Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Wades In On GOP Law Suits

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Wades In On GOP Law Suits

Loyalty Oath Also Being Challenged

By Guest Blogger Richard Falknor @ Blue Ridge Forum

Things are heating up in the First State of Virginia.  Guest blogger, Richard Falknor @ Blue Ridge Forum has been on top of this story since day one.

Why Is the Governor Taking Ownership of VA Primary Mess?

                                
Old Dominion governor Bob “McDonnell knocks Perry’s primary lawsuit” reported Steve Contorno (Washington Examiner) yesterday evening.

Contorno continued – -

“Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell criticized a lawsuit brought by friend and fellow Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who is suing the commonwealth after he failed to qualify for the March 6 presidential primary.

Speaking Wednesday, McDonnell said he doesn’t support retroactively changing state rules just because Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich didn’t meet Virginia’s ballot restrictions — 10,000 signatures from registered voters.  McDonnell pointed out that in his 20 years of politics, ‘no credible candidate for statewide office in Virginia has ever had a problem making the ballot.’

‘No question we’re among the strictest of the states, but if you want to be president of the United States, you ought to be able to collect 10,000 signatures in Virginia,’ he said from Richmond, adding he twice met the threshold without issue.”  (Underscoring Forum’s.)

But Tea Party activist and Virginia lawyer Jonathon Moseley told Blue Ridge Forum today that- -

“Yes, it is the same number of signatures, but it is not a fair comparison.  Rick Perry’s lawsuit is that Rick Perry should be allowed to bring people with him from out of Virginia, for a national race.  The provision at issue in Rick Perry’s lawsuit is whether petition gatherers have to be Virginia resident voters.  OF COURSE, everyone in McDonnell’s campaign would be Virginia registered voters.  Bob McDonnell lives in Virginia.  Rick Perry does not.  Bob McDonnell’s race for Governor of Virginia is 100% inside of Virginia.  So McDonnell’s entire campaign apparatus would qualify as Virginia resident voters to collect petitions.  McDonnell’s petition gathering efforts would not be affected by the provision that Rick Perry is challenging. “


Jonathon Moseley

The Grass Roots Are More Than Unhappy With the Primary Mess

Yesterday evening the Northern Virginia Tea Party — under the leadership of Ron Wilcox — met in Springfield to look at the “Virginia Ballot Access Crisis” asking “Can Something be Done?”

Virginia lawyer Jonathon Moseley walked the group through the basics of the legal issues related to the Primary mess.  Readers can revisit Moseley’s own filings to put Newt Gingrich on the Virginia Primary ballot here and here.

Mark Daugherty, incoming chairman of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots, drove in from Staunton to introduce himself  and was able to take in the frustration of his northern Virginia brethren.

Today Olympia Meola reports (Richmond Times-Dispatch) that “McDonnell, Bolling want state GOP to abandon loyalty oath for primary.”   Here is delegate Bob Marshall’s  critique of that politically reckless initiative.  According to Meola, the SCC is slated to “reconsider”  the oath requirement on January 21.

Mike Giere Urges GOP Voters to Fight Their Disenfranchisement

Mike Giere

Republican State Central Committee member Mike Giere urged the Tea Partiers to fight their disenfranchisement caused by the restrictive rules (and reportedly incompetent management) of the Presidential Primary qualifying process.

“Talk to your General Assembly members,” he strongly recommended.

Former Reagan Administration aide Giere is running for chairman of the 11th Congressional District.  Time to move fresh talent into these RPV positions, he told Blue Ridge Forum, and to do so without demeaning the contribution of those who have served so long.

Whatever Ken Cuccinelli’s tactical reverses in trying to address the Primary uproar, the Attorney General consistently made it clear that he didn’t like the Presidential Primary qualifying process.

Why is the governor embracing this flawed system?  Stay tuned.”