Individuals listed on Politics1 as candidates for the 2012 Constitution Party presidential nomination were contacted via e-mail to get their reaction to the announcement that former Congressman Virgil Goode is seeking the party’s nomination.
Robby Wells, the former Savannah State football coach, who dropped his Reform Party bid to seek the nomination, said he does not believe Goode’s entrance reduces his chances of winning. He remarks:
I respect all of my opponents. I am a fierce competitor that loves to win. I love my country, and I believe that America is ready for a breath of fresh air. That is what my campaign brings to the table.
It is time for the citizens of the United States to move in a different direction. I believe there are millions of Americans that are sick and tired of being sick and tired of career politicians playing politics to keep their jobs.
We have over 149 million Americans that are existing on low income. That is 50% of our population. A lot of these people feel like their American Dream has been replaced with an Economic Nightmare. This is unacceptable, and it will change if I am elected.
I have a plan, “The gameplan,” that will create millions of jobs, make our country an energy independent nation, get millions of people back in a home, reform our tax system and government, bring our troops home, and secure our borders and eliminate illegal immigration.
This plan will cut all federal departments that are unconstitutional, and it will eliminate the FED.
We must get back to the Constitution and protect the liberties of our citizens.
It is time for the citizens of our country to stand up and elect a President that understands the struggles most have in this country. You see, I have had those same struggles as a middle class citizen.
People can go on my campaign web site at www.electrobbywells.com.
“Mad” Max Riekse, a former military intelligence officer whose campaign website notes he is seeking the Citizen’s Party nomination, says:
I don’t have a clue as to Goode As to the Constitution Party, my experience is that it is controlled by neo-con’s in the service of the GOP and Zionist
When asked if he is still seeking the Constitution Party nomination, Riekse did not respond.
JL Mealer, a businessman from Arizona, comments:
Democrat-Independent-Republican (unethical opportunist) ‘Congressman’ Goode’s connection to such fraud and destructive tax payer funded pay-to-play defense contractor MZM and felon [convicted of Conspiracy and Money Laundering] Jack Abramoff, his counterpart Congressman Randy Cunningham and other corrupt individuals are beyond the norm for any honest man’s line of reasoning. If the voters like Pres. Bush’s Halliburton, etc., and *Pres. Obama’s Solyndra, *General [Gov’t] Motors, *GMAC & subsidiaries, *General Electric, *Fiskar, and the too big to fail banks & mortgage companies(in general, they combined to intentionally crush free enterprise via Title 15 violations against the Mealer Automobile growth funding in 2009),they will love Virgil Goode.I refuse to fathom Congressman Goode’s entrance into the Constitution Party’s primary as a viable option for an informed and reasonably thinking voting populace. Goode will make a mockery of the Constitution party and end oure party’s standing in future elections, because he is nothing more than a disenfranchised Republican who lost face in office while losing his job as a Congressman.
With myself making anti-corruption the forefront of my campaign in order to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the USA; while jailing the corrupt Congressmen and lobbyists BAR NONE deep within GITMO – if necessary. Whereby,the threat of the charges alone made through the President’s appointments of the military staff, CIA, FBI, NSA, Secretary of State, et al., would begin with allegations of sedition, fraud and the like, would allow by Presidential power the seizure of the accused politician’s, lobby firms and their recipients assets, monies and interests. This action would put each corrupt party ‘in step with JL Mealer as POTUS who is serving no special interest but fellow Americans’ and the monetary system would easily revert back to Congressional backed Notes (Seehttp://mealer2012.com/national-debt-plan/), thus ending the majority of government and Fed Res funded corruption.This is the KEY to American jobs and US business growth.Americans, the Courts, the President and Congress would ‘be on the same page’, so to speak. This executive power is derived from the fact that the President’s sole power is to “enforce the law” partially under Executive Orders (noted below is from my interim website):[See US Constitution Article II Sec 3] …”he (the US President) shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed…” Such Constitutionally mandated Executive Order(s) shall detail:1. The National Debt., USA massive unemployment & underemployment combined with its crushing effect on the economy and the US infrastructure (taxable monies) has become a National Security Matter.2. Corrupt Congressional Activity involving any Lobbyist or special interest (including the Fed Res) are outlawedaccording to current laws from fraud to sedition.
*No Executive Orders beyond mandating the enforcement of existing laws!References are US Constitution Article II, and case law beginning with http://law.justia.com/constitution/us/article-2/38-power-and-duty-of-president.html
The Constitution Party can’t criticize others for compromise if it puts up a former Democrat turned middle-right Republican as its Presidential candidate, can it?
