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There’s been a lot of richly-earned laughter this week at the expense of Republican presidential candidates (mainly Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry) who are whining about not being able to get on the March 6 primary ballot in Virginia. These worthies certainly haven’t expressed any sympathy for voters struggling to exercise their right to vote for candidates, which their party has been aggressively fighting to restrict in state after state.
But the irony and hypocrisy are worse than what immediately meets the eye. As Ezra Klein notes, presidential candidates have a lot more resources for gaining access to the ballot than individual voters:
Perry is an experienced politician who has hired a professional staff for the express purpose of navigating the logistical hurdle of ballot access. And he still failed to make the Virginia ballot, despite the fact that the rules were well-known and unchanged since the last election.
In Texas, however, Perry has sharply changed the rules, changed them on people who do not have a staff dedicated to helping them vote, and in fact made it harder for outside groups to send professionals into the state to help potential voters navigate the new law.
Yeah, it’s hard to get worked up about the denial of the rights of politicians to be voted for by citizens whose right to vote seems so disposable.
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Mark-NC on December 30, 2011 10:04 AM:
I was watching MSNBC (I think) last night and they made a good point that I'd like to see blown up into a bigger story.
Gingrich was calling for ACORN to be prosecuted because some of its volunteers turned in an handful of improper voter registrations.
Now, his ONE guy turned in more that ACORN did nationwide over many years.
I want to see calls for both he AND Gingrich to be prosecuted.
c u n d gulag on December 30, 2011 10:10 AM:
Mark,
Are you inferring that Newt runs a "Mickey Mouse" campaign operation?
Unfortunately, THAT'S not a newsflash.
And as for Perry, I have 3 things to say:
1. He's an idiot.
2. He's lucky he's Governor of Texas, where, after the great Ann Richards, the only qualification for that position is that you are able to remember to inhale and exhale without 24 hour staff supervision.
3.. I forgot... Oops!
T2 on December 30, 2011 10:11 AM:
The beauty of Rick Perry has been revealed for all non-Texans to see. Amid a Party of unabashed hypocrites, nobody, andI mean Nobody out-hypocrit's Rick Perry. He is everything we hate in a politician plus he's dumb. And he's proud of it.
low-tech cyclist on December 30, 2011 10:14 AM:
There used to be a well-known Dem named Ed Kilgore who was a centrist, third-way, triangulating, DLC sort of guy.
I'm having a hard time squaring that Ed Kilgore with this guy who's been writing some very good pull-no-punches stuff while pinch-hitting for Steve for the past few days. But rumor has it they're the same guy.
There must be a story here, and I'm curious as to what it is.
jpeckjr on December 30, 2011 10:15 AM:
I think a distinction should be made between party rules on ballot access for candidates, state laws for ballot access for candidates, and state laws concerning voter access. It's my impression that ballot access for the VA Rep party is under the rules of the party, although there is probably state law involved, too. If a party wants to make it harder for candidates to get on their primary or caucus ballot, that's their decision.
Efforts to make it harder for citizens to vote, regardless of the party, are anti-American.
johnny canuck on December 30, 2011 10:20 AM:
It is well worth watching Ezra present this orally:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-live-with-bashir/45818383#45818254
Hedda Peraz on December 30, 2011 10:20 AM:
Y'all are being too hard on the Lone Star State.
Yes, we gave you Shrub and Goodhair- both of 'em too dumb to pour water out of a boot, with the instructions printed on the bottom- but we also produced Molly Ivans.
stevio on December 30, 2011 10:45 AM:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc-live-with-bashir/45818383#45818254
stevio on December 30, 2011 10:47 AM:
Sorry Hedda, I was just seeing if I could add a link to this blog. I did go to the one you posted and it was exceptional.
stevio
chi res on December 30, 2011 11:14 AM:
Careful, Hedda. You're losing character, starting to make sense.
Jim Pharo on December 30, 2011 11:25 AM:
The irony here is that these same maroons are running into FEDERAL court to rectify what are plainly states' decisions under the Constitution. "States rights" for thee but not for me.
schtick on December 30, 2011 12:41 PM:
Look, Ricky boy knows being stupid worked for Dubya, his twin brother, so he just figured nothing has changed and it would work for him, too.
Read my lips:
NO MORE TEXANS!!!
crapcha....Old Eneropy....I paid for new!
John in TX on December 30, 2011 2:31 PM:
2. [Perry's] lucky he's Governor of Texas, where, after the great Ann Richards, the only qualification for that position is that you are able to remember to inhale and exhale without 24 hour staff supervision.
-c u n d gulag on December 30, 2011 10:10 AM
Damn if that isn't the hilarious truth! Rumor has it he also needs the "L" and "R" stamped on the insides of his shoes so he can give the appearance his IQ doesn't top out around 32.
I sure wish Molly Ivins had lived to witness this GOP train wreck of a campaign. I think even she would have been left speechless (likely from laughter).