Today:
Texas Evidence Revealed
Today at 3:57pm
From Barr's Deputy Campaign Manager Shane Cory:
Today, I'm sitting here in Atlanta nervously awaiting word from a trial that is taking place today to kick Bob Barr off of the ballot in the state of Pennsylvania.
Although we did everything correct to get on the ballot in Pennsylvania and compete in the election against John McCain and Barack Obama, an operative for John McCain, Victor Stabile, decided that he didn't "like to see anything taint that process."
. . .
While losing sleep over of the case filed against us in Pennsylvania, I've been on pins-and-needles waiting all week to hear the outcome of our case in West Virginia.
We are asking the West Virginia Secretary of State to count and accept the 23,000 signatures that we turned in several days past the early deadline of August 1st - nearly a month before the Republicans and Democrats would even officially nominate their candidates.
I can't fully express to you the frustration that I feel right now.
Let me explain.
Last night, I received a response from the Texas Secretary of State's office to my request for the certification papers submitted by the Texas Republicans and Democrats that would place Barack Obama, John McCain and their running mates on the ballot.
Their certification papers were due to the state on August 26th at 5 pm.
The law is explicit on the matter. The names of the candidates for president and vice president are due by the deadline.
After reviewing the documents, it is clear that both the Republican and Democrat presidential tickets missed the deadlines and, according to Texas state law, should not be on the ballot in Texas.
If you want to see for yourself and download the documents, click here.
Regardless of McCain and Obama's failure to meet the statutory deadline, the Texas Secretary of State seems poised to certify the ballot with their names on it. They've even updated their official candidate listing to include McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden after we first made this public (and John McCain announced Palin as his running mate).
While Republicans and Democrats look to easily slide by in Texas regardless of the law, in both West Virginia and Maine, we are facing an opposite set of circumstances.
I've told you about West Virginia but we are also going through this similar battle in the state of Maine.
In Maine, a contractor for the Libertarian Party was in the process of turning in signatures and we've been told that the Secretary of State actually sent a letter to town clerks instructing them not to accept the petitions during what historically has been a grace period beyond the early deadline.
It's no surprise to us that this is happening but it's still not easy to accept.
It's been clear that if you are running for office as a Republican or a Democrat, you are somehow above the law.
If you are a Libertarian or independent, you not only have to abide by the letter of the law but you have to be prepared when the law is twisted and turned to be used against you.
When I brought this up last week, I said that we would be taking a stand in Texas.
We're doing that and now I ask you to stand with us.
Last night, our campaign manager, Russell Verney, submitted a very clear letter to the Texas Secretary of State.
In the letter, Russ stated:
"The Democratic Party, and Mr. Obama and the Republican Party and Mr. McCain blatantly ignored the Texas statutory deadline.
"Therefore, the Libertarian candidate for president, Bob Barr, as represented by his principal campaign committee, Bob Barr 2008, demands that your office keep the names of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin off the Texas general election ballot.
"Failure of the Secretary of State to comply with Texas law will result in serious legal consequences."
In the event that the Secretary of State's office in Texas does not comply with its own law, we are prepared to file suit, however this battle will just be the beginning.
On top of the additional and large legal expenses that we are likely to incur, we are going to have to divert campaign resources to deal with the media that is just starting to carry this story . . . but not in a positive manner.
Here's the New York Times this morning painting Bob Barr as a troublemaker, interfering with the election and even the economy:
What would happen if Mr. Barr prevailed? It is very hard to see how Senator McCain could get 270 electoral votes without getting the 34 from Texas. Could we end up with a messier election than we had in 2000?
Would the Supreme Court again get to pick the man who will pick the court's members? Would all this thoroughly alarm foreign investors, whose sales could damage stock and bond prices while the fight was on?
No, it won't happen. At least we can hope it won't.
It is a matter of principle that we make this stand. It will not be easy and it may not be pleasant but it must be done.
Please join us today by supporting the Barr campaign with a donation of $50, $100, $25 or more by clicking here:
https://www.bobbarr2008.com/donate/?c=F20905I appreciate all that you do.
In Liberty,
Shane Cory
Deputy Campaign Manager
Bob Barr for President
P.S. We've added a new feature to our Web site called the Liberty List. When you make a donation you can choose to make your name, city and state public to show your support. You can also leave a comment for everyone to read. To appear on the Liberty List for September 5th, please donate today at
https://www.bobbarr2008.com/donate/?c=F20905