“Trent- Are you aware of any plan to get Goode on the ballot in CA and TX in particular? It seems to me without those two states (and possibly NY as well) his candidacy will be very easy for the media to overlook especially if the LP nominates a “luminary” and AE gets on all 51 ballots.”
The Constitution Party has only been on the ballot in TX and NY once–in 1996 I believe–due to increased support from Buchananites.
To my knowledge, they’ll be a write-in in TX and not on the ballot in NY, just like most other election years. As for CA, I think there is a small chance they’ll want to put Goode on the ballot, actually.
The real kicker is that this year, that does not kick in until May 29, so if they get the signatures before then there is no screenout; if they get them after, there is.
I’m also not sure that when there was legally a screenout that it was actually being enforced.
In 2004, I collected LP signatures in El Paso, and the LP gave me the URL for a website to check the signatures. That database, which was supposedly the same one used to check the signatures by the state, did not contain any field saying who had voted in the primary and who hadn’t, as far as I could determine.
“Independent presidential petitions can be signed by any voter who had not already voted in the presidential primary.”
That’s the kicker. I used to live in TX. In TX they consider voting in a partisan primary essentially affiliating yourself with that party for a year. So you end up having to collect signatures from the indifferent, when the people most likely to back Goode, for example, are conservatives who are unhappy that the GOP nominated a RINO like Romney.
As I understand it Odom and friends are trying to make nice with Seidenberg and co. (the group that is the official AIP right now) in hopes that they can get the CA ballot line.
Otherwise, they will not get CA, unless maybe Goode is a lot wealthier than I know of, or has a very wealthy backer who will run as VP.
Texas, maybe, but they had better get it in gear soon;
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/03/06/texas-secretary-of-state-posts-instructions-for-independent-presidential-candidates/
On March 5, the Texas Secretary of State’s web page posted this updated information for presidential candidate ballot access. Independent presidential petitions can be circulating now. The petition deadline is June 29, which is the latest Texas petition deadline for independent presidential candidates since 1984. The 2012 presidential election is the first presidential election since 1984 in which every state has some means to get a presidential candidate directly onto the November ballot with a deadline that is later than June 3.
Independent presidential petitions can be signed by any voter who had not already voted in the presidential primary. Petitions circulated now can be signed by any registered voter. But after early voting starts, voters who voted in the May 29 presidential primary cannot sign the independent presidential petition. Obviously, an independent presidential candidate has an easier job if his or her petition is circulated before voters start voting in the presidential primary.
Here are the Secretary of State’s instructions for newly-qualifying parties. Like the independent petition deadline, the minor party petition deadline is June 29. The petition can be signed by any registered voter who has not voted in the May 29 primary, so, as is the case for independent candidates, it is easier to get valid signatures if the petition is circulated before people start voting in the May 29 primary.
Trent- Are you aware of any plan to get Goode on the ballot in CA and TX in particular? It seems to me without those two states (and possibly NY as well) his candidacy will be very easy for the media to overlook especially if the LP nominates a “luminary” and AE gets on all 51 ballots.
I think he’d be at least smart enough to do that. He did manage to get elected and re-elected to Congress several times, after all.
“He’ll probably give mostly vague and non-committing answers on foreign policy questions through the nomination, would be my guess.”
If he’s smart.
I just hope he does not become the legal advisor/spokesman for a former third world dictator trying to get back into office in his devastated homeland after many years in exile.
🙂
@27
I see a Santorum 2016 endorsement in Goode’s future…
I sure hope Virgil Goode does not turn out to be the Constitution Party’s version of Bob Barr.
He’ll probably give mostly vague and non-committing answers on foreign policy questions through the nomination, would be my guess.
Red–I don’t know that directly.
What I do know is that he’s being advised by people in the know. Long time members, movers-and-shakers. So I suspect he at least knows that it is a problem, even if he doesn’t have any intention of walking it back.
@22, 23 Good news for the Libertarians.
Trent, does Goode plan to walk back his support of the Patriot Act and the Iraq War? Does he even realize it is a problem?
Ugh, no. No klowns or racists, please.
As for Goode,
http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2012/02/the-thirdparty-myth.php
…protecting Social Security and Medicare…?
It seems that google has no idea either. Probably not a good sign for a prospective candidate.
