As of today (May 15), the deadlines have passed for all the rounds of voting to nominate candidates for Americans Elect, and no candidate is even half way to qualifying under the rule that a candidate has to have at least 1,000 supporters in each of ten states. The following official statement is posted on the Americans Elect website:
Statement by Americans Elect CEO Kahlil Byrd
Over the past two years, Americans Elect has focused on achieving three clear goals:
- Gaining nationwide ballot access for a third presidential ticket to compete in the 2012 race;
- Holding the first ever nonpartisan secure national online primary at AmericansElect.org; and
- Fielding a credible, balanced, unaffiliated ticket for the 2012 presidential race.
Through the efforts of thousands of staffers, volunteers, and leadership, Americans Elect has achieved every stated operational goal. Despite these efforts, as of today, no candidate has reached the national support threshold required to enter the “Americans Elect Online Convention” this June. (Read a detailed summary of the AE process here and the full rules here.)
Because of this, under the rules that AE delegates ratified, the primary process would end today. There is, however, an almost universal desire among delegates, leadership and millions of Americans who have supported AE to see a credible candidate emerge from this process.
Every step of the way, AE has conferred with its community before making major decisions. We will do the same this week before determining next steps for the immediate future. AE will announce the results of these conversations on Thursday, May 17.
As always, we thank everyone who has participated in this effort and will honor the work, efforts and trust so many people have placed in Americans Elect.
Speculation about what the next steps may be has swirled at Irregular Times and AE Transparency Blog.
A sampling:
IRT:
Last Americans Elect Gambit: to put Candidates on the Ballot despite Insufficient Support
Walker tries to become Roemer’s VP
Document: “Grassroots” Committee to Draft David Walker for President intends to take Big Money
Fast & Loose: How Americans Elect Scoffs at the Rules
With Failures Rapidly Mounting, What Is Americans Elect’s End-Game?
AECorp Makes It Official: Ackerman Selects The Next President of the United States
Much more at aetransparency.blogspot.com and http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/category/americanselect.
And, from the petition grapevine (numerous anonymous sources):
None of the petitioners I have been in touch with have heard of AE starting petition drives in several states that were expected to start by now, including Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia, among others. I have not heard of ongoing AE drives shutting down, however.
As best I can determine, the announcement on May 17 will come first and news of what will happen with AE ballot access efforts will follow. Unless those planned drives are suspended, they may pay a higher rate than has been the case up to now, because deadlines are approaching in many states without the drives having even begun and because many petitioners are working on initiatives. Additionally, some of the states where AE would need to petition have residency requirements and/or prohibitions on carrying (or getting voters to sign) petitions for more than one party.
If anyone has additional information please post it in the comments, and stay tuned for updates.
Comments removed from this thread; see archive.org to find them.
Maybe in a few. In most I would think the LP either doesn’t need to or couldn’t if it wants to.
Shawn, Maine’s laws are unique, and the idea that AE could sell ballot access mostly relies on short term gain by both sides, not permanent ballot access. As I said before I would not be so quick to jump the gun on what AE may end up doing.
Some have speculated here that AE could use the party status achieved in some states as an asset to sell to some interested third party, turing ballot access into a pre-packaged product.
I don’t think that would be accepted in many of those states, not to mention that ability to maintaining that status over time makes the “asset” not as valuable over the long haul.
Case in point: In Maine, where AE has gotten party status. It is highly unlikely to keep it. They’d have to get 10,000 registered members to vote in the general election (not for anyone in particular, but just show up to vote.) I doubt they’ll even have that many registered state-wide much less voting. And for to remain eligible to hold primaries AE must have at least one municipal caucus in each and every county in the state, in addition to a state convention.
Money can buy a lot of assistance in one-time shot ballot access (See Ross Perot in 1992), but without any grass-roots support, it’s nothing but astroturf. (see the Reform Party beyond Ross Perot, and Jesse Ventura)
The AE backers did little more than drive up the market for petitioners.
Greg @ 34 “Maybe the conspiracy theorists were right and this was all just a backup plan”
Mr. Greg perhaps, before you croak of old age, you can come to the realization that they aren’t all theories, but TRUTH my friend TRUTH. Again I ask any and everyone here: do you truly believe the super-rich of this world has no interest in controlling the “flow” of world events to their advantage ?
