On the campaign trail, March 2012

Sunday, March 4, 2012 

The following is the fifth in a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2012 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after a brief mention of some of the month's biggest stories.

In this month's edition on the campaign trail,

Summary

President Barack Obama discusses alternative energy in March 2012.
Image: Daniel Borman.

• Romney wins Washington [1]
• Super Tuesday
• Santorum - Kansas [2]
• Santorum - Alabama/Mississippi, Romney - Hawaii
• Gas prices - Gingrich $2.50
• Sandra Fluke/War on Women
• Romney - Puerto Rico
• Romney - Illinois
• Jeb Bush
• Etch-a-Sketch
• Santorum - Louisiana [3]
• Obama - Medvedev
• Marco Rubio/George H.W. Bush/Paul Ryan endorsements

Party removes presidential nominee

The membership of the Boston Tea Party (BTP) removed Tiffany Briscoe as the party's presidential nominee after it was discovered that she misrepresented herself as a graduate and member of the Board of Trustees of Howard Community College. Briscoe is actually just a student at the school.

Following her nomination, Briscoe told Wikinews that she would "probably be able to appear on 14 to 15 states throughout the country." After the removal, she has yet to respond to inquiries about the future of her campaign. However, Wikinews was able to contact parliamentary activist and Libertarian Party presidential candidate James Ogle, who is listed on Briscoe's website as her running mate. As reported last month, Ogle won the Missouri Libertarian Party presidential primary. He says he is in the process of securing a spot for himself and Briscoe as a write-in ticket on the Texas general election ballot. Ogle plans to be the running mate for five other women candidates including comedienne Roseanne Barr of the Green Party.

As for the BTP, a new nominee is expected to be announced shortly.

The BTP was founded in 2006. According to its platform, it "supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose." In 2008, the party nominated boxing manager Charles Jay, who appeared on three state ballots and won a total of 2,422 votes.

Democratic Party strips delegates

The Democratic Party decided to remove the delegates Randall Terry won in Oklahoma due to his failure to file a delegate slate in time, and for not being a "bona-fide" Democratic presidential candidate. Terry qualified for delegates in Oklahoma after winning over 15 percent of the vote in the Oklahoma Democratic primary. Former Senate nominee Jim Rogers, who also qualified delegates in the primary, was stripped for similar reasons.

In a letter to Terry, the Oklahoma Democratic Party detailed its decision, describing a "bona-fide" presidential candidate as a "Democrat whose record of public service, accomplishment, public writings and/or public statements affirmatively demonstrates that he or she is faithful to the interests, welfare, and success of the Democratic Party of the United States and will participate in the Convention in good faith." It concludes that Terry did not fit this description because he was recently a member of the Republican Party.

At the March 24 Louisiana Primary, attorney John Wolfe, Jr. qualified for delegates by receiving over 15 percent in some congressional districts. It is not known at this time whether these delegates will be seated at the Democratic National Convention in August, or if he will be subject to the same fate as Rogers and Terry.

Wikinews contacted Wolfe and fellow Democratic Party candidates Bob Ely and Darcy Richardson to ask whether they were concerned the Democratic Party leadership would strip delegates from them if they qualified, or in Wolfe's case, when they qualified for delegates. All three candidates appeared on the Louisiana primary ballot and will appear on the Texas ballot in May. Only Ely and Richardson appeared with Terry on the Oklahoma ballot.

• John Wolfe, Jr.: "The rules are the rules, and like it or not, the delegates are mine. I am an attorney well schooled in many Constitutional Law issues and will make sure that the right thing is done. But, I expect that they will do the right thing and let me have the delegates I have earned. I understand that the good folks at the top of the Louisiana party were surprised at the insurgency ( what with a number of Cajuns howlin' for the Bayou Wolf), but even when there is an overwhelming incumbent in the Presidency, the duty of party officials is to remain neutral and enforce the wishes that the Democratic Primary voters have expressed through the ballot box. Anything else would be a travesty of justice, especially considering the incumbent's huge advantage in every respect."

• Bob Ely: "The system is stacked against interlopers. For example, the only thing on which there is complete agreement amongst both parties is that there is no need for a serious third party. So, concerned? Yes. Surprised? Not at all. Indeed, I would be surprised if Randall Terry were surprised."

