Two questions - Kerry on NY Ballot and Sharpton Campaign Finances

[snoochie]

What's this about John Kerry not getting on the NY primary ballot and the party 'fixing' it for him. Is this true? How?

What's this about Al Sharpton's campaign being funded by the DNC? Is this true? WTF?

[lastknowngood]

1. Why not send email to the two campgains

and get their take.

[Renew Deal]

2. Kerry didn't have delegate slates in every CD.

I didn't here that it was fixed.

[girl gone mad]

4. "Secret political peace treaty..

hammered out by Democratic state chairman."

Kind of reads like a fix. Insiders know how to work the system like that, though.

[girl gone mad]

3. Here, for one.

Kerry, Dick short names on petitions

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
DAILY NEWS POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Dick Gephardt were allowed on the New York State primary ballot even though they did not file enough nominating signatures to qualify, officials said yesterday.
The candidates took advantage of a secret political peace treaty hammered out by Democratic state chairman Herman (Denny) Farrell in which they agreed not to challenge each other's petitions.

A Daily News review of the nominating paperwork determined the Gephardt and Kerry petitions were short, and the Kerry campaign conceded it lacked the proper number of signatures.

Kerry spokesman David DiMartino said, however, "We did not purposely file any petitions that did not have the required number of signatures."

Howard Dean's spokesman Eric Schmeltzer said, "These guys took the easy way out by falsely claiming they had signatures they didn't have. ... I think Sen. Kerry and Rep. Gephardt have some explaining to do."

To qualify for the ballot, candidates must file signatures of at least 5,000 party members, and collect signatures in each congressional district to place slates of delegates on the ballot who would go to the party convention.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/153468p-135093c.html

[SadEagle]

5. Regarding Kerry on NY.

First of all, there is one word to summarize New York's ballot access laws: insane. They require lots and lots of signatures to get on the ballot, and they must be done absolutely perfect -- i.e. it better not have a staple in the wrong place, or be improperly creased. That sort of thing. The usual thing that happens is that once everyone submits permissions, there is an insane amount of lawsuits as people try to throw away other people off the ballot/keep their own ballot spots. This year, the NY party arranged that there would be no such ugly stuff among Democratic presidential nominees. The problem is, Kerry's campaign did not turn in the proper number of signatures, while they claimed they did. But since no-one sued them, they're on the ballot. (Although I think w/o full delegate slates, which only Dean + Edwards have)

[THUNDER HANDS]

6. luckily for Kerry

He might have this thing wrapped up before it gets to my state. If he doesn't, I wonder if this story will pop up again.

[incapsulated]

7. What SadEagle said

The NYS ballot process is insane. They bleed you for signitures then wave you in if they want to. Lots of smoke-filled-backroom flashback stuff.

[mikehiggins]

8. When Ross Perot ran in NY his people had each individual

sign one petition all by his or her self. That way if there was something wrong with one part, the Perot campaign wouldn't lose a couple of dozen others along with it.

You need a brutal organization to do something like that but they did it and to spare. I think they submitted almost double the amount of petitions needed, and the state just threw up its hands and accepted them rather than go through them one at a time.

And the NY system is screwy, but it isn't insane. Its just another part of the incumbent-for-life program that has typified NY elections for as far as memory reaches.