No I don’t waste much time on this (AE) as I have much better things to do (promoting the LP to the masses). It is interesting to know if someway the LP could use the downticket of the AE in those states in which we have had little if any voice in past elections. No need to waste that ballot access and I wholeheartily recommend libertarians all over America to step forward and use the AE slots where possible to run for FEDERAL office (US House and US Senate) if the LP doesn’t have line access for you this year !!! The MESSAGE friends, the MESSAGE is needed now more than ever !
This purchasing OK by the LP isn’t likely while they have them in court ! It is an interesting thought however, the CP, LP and GP just fill their BA needs at a BOTTOM basement price !!!
If you believe that is going to happen, I still got Pacific Coast property in west Mississippi for sale, CHEAP……….
“The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can throw the rascals out at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy. Then it should be possible to replace it, every four years if necessary, by the other party, which will be none of these things but will still pursue, with new vigor, approximately the same basic policies.” – Carroll Quigley
Explaining the left-right paradigm to a co worker!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kw7j4lbDB4
it would be interesting, particularly in light of Doug Schoen’s recent interest.
Trent – Huntsman is certainly no libertarian, but I’d suspect he would at least respect Johnson. Both were small state governors in the southwest, both came from the business community, both were ignored by the GOP despite excellent credentials, both tried to occupy the fiscally-responsible-socially-tolerant ideological space. When I was told about this, it seemed unlikely but a little bit plausible especially given Huntsman’s flirtation with AE then backing out.
I can say this though–Huntsman backed off. Bayh was never fully on board, but was giving it serious thought.
According to the source and an independent confirmation, that is.
PeterO, afraid not. The source has given me more information on that development, but I haven’t been able to confirm it with a second source, so it isn’t for print.
If AE is still paying for sigs (see 64) it seems even less likely that they are just going to give up.
Steve–that wouldn’t surprise me too much, although it’d be a bit silly on Huntsman’s part. It’s not like he’s really a Libertarian anyway.
Ballot Access News
@40
“On a related note – I heard a rumor at the LP convention that John Huntsman might be coming out for Governor Johnson.
Sounds a bit far fetched.”
If I’m the only one who’s heard this, then I’ll assume there is nothing to it until I hear otherwise. While unlikely, I don’t think its entirely implausible. There are certainly a lot of similarities between the two that would make Huntsman at least identify with Johnson on some level.
As for Ron Paul, its disappointing that he wouldn’t endorse Johnson or even give a blanket recommendation of all mid-major candidates. But, I’m not surprised given the direction his organization seems to be taking. Taking over the GOP sounds nice, but to what end? In Iowa, they are already using Paul’s campaign resources and lists to push a warmonger for Congress and Michelle Bachmann people for state legislature.
@61
Apparently this is where they’re asking us to send our feedback: https://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/were_asking_for_your_feedback?utm_content=topic_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share
Nice to know that being “treated well” could paper over the issue positions Romney takes.
Or that “sitting home” is a more intelligent option than voting Libertarian or any other alt party (for those allowed to and still frequently in the habit of voting).
I screwed up the url
http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/15/ron-paul-campaign-rules-out-endorsing-libertarian-party-nominee
Benton, I would think, would be in a good position to know, no?
Disappointing that they rule it out so early when there has not been something like the Barr incident with Campaign for Liberty.
Also – endorse Romney? That would just be a total sellout.
Hopefully not too many Paul supporters would follow him over that cliff.
Buying ballot access isn’t illegal–it’s done all the time.
However, buying it might not be necessary in most states. In NC, OK, or CA, it’s possible that with a dearth of activists and party members, CPers or LPers could simply register into the party and hold a convention.
What makes Benton so sure? And why is this year so different than 2012? I’d like to see Paul just say, “I encourage my supporters to use their brains and look at ALL the options”.
http://dailycaller.com/2012/05/15/ron-paul-campaign-rules-out-endorsing-libertarian-party-nominee/A top campaign official for Ron Paul’s presidential campaign says there’s “no chance” that the Texas Republican congressman will endorse Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson for president over presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
“No,” campaign chairman Jesse Benton said in a response to a question from The Daily Caller about whether Paul would discuss the possibility of an endorsement with Johnson during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “There’s no chance of that.”
Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, endorsed Paul for president in 2008.
While that’s good news for Romney, Benton said he does “not believe that that is likely” Paul will endorse Romney, though he kept the option open.
Benton said Romney will still have to work hard if he wants the votes of Paul’s supporters. “In a lot of ways, the ball is in the court of the Republican Party and in the court of Mitt Romney,” he said.
