Cape Politics

Bloomberg-Petraeus or Franken-Huntsman in 2012?

   There will be a third-party choice for you in November 2012

    You can help pick the third party candidate, and these are the leading candidates as of today. Above are four of the current choices - Bernie Saunders, Ron Paul, Al Franken and Jon Huntsman.

It  may be anyone in America including the nominee of the present parties

By Walter Brooks

“I think what is clear is they’ll be on the ballot in most of these states, and it’s going to be something we have to deal with.” - Jim Messina, President Obama’s campaign manager.In case you are unhappy with President Obama's performance and disgusted with the Republican circus act during the recent debates, the NY Times reports that on November 6, 2012, because of the nationwide effort of a group called Americans Elect (AE), some lucky independent candidate will have the chance to enter the race and will be on the ballot in all fifty states.

The Times writes that this threat has begun to dawn on the Democratic and Republican establishments. With leading contenders for the AE nomination as far apart politically as Bernie Saunder (I-VT) and Ron Paul (R-TX), it's bound to be an especially silly season after the three party conventions next summer.

Not "if", but "when"

Imagine the consternation as a popular, third-party choice appears on the ballot in every state after playing the role of national gadfly and potential spoiler for one party or the other all next summer.

The process is such that if the Republican primary voters reject someone like Jon Huntsman, he might then appear on the Americans Elect ballot anyway. Imagine how that would split the Republican vote in November.

"My choice early in life was either to be a piano-player in a whorehouse or a politician.
And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference."
      - President Harry Truman.Then remember how George W. Bush became President by 537 votes in Florida where  Ralph Nader was on the ballot taking votes away from Al Gore, and Nader was on the ballot in only 44 states.

However, since the group's format will really let anyone vote on the candidate to appear on this third party ballot nationwide, the AE candidate could also be Obama or the Republican Party choice whomever that may be.

It could also be someone you've never heard of like Kristen Gillibrand, Tammy Baldwin, Karen Bass or the loquacious Barney Frank, all of who are running near the top of the AE pack at present.

See the Americans Elect leading candidates and add you input to the nomination procession.

Some of the 52 possible nominees will amaze you since they run the gamut from Barack "We Can't" Obama and Mitt "Have I got a health plan for you" Romney to Herman "I am suspending my campaign to spend more time with your wife" Cain and Don "Bridge to nowhere" Allen.

See the Times article here.

Barney will not go quietly, trashes Gingrich

Frank trashes Gingrich, Newt bites Barney back

You didn't really think that by retiring Representative Barney Frank would "go gentle  into that good night", did you? Wareham voters will really miss this Congressional curmudgeon.

At least we'll have Barney and Newt around until the next election in November 2012.On the ABC news program "This Week" he weighed in (again) on Presidential candidate and former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich saying, “As I look at the Republican debate, I have been casting ‘The Wizard of Oz.’  Newt is the Wizard of Oz. There’s nothing there."

The former speaker's PR flack fired back with, “Grumpy is no way to spend your retirement.’’

Newt warns of "Black xenophobia"

Not to be outdone by a mere politician, the New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd, eviscerated Gingrich in her study of his rather reactionary racial ideas. Her column uses phrases like "His mind is a jumble, an amateurish mess lacking impulse control. He plays air guitar with ideas, producing air ideas. He ejaculates concepts, notions and theories that are as inconsistent as his behavior."

Read the Boston Globe here.

Read the New York Times here.