Public Intelligence Blog

Perhaps restoring the American faith in the election process via “none of the above” platform, showing people they still have control over the system would be a stronger approach to reforms.

The issue of general election presidential debate inclusion has been litigated to death.  There has been loss after loss after loss for 35 years. 

There is only one way to fix the debates problem.  That is the strategy used in 2007-2008 by “Rock the Debates.”  A few dedicated people who lived in Iowa and New Hampshire used every chance they had to corner major party contenders and ask if they would agree to at least one inclusive general election debate.  “Inclusive” means everyone who is on the November ballot in enough states to theoretically win, would be invited.

In the entire history of the United States, there has never been a presidential election with more than seven such candidates.  In 2008 there were six (Obama, McCain, Barr, McKinney, Baldwin, Nader).  Same in 2004, there were six.

Phi Beta Iota:  To keep up with ballot access lawsuit, people subscribe to Ballot Access News.  It is 26 and one-half years old, a print publication that appears every month.  At $15 per year this is a bargain – and here is the comment one citizen who signed up included with their address in the paypal note:  “For the first time [subscribing to your newsletter] I feel I am doing what every citizen should be doing – paying attention!]  Look for the Subcribe line about six lines down from the upper right corner.

Responding to an inquiry, the founder of Ballot Access News who has also been active with Free and Equal and the Council of Alternative Political Parties, had this to say….

Write-ins for all office are banned in Nevada, Hawaii, South Dakota, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.  Also Arkansas and South Carolina won't print write-in space for President on the ballot.  South Carolina has a statute saying no write-in space for President, but Arkansas doesn't, and the Secretary of State just made it up.

People generally get on the ballot in all 50 states by hiring professional petitioners.  That takes lots of money, of course.

I am wildly in favor of Americans Elect.

Asked to elaborate on Americans Elect, he says….

It is not true that Americans Elect's board can pick and choose who the presidential nominee is.  Just because some reporters are lazy and report this without checking the rules, doesn't mean they are accurate.

Anyone can run in the Americans Elect presidential primary, but people who have been members of Congress, or cabinet members, of big-time generals, or Governors, only need 10,000 clicks; others need 100,000 clicks.

If the winner of the Americans Elect primary is a Democrat, and he or she chooses a Republican vice-presidential running mate, the ticket is “deemed” balanced and the Americans Elect board cannot tamper with it.  If Ron Paul won the Americans Elect primary for president, and he chose Dennis Kucinich for vice-president, there is nothing Americans Elect's board could do about it.

The board only can intervene to see if the ticket is “balanced” if one of the nominees is neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

Phi Beta Iota:  While we  continue to be suspicious of Americans Elect, initially started as a Trojan Horse for Michael Bloomberg, Richard Winger's intelligence and integrity and professional knowledge of American politics and the art of the possible is without peer.  We shift our view of Americans Elect to “neutral” at this time.

Bernie Sanders Explains Why Congress Fears Citizens United

Bill Boyarsky

truthdig, 16 December 2011

It took just 12 minutes and 29 seconds on the Senate floor for Sen. Bernie Sanders to expose the real power of corporate America over our elections. It should be a rallying cry for the embattled minority trying to clean up the system.

Sanders, one of two Independents in the Senate (along with Joe Lieberman), was speaking Dec. 8 on behalf of his proposed constitutional amendment that would overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s devastating Citizens United decision, which permits corporations, unions and issue advocacy organizations to spend unlimited amounts of money from their own funds to support or oppose candidates.

See Interview Video

Read full article.