“If our people are treated with respect, if our ideas, their ideas, are embraced and treated seriously and treated with respect, I think the Republican Party has a very good chance of picking up a substantial number of their votes,” Benton said.
He added: “On the flip side, if they’re treated I guess largely like they were in 2008, I think a lot of people are going to stay home, a lot of people are going to sit on their hands.”
Even though AE flopped their presidential nomination process
Maybe, maybe not…to early to tell.
Even though AE flopped their presidential nomination process, in many states they have made it easier for candidates to run as the AE nominee for positions from county board to US Senator. In many states, when a political party is petitioning for ballot access, their only choice is ballot access for all positions on the ballot. Expect many people to be running for positions ranging from county board to state legislature to governor and every office in between as the AE nominee.
51 p, yes, he did, wink, wink. And if Romney has an aneurysm, he’d really be a candidate as opposed to a maximizer of his effort.
The only problem with that idea is that despite his many positive points, Roemer has made his pious anti-PAC crusade his number-one issue. He’s not going to gain traction through a PAC super or otherwise.
Superpacs don’t coordinate with the candidate, so he can have his cake and eat it too.
He says he is still a candidate. I don’t see where you get the wink wink.
49 p, these are word games. He reveals his intent when he sez he wants to “maximize our effort” and to be a “significant influence” on the GOP.
But, OK, wink, wink, he’s still in the race….
linked from the front page of Ron Paul’s site, top story on the page
@17 & @19 – The only problem with that idea is that despite his many positive points, Roemer has made his pious anti-PAC crusade his number-one issue. He’s not going to gain traction through a PAC super or otherwise.
40 p: “Asked if this is a dropout, Paul’s campaign manager Jesse Benton said ‘Absolutely not! We are focusing our efforts squarely on winning delegates and party leadership positions at state conventions.”
me: Right. It’s not a “dropout,” but nor is it a continuation for a seeking of the nomination. Rather, it’s something else: winning more delegates and party leadership slots to have sway in the GOP. It’s a different animal.
Using my trusty Rockwell-o-meter, I don’t see anything over there that suggests RP is still in the hunt for the nomination.
45 – Hmmm. Maybe so.
As for Ron Paul it’s top story on his front page. What more does he need to do?
That’s like blaming Kahlil Byrd, rather than the AP hack, for claiming AE is giving up already based on the statement quoted in the article.
Come to think of it, it’s the same type of hacks who claimed at around the same time that Ron Paul withdrew.
Coincidence?
@1 Paulie:
“Gary Johnson potentially could, but his VP would have to be someone other than Gray, and fusion could be a problem.”
Given they’ve thrown the process to the board (and I expect they will announce on Thursday a new process to select a candidate/ticket), I would think they could also drop the different party requirement for President/VP.
If they go forward, I would not expect an announcement of a ticket until after Romney has the delegates to be assured of the RP nomination.
I don’t think it’s so much his supporters, as anyone – supportive or not – that trusts mainstream media sources or those that pass on what they hear/see/read there.
@40 because Republican Presidential candidates are chosen by delegates not by primary voters, going after delegates does not match the idea that Paul is withdrawing from his race. It sounds as though he has to work harder to communicate this to his supporters.
We’ll see if that changes within a couple of months.
Finally something everyone here can agree on 🙂
Paulie: “IMO too early to reach that conclusion.”
It’s just my prediction. I had no doubt they’d have the funds. I doubted that they’d have the candidate for their gimmick. So far, it’s been true. We’ll see if that changes within a couple of months.
Sounds a bit far fetched.
Probably a waste of time given who all is on the AE board. Plus it would kill him in the NSGOP.
http://www.ronpaul2012.com/2012/05/14/ron-paul-has-not-suspended-his-campaign/
“Asked if this is a dropout, Paul’s campaign manager Jesse Benton said ‘Absolutely not! We are focusing our efforts squarely on winning delegates and party leadership positions at state conventions.”
That’s bad propaganda. They will be running against the Republican nominees, so no, he can’t do both.
Then and only then does Bloomberg crawl out from under a rock and sink his battleship.
And at that point no going back to GOOP.
IMO too early to reach that conclusion.
Not terribly surprised by today’s announcement. Now AE gets to come out and say “you silly commoners are obviously too ignorant to understand our enlightened process and choose a candidate, so we’ll pick one for you.”
