APNewsBreak: Suit may stop SC presidential primary

AP News ^ | 18 Oct 2011 | JIM DAVENPORT

[mandaladon]

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina lacks the authority to conduct a 2012 presidential primary, according to a lawsuit filed by four counties at the state Supreme Court.

The counties, in a case filed Monday, argue a 2008 primary law doesn't apply to running a 2012 primary. They argue the state Election Commission lacks the authority to conduct the primary and enter a contract with the state Republican Party to pay for it. And they say the commission can't require counties to cover expenses for the GOP primary.

The counties said they "are on the precipice of having to expend precious public funds to conduct what is wholly a private function on behalf of a private political party."

The lawsuit names the state Election Commission and the state Republican and Democratic parties.

State GOP Executive Director Matt Moore said the primary is part of the state's law. "It's clearly written in this year's budget law that the state should be involved with the 2012 primary so any claim otherwise is wrong," Moore said. He said the primary is an important public function, not a private operation.

The litigation was filed hours after a meeting between county voting officials and the state Election Commission and caps weeks of arguments about counties getting stuck with the tab for putting on the primary.

The Supreme Court has not decided to hear the case. If it did, and ruled in the counties' favor, legislators could be forced to come into session to pass a special primary law as deadlines loom for the Jan. 21 contest. The state has to have names to put on the ballot by Nov. 1 and it has to have overseas absentee ballots in the mail by Dec. 7.

[BagCamAddict]

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

[caper gal 1]

Here’s your answer. The GOP fix for Romney is in. Terrified of Cain’s numbers. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/sc/south_carolina_republican_presidential_primary-1590.html

[rogue yam]

What the heck is going on here?

I smell a well-coiffed, plastic-smiled rat.

[FoxInSocks]

“has not decided to” versus “has decided not to”

:-)

[Rocky]

Who’s behind it? Rats or Rinos?

[Fred]

http://www.999calculator.net/

[matthew fuller]

" I agree. The parties should each hold and fund their own primary with their own members only. "

AND at the time of their choosing. Reddest States first, no crossovers.

[Antoninus]

Who’s behind it? Rats or Rinos?

Both. There's no difference.

[American Constitutionalist]

* “Somewhere, hidden from all of us, are panicked Establishment Republicans.” *

" Right on the money. This has their finger prints all over it. If they can get enough of the Thurston Howell/Karl Rove votes before the southern primaries, they and the complicit media can declare Mittens the winner before it begins. I never thought I would see the day when the party I’ve been loyal to, held my nose and voted for, would stoop to the level of Democrats. Not to mention the all out assault they have waged on FR the last couple of weeks.
Aside from abortion, taxes, and immigration have been the driving positions we wanted from a candidate, and the only candidate even addressing these issues in this election is being attacked, not by others with better ideas, but by people arguing that we shouldn’t do anything about them. For me that certainly exposes their agenda. It’s no wonder we got McLame last time. "

" I have a serious question. I was going to write a vanity post about it, but I figured I’d get flamed because I’m sure it’s been brought up before, but here goes: If the Republican establishment sabotages us bad enough, and the Democrats wreak enough havoc on our primary process to give us Mitens against the popular will of the Conservative voters, can the delegates walk into the convention and change the presumed nominee. Isn’t it the delegates vote that counts in the end? It would be great fun watching liberal heads explode right there on live TV. "

The Repuklican estab ( as in a stab in your back ) lishment are doing the same thing with Rove to Herman Cain as they trashed Christine O'Donnell. where ? she won the primary in Delaware and had to shut her down when she became a threat to them, so the same as what they are doing to Herman Cain.
Now that it looks that Herman Cain could be the one who could possible to win the nomination, they have to shut him down with lies and attacks.

[JDW11235]

“The Supreme Court has not decided to hear the case”. Hey Friend, you need to read this three times like I needed too. The Court has not decided, to or not to, hear the case. This was written to fool the reader, or just a piss pour AP writer. ;0)”

+1, I also had to read it three times. But came to the same final conclusion. Could have been fixed with 4 words: “yet,” “whether,” “or” and “not.”

“The Supreme Court has not [yet] decided [whether or not] to hear the case.”

[Liberty Valance]

[Liberty Valance]

Go Rangers!

Occupy the Hamptons!

[Nextrush]

The next step in the Romney GOP Establishent attempt to railroad his nomination would be to move New Hampshire’s primary into December so they could get a Romney win as momentum going into Iowa on January 3rd and Nevada (where Romney stands a chance with Mormon support) on January 14th.

Hopefully they could extinguish oppposition before Florida hits on January 31st.

South Carolina on January 21st could complicate matters.

[Nextrush]

When one gets into the guts of delegate selection for the GOP convention, over 500 delegates are party officials or elected officals like Senators and such. They are locked into unelected slots from their respective states.

Heck, 90 percent of them must be Romney supporters so he starts the whole process with a big jump.

The GOP (Republican National Committee) has decreed that early contests are proportional in delegate allocation and is allowing later contests in places like Connecticut and New York (RINOland) to be winner take all.

I don’t have a link handy, but search “Green Papers” and you will find a site that details the process in each party for primaries, cacucuses and delegate selection etc.

[Rapscallion]

Watch this. They are right.

[Happy Rain]

I know our Supremes—they are laughing their robes off at this silly lawsuit.

Somebody trying to make news.

[Tonytitan]

Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed plans in the budget to use taxpayer money for the primary.

Does the governor of South Carolina have line item veto authority? If she doesn't then this AP writer is a real airhead.

[jmaroneps37]

This smells of Willard.

[Scythian]

What the heck is going on here?

Just liberals trying to save Obama is all, even if that means no 2012 elections ...

[Scythian]

I agree with the others, Cain is leading big time there and the GOP is trying to stop it to get their man Romney in ...