Laws Are For The Little People
CNN's Political Unit posted that a federal judge has ordered Michigan to put U.S. Representative John Conyers back on the state's primary ballot:
State election officials had said the Democratic lawmaker had fallen short of requirements to make the ballot because two people collecting signatures for him were not registered voters, as required by state law.Conyers, 85, has served in Congress since the mid 1960s, and was planning to seek reelection as a write-in candidate, if his ballot appeal was denied.
It should have been denied. Laws should be laws and not turned into Spandex for some.
Yep, he has served so long that he most likely feels entitled to his job and thinks that election laws are just a minor inconvenience.
Charles at May 25, 2014 4:57 AM
No silly rule is going to keep a black incumbent off a ballot in the Age Of Obama.
dee nile at May 25, 2014 5:08 AM
Charles, well-put.
Amy Alkon at May 25, 2014 6:34 AM
Apparently the judge decided the violation wasn't so egregious that the entire effort had to be scrapped.
Regardless of the candidate I'd say this was a pretty reasonable decision.
Sad that we've let our government shore up the incumbents, though, because they're really sticking it to us.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at May 25, 2014 7:58 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/05/laws-are-for-th.html#comment-4679147">comment from Gog_Magog_Carpet_ReclaimersGog -- I think the law is silly, personally, but I also think a lesser-known, less connected candidate would have been made to abide by it.
Amy Alkon
at May 25, 2014 8:07 AM
Just call it the Lautenberg rule, after the former NJ Senator, who was added to ballot late when the previous incumbent was poised to lose.
Laws are not for the political class.
MarkD at May 25, 2014 8:51 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/05/laws-are-for-th.html#comment-4679276">comment from MarkDI'm so dismayed, disheartened, and distressed about how our country seems to be less and less of a democratic, law-ruled place. And in saying that, I'm not for the overlegislating that's taken place -- where we're all criminals (felons, even, per Harvey Silverglate) multiple times a day. But, some animals are, more and more, "more equal than others," to quote Orwell.
Amy Alkon
at May 25, 2014 8:56 AM
Regardless of the candidate I'd say this was a pretty reasonable decision.
Really? why? in that case, why bother with an election, just let the man stay in office until such time that he no longer wants it, or can no longer fulfill the duties. Then we can simply appoint his nearest living relative who wants the job.
Elections are expensive, you know?
As I recall, the first elected office that Obama won, he eliminated the incumbent because she failed to get sufficient number of signatures and had a judge strike her from the ballot.
I R A Darth Aggie at May 25, 2014 10:25 AM
Laws should be laws and not turned into Spandex for some.
Don't worry, Amy. They make up for it by applying the laws harder to anybody not a registered Democrat.
Unix-Jedi at May 26, 2014 7:33 AM
I recall Obama's opponent having his divorce record mysteriously unsealed. The fault is ours for tolerating scum.
MarkD at May 26, 2014 1:15 PM
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