On a related note – I heard a rumor at the LP convention that John Huntsman might be coming out for Governor Johnson. I don’t want to make a big deal of it, such curious if anyone else has heard this. The person who repeated it to me was 1) in a position to know, but 2) in a position to overhear a snippet of conversation and misinterpret it.
Since Ron Paul has emailed his supporters that he is not contesting any more primaries but only going after delegates, I wish he would reconsider becoming an announced AE candidate. He has all but conceded the GOP nomination to Romney and he wants to have people favorable to his beliefs be able to take positions of authority within various state Republican parties. I think he can still do both since AE is supposedly non-partisan or bi-partisan or whatever. He is the only candidate close enough to the magic numbers to do it. All he has to do is give the word to the troops.
I’ve always thought that, despite the major resources being poured into this effort, it was going nowhere. It’s a gimmick. I don’t think it’s going anywhere in the future either.
WTF? AP screwed the pooch on that one up, down and sideways. Maybe they just slipped and fell and the pooch landed on their …
The pull quotes are obviously from the same Kahlil Byrd statement I quoted in the article above.
The misinterpretation that they are giving up searching for the candidate is based on exactly nothing in that statement.
#34- Despite the headline this is the same statement from AE as before. The article author seems to be making an assumption which even the article seems to contradict when it says they will hold convention in June.
AP – Americans elect says they will not run a presidential candidate in 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/third-party-group-gives-seeking-candidate-122125465.html
Maybe the conspiracy theorists were right and this was all just a backup plan in case Paul somehow took the GOP nomination. Otherwise it’s hard to believe that billionaire oligarchs could be so incompetent/ineffectual as to not put anyone up after all the time and money spent.
I’m a delegate too. So, I logged in to vote in today’s big round 1 caucus they been talkin about. Nothin doin…..as you know. .. .the least they could do is tell their delegates what’s up… very lame.
And…
http://aetransparency.blogspot.com/2012/05/for-first-time-admitting-failure-aecorp.html
Jim Cook fact checks Kahlil Byrd’s official statement quoted in this post (@0 as Phillies has deemed it):
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2012/05/15/americans-elect-fact-check-of-kahlil-byrds-may-15-statement/
The timing of this
https://independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/05/doug-schoen-at-fox-news-gary-johnson-could-catch-presidential-race-by-surprise/
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2011/10/06/confirmed-while-douglas-schoen-adopted-pose-of-discovering-americans-elect-he-was-working-for-it/
Lends credence to the hypothesis that AE could be looking to fire sale e.g. OK, perhaps NH.
Johnson would be the least broke guy at the auction in all likelihood.
However, that would be very poor ROI for them.
Given that they are experienced players in the investment world, something like this could perhaps mean more money recovered:
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2012/01/15/tail-wagging-the-dog-new-americans-elect-handbook-asks-presidential-campaigns-to-build-ae-mailing-list/
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2011/12/15/americans-elect-candidate-ejection-committee-chaired-by-fbi-cia-military-research-chiefs/
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2012/02/02/what-americans-elect-wants-from-you-what-americans-elect-will-tell-you/
All non-reciprocal, natch.
Independent Green
25 p: It’s no secret that Baldwin openly bought his place on the Virginia ballot. Nothing illegal about it at all.
me: News to me. Did he appear as a CP candidate in VA, or as something else (e.g., Independent Green)?
Ahhh, good thinking with the spam filter. Will have to check that out.
On the other hand you could be right.
It is possible that they have screwed up on a massive scale and will fire sale the ballot access and personal data they collected at a deep discount.
I guess we may know on Thursday.
And before that he endorsed Romney. Who’s to say he won’t change his mind again, and how many people will care all that much if he does?
I mentioned two Whitmans – eBay Meg of CA as well as Christine of NJ. They are among many possible dark horse candidates that fit the AE mold, only a few of which I mentioned. As for why none of these people have jumped in before now? Well, one possibility is that they were all hoping someone else will do it, but sooner or later one of them will decide they have to be the one to catch the hot potato.
Or not. But I think it’s still pretty likely that one of them will. In fact one or more of them may have already decided, and may just be waiting to put all their ducks in a row (or just trying to minimize the amount of time they will spend on the campaign trail…it’s pretty exhausting, after all).
