over them with a microscope. The whole system is totally unfair. It is not Democracy it is a deliberate carve up.