Email blast from Gary Johnson/Our America Initiative (emphasis added):
Dear Friend,
Walter Cronkite said, “The debates are part of the unconscionable fraud that our political campaigns have become.”
Professor Larry Sabato hit the nail on the head: “The commission is a setup for the two-party system.”
I could go on and on, but frankly, you already know it. The presidential debates, controlled and staged by the Republicans and Democrats, are designed to exclude new ideas, independent voices, and credible third party candidates. When millions of voters tune in every four years for the ‘official’ general election debates, they see only two candidates – the Republican and the Democrat, and to be blunt, it is “game over” for other candidates.
Most of those voters don’t know the system is rigged. They don’t know that the media and the official-sounding Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) have already narrowed the field — and in doing so, denied other credible candidates the opportunity to offer real alternatives to the policies and politics that have given us perpetual war, an $18 trillion debt and the destruction of too many civil liberties.
The good news is this: Just as exclusion from the debates is “game over” for other candidates, inclusion would be “game over” for the status quo. In 1992, after the Bush and Clinton campaigns, for their own tactical reasons, allowed Ross Perot to participate in the debates, Perot’s support TRIPLED — and virtually every poll conducted after the debates showed a majority of Americans believed Perot won. More importantly, Perot single-handedly made deficit spending an issue that neither the Republicans or Democrats could ignore, even though they wanted to.
Even though he wasn’t elected, Perot’s participation in the presidential debates changed the conversation, put the spotlight on a critical issue…and arguably changed history.
It’s time for that to happen again. A clear majority of Americans today do NOT believe either the Republican or Democrat parties represents them. The real issues of the day — debt, war, loss of liberty — are being largely ignored by the politicians. And if ever there has been a need and a demand for new approaches, it is now.
That’s why your financial support to open the debates to all qualified candidates is so vitally important. We are now about a third of the way to reaching our financial goal of $850,000. This is the amount we are anticipating is needed to mount a successful challenge to change the Presidential debates. The CPD will have virtually unlimited resources from its corporate “sponsors” with which to fight us, and we cannot start that fight without the resources to finish it.
Changing the presidential debates is arguably the single most important thing we can do to put liberty, new ideas and real policy options in front of American voters who are clearly looking for alternatives to the status quo. To learn more about the plan to change the Presidential debates please visit www.FairDebates.com
The time is now. The opportunity is now. Your contribution will make it possible for us to seize that opportunity. I’m counting on your support. If you should have any questions please contact Tiffiny Devera at 801-303-7929, or by email at [email protected]
You can send a check to PO Box 1985 Salt Lake City, Utah 84110, or contribute online at www.OurAmericaInitiative.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
Your support is essential, and deeply appreciated. Together, we can do this.
Thank you.
Gov. Gary Johnson
Honorary Chairman
PS: You can also make a tax deductible donation at Our America Initiative Foundation.
On the latter, only if you take the FEC filings as gospel.
Filing the complaint is the easy part, as I discussed with Gov. Johnson and his superb new counsel Bruce Fein.
Successfully defending the motion to dismiss is going to be much more difficult.
Personally I don’t think this case has a chance of winning, and I have supported it financially when asked to do so, which is all the more reason to file it and maximize public reaction asap.
Publicity is vital.
“In another amusing notes, Johnson 2012 has again refiled financial reports, showing that the Johnson Presidential campaign is even farther into debt.”
The government shouldn’t spend money it doesn’t have! *campaign spends money it doesn’t have*
“It is indeed. But of course the naysayers will find something to complaint about no matter what. Johnson could actually win the CPD lawsuit, get included in the debates, and win the election- and they’d still find something to whine about.”
Whining is an opposition party politics tradition, unfortunately.
“A third of the way to $850k is actually pretty impressive, assuming of course that is in fact the case.”
It is indeed. But of course the naysayers will find something to complaint about no matter what. Johnson could actually win the CPD lawsuit, get included in the debates, and win the election- and they’d still find something to whine about.
It’s an old joke that “Those who can’t do, teach.” I believe the LP version is: Those who can’t do, criticize.
” We are now about a third of the way to reaching our financial goal of $850,000. ”
Joe, your pool should be what the goal is when they reach $850,000. The goal posts, they keep on moving.
In another amusing notes, Johnson 2012 has again refiled financial reports, showing that the Johnson Presidential campaign is even farther into debt.
How much of that has already been spent?
$200K with nothing actually ready to file (because of changes in counsel, travel costs for fundraising) ain’t all that impressive.
If only the process were transparent — like, let’s see — our candidate will be calling on the government to be?
Kinda bad example here, IMO.
That said, I hope they file, I hope they win. But IMO it looks like a stalling tactic hoping the CPD will include a third candidate – in which case I expect a claim of victory without the need, or further expenses associated with, a suit.
A third of the way to $850k is actually pretty impressive, assuming of course that is in fact the case.
FEB 2015 — The OAI Presidential Debate Lawsuit donation page as of 11:00PM Eastern time indicated that ?$3,458.00 has been raised from 83 donors with a goal of $100,000.00.?
JUNE 2014 — goal of $200,000.
FEB 2014 — goal of $100,000.
See https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/02/rocky-anderson-speaks-in-slc-nsa-cpd-lawsuit-justice-party-updates/
and
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2014/06/johnson-cpd-lawsuit-fundraising-goal-30k-in-february-200k-in-june/
The latter link has photos of screenshots from prior fundraising. Including the admonition that:
“Our America Initiative has a no refunds policy & funds may be used for overhead cost.”
As a fundraising effort for the (preparation of the) lawsuit, I am thinking about starting a pool on what the goal and fundraising amount reported as having been raised will be for each of the rest of the months in 2015 (and 2016).
BONUS PRIZES for those who correctly predict the date the suit will be (re) filed and for those who predict when the funds will be returned if it isn’t!