Infrastructure and experienced people can be hired. Populist surge can be manufactured through a combination of massive paid advertising and attendant massive free media. The two tend to go hand in hand. Remember that Perot had to get on the ballot all over the country; they do not. If it was not for ballot access, there is no reason that Perot couldn’t have done what he did – or more – starting in June or July. After all, Perot dropped out in mid July and didn’t get back in until October 1. At that point he was down to 7%, yet he clawed his way back to 19%+ in just over a month.
Good point.
It’s no secret that Baldwin openly bought his place on the Virginia ballot. Nothing illegal about it at all.
Dunno. Any chance they have your email address wrong or that you are not checking the one they have for you? If not, any chance their emails are getting caught in your spam filter?
22 nf, no, that seems different to me. That would be a party doing what it needs to do to get on the ballot to appeal to voters. Selling an asset feels like a very different thing to me. But, again, I claim no expertise in such things….
paulie- When I sign into the website I have no problems and has me down as such (also has me currently down as for Roemer). Very weird I am not getting e-mails. Maybe some glitch?
Then paying petitioners might be illegal as well?
Gee, the idea of “buying” ballot access seems like it has to be illegal. Just my gut speaking here…
“Interesting scenario, particularly in regards to OK for the LP, but could the LP afford it? And could the CP afford those other states? ”
I guess unless and until there is a negotiation we won’t know.
I agree that a Roemer, under the right circumstances, could do respectably and set them up for the next round. That is what I mean by cutting their losses and why I think it is the only sensible thing to do at this point.
As for Huntsman he made it abundantly clear after that vague statement about a month ago that he has zero interest in making a 3rd Party run (I believe we had a back and forth about this at the time actually and he came out with a very clear statement shortly thereafter). The only one that you mentioned (besides Walker) who has any possibility is Whitman but my guess is if she had any interest her name would have surfaced already.
As far as “being too late” you are right about the technical ballot access issues (no small issue). However these people will look at the situation and feel they have no real infrastructure, no experience running a national campaign, and no populist surge (like Perot did) that could carry them through the summer and be set up going into the fall to wage any serious campaign.
NF
Interesting scenario, particularly in regards to OK for the LP, but could the LP afford it? And could the CP afford those other states?
Bruuno:
Are you absolutely sure you are a delegate, if so, how?
Why is it too late? Remember, they can change the dates and the rules any time they want. As far as I can tell they could find a candidate in June or even July and still qualify for every ballot. Too late into July would create problems with states that don’t allow substitution, but even then it is possible they could get legal relief. There’s only about 10-15 states left which are not already well on their way to ballot access, and no shortage of money to complete those.
Probably true. I rate it as very much an outside possibility.
I don’t think either one of them has ruled it out in any way they can’t back out of. Huntsman in particular was again hinting it may happen within the last month.
Not as things stand, but he has credentials and, at least according to one of my sources above, the likely financial backing of a Wall Street billionaire. That kind of money combined with a media blitz can propel him to game changer status, possibly very quickly.
And what about all the other possible candidates….Patraeus, Bayh, Lieberman, Olympia Snowe, Boren, Meg Whitman, Christine Whitman, and so on. Why wouldn’t one of them be tapped? Considering that many of them are known AE associates/supporters.
Maybe, maybe not. I think it is far too early to rule out a big AE run based on self-imposed citizen participation deadlines and thresholds that can be changed or junked at any time. The whole point of doing ballot access ahead of selecting the candidate was so that the candidate(s) would have time to decide.
Even if they cut losses I think they could probably manage to find someone – Buddy Roemer, or whoever – that could get 5% with the support of a wealthy or famous VP or superpac. That would get them matching funds for future elections and ballot retention in most states so they don’t have to petition next time, among other things.
But I would not rule out *anything* yet, including a candidate that could actually win. Late arrival does not preclude that in any way if serious money gets spent to create a big media and advertising blitz. There is plenty of time for that to happen.
I have been a delegate for many months. I have answered countless questions on the AE site. I have supported only those candidates that I could vote for which means I have not supported any of the announced candidates. I have received many emails asking for contributions and to spread the word about AE. Never has anyone asked my opinion about how to proceed. I realize that money talks but the facade about this being a people’s grassroots effort is so bogus that even the mainstream media hasn’t taken the bait. It will be interesting to see how this mess plays out. It would be nice to think that some alternative ticket could benefit from one or more of the difficult states on which they have already been certified. Perhaps the LP could buy the rights in OK and the CP could buy the rights in NC and even CA. The TX ballot drive is already in progress so unless there is a total shutdown that franchise might be available as well.
paulie- They are stuck with what they have. They are not going to get some white knight to come in and grab the nomination, it is far too late. (BTW please don’t fall for that Hillary storyline crap the media is always pushing, the last thing in the world she would do is run with AE). Huntsman has made it very clear he won’t run as has Bloomberg. Walker is not a game changer in any way shape or form. At this point it is all about cutting their losses.