Goode is terrible. He is a neocon Zionist to the core, with an UNACCEPTABLE voting record. And based on his wiki page and wikinews interview, he lacks a basic knowledge of foreign policy (except that he has always supported war) and sounds like a reincarnation of Herman Cain with his answer on the Yemeni terrorist.
If the CP nominates him I’ll probably support either Gary Johnson, writing in Ron Paul, or if the A3P manages to get ballot access, Merlin Miller.
No idea who that is.
A california constitution party member just filed in Missouri. Her name is Ana Zorikova.
I didn’t think the Missouri CP recruited that far away.
Very true Trent.
Goode is certainly not perfect, but when compared to obvious nutjobs like Mad Max and Mealer -he’s the only viable presidential candidate for the CP …Unless Ron Paul jumps into the CP.
In the meantime I must admit I do have strong sympathies for Gary Johnson, being he would also be a good choice for President as well, but I’ll go with Goode.
“More like Goode and Goode if what I heard is true. ”
Absolutely true. Wells and Mealer seem like nice enough guys, I suppose, but they aren’t going to get anywhere close.
Right now, I am leaning towards either Gary Johnson or writing-in Ron Paul.
More like Goode and Goode if what I heard is true.
Given how recently he was in the Reform Party, I’m guessing no.
Who are you leaning towards if Goode is the nominee?
Assume Johnson as LP, Stein as GP, and one of the three blind mice (not Ron Paul) as the Republican.
Okay then I will not be supporting the CP this election if he wins because he voted for the Patriot Act and the Iraqi War in Congress.
“as long as he can explain his previous political baggage.”
Timothy, it’s not clear to me that Goode is prepared to concede it is baggage.
The problem with Robby Wells is that he has never been a member of the Constitution Party and had previously wanted to seek the Reform Party nomination. Virgil Goode will be a good candidate as long as he can explain his previous political baggage. The main problem with the Constitution Party is that they have a hard time attracting legitimate candidates as the presidential candidates. In 2008 until April 15 when Alan Keyes and Chuck Baldwin entered the nomination, the top candidate was Don Grundmann.
Citizen1, Wells and Goode are the only active candidates as far as I can tell, but is Wells really a modal CP candidate in opposition to Goode, in the same way Wrights would be to Johnson in the LP for example?
I think it will be a race between Wells and Goode unless Baldwin or someone like him gets into the race. Wells appears to be willing to work harder than Goode all though Goode may have the favor of more of the leadership.
As for Mad Max he is ignorant if he thinks the party is controlled by neo-cons.
Don Lake… you’re right. I don’t know him at all. All I know is what I read that he has written. Like I said, I don ‘t agree with all his positions but he seems to express his ideas well and is not confrontational which seems to me to be a plus. If you can share something of substance about him that I have missed, please do.
New Fed, then you do not know him [Daryle Castle] very well.
If Goode is the eventual nominee I hope Castle is his running mate. Castle seems like a really solid guy to me. I may not agree with all his views but he states them well and does not seem to drive people away like so many alternative party folks do.
Actually, Goode may be more along the lines of what Howard Phillips was thinking when he started the USTP.
Baldwin, Castle et al. are quasi-libertarian by comparison.
As far as I can tell, there is not yet a “modal” CP candidate. It will be interesting to see if one arises to challenge Goode.
The Citizens’ Party announced in February that it will not hold a convention or nominate a Presidential candidate this year – so I’m sure Max Riekse will have to focus on the Constitution Party if he wants to stay in the race. The over bearing presence of what to me are whackadoodles like Max Riekse in the Citizens Party are a main reason why I lost interest in what I thought was initially a good idea for creating a pragmatic centrist party focused around an online “social media” style forum for its hub. The fact that protectionism and America-first-ism tothe point that there was a definite xeno-phobic and anti-immigrant element within the Citizens Party was also very discouraging to me. It seem both the Citizens’ Party and the Modern Whigs seem pretty disorganized with little momentum at this time – which is unfortunate as I actually think there would be a lot of interest nation wide for a party pushing pragmatic centrism and anti-corruption reforms. Guess we’ll see if the Reform Party cna continue to come back from the grave as it seems to be doing so that it can fill the spot – but I’m not holding my breath for this.
I think Robby Wells may have just used every political buzzword ever invented in that e-mail. I was waiting for “54-40 or fight!” and “Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?” but I think he missed those.
Well, well, well… these guys make Wrights, Gary, Harris and even Burns look positively mainstream!