• Darcy Richardson: "I'm not too worried about it. In the unlikely event that I win any delegates in the remaining Democratic primaries, my campaign — unlike those of single-issue interloper Randall Terry and the grossly incompetent Jim Rogers of Oklahoma — would file the necessary qualifying paperwork for my delegates within the time prescribed by party rules or statute. There's no reason either of them shouldn't have submitted the appropriate district delegate paperwork by Oklahoma's March 15th deadline. I have no reason to believe that I wouldn't be treated fairly by the Democratic Party. Moreover, I wholeheartedly agree with the DNC's contention that Randall Terry, a lifelong Republican, isn't a "bona-fide" candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's an embryo-obsessing publicity seeker and showboat who has publicly stated on more than one occasion that he intends to run as an independent candidate in several battleground states this autumn with the sole purpose of trying to siphon enough traditionally Democratic Catholic votes from President Obama to throw those states to whichever one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse happens to win the Republican nomination. From Mitt Romney, a pump-and-dump takeover financier to Ron Paul's failed Austrian economics and his call for a trillion dollars in spending cuts in the first year of his administration, it's a scary lot...each determined to impose draconian austerity measures on the 99% while securing even greater tax cuts for those at the top."

• 
  Randall Terry
  Image: Marc Nozell.
• Jim Rogers Image: Dcheagle.
  Jim Rogers
  Image: Dcheagle.
• 
  John Wolfe, Jr.
  Image: Marc Nozell.
• 
  Bob Ely
  Image: Bob Ely.
• 
  Darcy Richardson
  Image: Darcy Richardson.

• http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/03/rick_santorums_louisiana_prima.html
• http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/03/after_surprising_showing_in_lo.html

Might the GOP VP nominee come from Puerto Rico?

As Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney campaigned in Puerto Rico ahead of that territory's March 18 Republican presidential primary, Puerto Rican governor Luis Fortuño was often at his side. Fortuño had endorsed Romney for president in January, and has often received mention as a potential Vice Presidential nominee who can draw Hispanic support to the GOP. However, no one from outside the fifty states has ever been selected for such a position.

Fortuño, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, was elected governor in 2008 as the first Republican in the territory since 1969. As governor, he has slashed spending, cut regulations, and lower corporate and individual tax rates in an attempt to improve economic conditions. In 2010, Newsmax referred to his governorship as the "Puerto Rico Miracle", and labeled Fortuño a "Reaganite" whose "example should be followed in the United States". That same year, political analyst Larry Sabato proclaimed Fortuño, "a godsend to the GOP."

Last year, a Wall Street Journal editorial labeled Fortuño a "fine choice for Vice President," and GOP operative Roger Stone endorsed the idea, saying the selection of Fortuño would "bring charisma, star power and excitement to the campaign."

As the 2012 presidential race shifted to Puerto Rico in March, speculation heightened even further. Fortuño campaigned with Romney, leading such publications as Fox News, CNN, and Real Clear Politics to label Fortuño as a potential running mate. Fortuño did not comment much on the speculation, but said he backed Romney because he believed he would push for Puerto Rican statehood.

Romney won the contest and thanked Fortuño in his victory speech. He added, "I intend to become our nominee and I intend to get Latino voters to vote for a Republican." According to Fortuño himself, one way to do this would be to select a Hispanic running mate.

Political consultant Dan Judy agrees. He tells Wikinews, "I don't think there's any one silver bullet that will bring a majority Hispanic voters to the Republican side, but I think the selection of Governor Fortuno would help, particularly among Puerto Rican voters living on the mainland."

According to a Fox News poll from March, Romney receives only 18 percent of the Hispanic vote in a matchup with President Obama. According to Judy, Puerto Ricans vote Democratic at an even higher rate than other Hispanic nationalities. He concludes, "a Puerto Rican on the ticket would at least cause them to take a closer look at the GOP candidate."

However, Judy argues that there are questions about Fortuño's eligibility since Puerto Rico is not a state. Because of this, he says more attention is given to ......................

"In 1917, Congress provided, by statute that people born in Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States...while we have no case directly on point, it is probable that a person born in Puerto Rico is eligible to become President or Vice President." (Richard Rotunda)

• [4]
• [5]
• [6]
• [7]
• [8]

Related articles

• "U.S. Senator Marco Rubio endorses Mitt Romney for president" — Wikinews, March 30, 2012
• "Rick Santorum gains traction by winning Louisiana vote" — Wikinews, March 25, 2012
• "Former Florida governor Jeb Bush endorses Romney" — Wikinews, March 22, 2012
• "Super Tuesday 2012: President Obama loses a delegate to Randall Terry" — Wikinews, March 10, 2012
• "Super Tuesday 2012: Mitt Romney wins six of ten GOP contests" — Wikinews, March 8, 2012
• "On the campaign trail, February 2012" — Wikinews, March 3, 2012
• "On the campaign trail, December 2011" — Wikinews, January 1, 2012

Sources

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