I think there’s more to it than you can tell at this time. See my previous comments and links in the post. While I don’t know what they will end up doing I don’t think “ditch and get nothing out of it” or “turn it over to people they don’t control without a huge payoff AKA return on investment” are the correct answers.
I guess we’ll see soon enough.
#11- That’s interesting. Guess they just don’t like me.
Because from what I can tell they are ready to ditch anyway. If they have any interest at all in reforming the system then turn it over to people who will actually pursue this course and are in it for more than a vanity project. Got to do something with what they have. Simply tossing it into the garbage seems like a giant waste and a bigger humiliation (perhaps lessening the humiliation would be the argument to make here with these people in order to keep AE alive).
@bruuno #7
I too am an AE delegate. They have never stopped e-mailing me for money and a reminder of the first round of voting. I never sent money and I forgot about the first round of voting.
Interesting question.
Maybe she will.
Add her to the dark horse list.
The shadowy big money people spent big bucks to get on the ballot and buy some web and media presence. Why would they just turn it over for….what, exactly?
I find it very interesting paulie. Thanks for the posts. What is interesting is that I am a delegate and I haven’t gotten a single e-mail after the first day I signed up. I have little to no respect for the people at the top of AE, a bunch of people who are bitter they are no longer in the inner circles of power.
At this point, as I said last week I think, the best outcome would be to have Roemer be the nominee and start preparing for 2014 and 2016. Let those who are genuinely interested in reform take it over and get rid of the Lady de Rothschild types
Sorry for the filibuster.
I either find this way more interesting than other people here or the other people who find it interesting are all asleep or otherwise occupied.
Of possible relevance # BAN:
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/13/doug-schoen-suggests-gary-johnson-campaign-will-be-significant-this-year
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/13/lawrence-lessig-urges-u-s-voters-to-support-buddy-roemer-for-americans-elect-nomination/
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/10/oregon-says-americans-elect-is-now-ballot-qualified/ (that’s well above the 25 states in the estimate quoted above, plus several additional ones are finished but not yet certified, and given how much overkill AE goes for I expect all of those to make it).
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/05/americans-elect-has-enough-valid-signatures-in-maryland/
http://www.ballot-access.org/2012/05/01/south-carolina-says-americans-elect-petition-is-valid/
http://aetransparency.blogspot.com/2012/05/this-weaks-voting-at-americans-elect.html
for embedded links see original
From
http://aetransparency.blogspot.com/2012/05/with-failures-rapidly-mounting-what-is.html
See above for why I don’t think it could be Ron Paul.
Walker seems more plausible.
http://www.uncoveredpolitics.com/2012/05/15/failing-to-find-a-candidate-americans-elect-will-make-major-announcement-on-thursday/
https://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/rules_committee_motion_about_top_six_declared_candidates
It appears some of the people supporting this are AE leaders and per Jim Cook at IRT ” put out by people with “some money,” as he points out — that directs people to this page
[…]
Of the first people signing, I am aware that William Kelleher at least has been part of the Americans Elect public relations “rapid response” team. William Cerf is a named David Walker supporter on draftwalker.com. I don’t know who the other people are.”
If I understand the motion correctly, it would mean the following candidates would be selected to advance, provided none of the draft candidates accept the draft and no candidate experiences a massive surge of support by the time it is adopted:
Buddy Roemer
Rocky Anderson
Michealene Risley
Laurence Kotlikoff
TJ O’Hara
Mike Ballantine
The following leading draft candidates may plausibly become declared candidates and change the game:
Huntsman
Bloomberg
Walker
Ron Paul obviously could as well. However, it would mess up his GOP convention plans, so I don’t rate that as very plausible.
Gary Johnson potentially could, but his VP would have to be someone other than Gray, and fusion could be a problem.
I don’t think Sanders, Obama (obviously), Kucinich or Elizabeth Warren, Nader or Howard Dean would be interested.
Hillary Clinton being interested seems like a long shot, but could be interesting.
Dark horse candidates?
Olympia Snowe?
Joe Lieberman?
Meg Whitman?
Donald Trump?
Patraeus?