Buddy Roemer blasts both parties as 'joined at the billfold,' launches independent bid

WASHINGTON -- Blasting the two major parties as "joined at the billfold," former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer announced Thursday that he is abandoning his bid for the Republican nomination for an independent candidacy for president.

"Last night the Republicans held their 23rd television debate. I have not been invited to a single one," said Roemer. "I am the only candidate who has been shut out by the Republican Party. Well, we're on a mission to take this country back from the powerful special interests. We are prepared to challenge both parties. Both parties are joined at the bill fold, they are just alike, they are addicted to money."

Roemer's 25-minute address was broadcast live on-line from the Santa Monica headquarters of Yowie, an Internet chat site. More than 4,300 people were on-line watching and listening to Roemer.

"We're dropping out of the Republican Party we have been a proud member for 21 years and we're becoming an independent," said Roemer. "We will pursue the Americans Elect unity ticket over the next several months." In addition to seeking the nomination of Americans Elect, a non-profit organization that is gaining ballot access in all 50 states for a ticket to be nominated on-line, Roemer also will be pursuing the nomination of the Reform Party, originally founded by Ross Perot, a move that will enable him to continue to accumulate federal matching monies.

I think that about 2/3 of Reform Party members are liberal, so Roemer’s campaign might help the republican nominee.

I agree the majority of whoever the hell is left is in that party are not conservatives. But how many phone booths could they fill? Since the infighting over Pat Buchanan and the abandonment of them by Jesse Ventura they've been little more than a shell. In 2004 they backed Nader and got him only 7 ballot lines. In 2008 their unknown nominee Ted Weill who had backed John Hagelin (a quasi-leftist kook I think) in 2000 and Nader in 2004 was only on the ballot in one state, Mississippi, where he got 481 votes or 0.04%. They don't seem to have ballot access anymore, they'd have to fight to get it back and if they are indeed rather liberal, why nominate Roemer?

So he may not be on any ballots, I think these these Americans Elect People have been successful at that but he might not get their nomination. If he does get on any ballots on the Reform party line I think any votes he gets will come from supporters of his campaign (mostly conservatives who would vote GOP or Constitution party or stay home if he's not on the ballot) more than anyone with alleignce to the Reform party label who may vote for Obama otherwise, I bet the latter group makes the former seem large in comparison. The Reform party looks all but dead to me.

Any way you slice it I think Roemer will have zero impact on November. Virgil Goode and Gary Johnson are much bigger threats though I'm hopeful they won't come close to making the difference despite being former high elected officials. Bob Barr didn't do very well in 2008 for the Libertarians but he helped Obama win NC and IN with less than 50%.

In 1976, when Ford ran, two conservatives, the American Independent Party and Libertarian candidates got enough votes to help Carter win.

And Liberal Eugene McCarthy got way more votes than both of them combined, almost enough to help Ford win, he cost Carter Oregon, Maine, Iowa and Oklahoma (provided enough of his voters wouldn't have stayed home rather than vote for Carter). Though of course with knowledge of what came next it's a good thing Ford lost , a RINO President with a 60% democrat Congress in 1977 would have meant no Reagan with a GOP Senate and approachable House in 1981.

I was probably incorrect, when I said that Gov. Roemer can’t run, in Illinois, because of the “sore loser” law, according to an employee, of the IL Board of Elections.

IL law 10 ILCS 5/10-2 states, “….A candidate for whom a nomination paper has been filed as a partisan candidate at a primary election, and who is defeated for his or her nomination at the primary election, is ineligible for nomination as a candidate of a new political party for election in that general election.
(Source: P.A. 86-875.)”

President is a little different, in that they are not actually nominated until the convention (after the filing period for new party candidates). I’m not sure by “losing” IL that law would “kick-in” or not. Anything could be objectionable, when someone files for office. Gathering over 25,000 signatures is a monumental task for candidates.”

Since Buddy Roemer is no longer seeking the Republican nomination for President, I've removed his name from the list of the 2012 Republican candidates for President in Worth Twp. (Rick Perry is also on the IL ballot but doesn't appear on list of candidates for the same reason)

In IL's 3rd Congressional district, Rich Grabowski did a little research and discovered his "Republican" primary opponent, Jim Falvey, pulled a DEMOCRAT primary ballot in 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2008. This means Rich is the only genuine Repulican running against Lipinski. Falvey is a closet Democrat, and Art Jones is a neo-NAZI nut and holocaust denier who hangs out with Cindy Sheehan.

http://www.worthgop.org/candidates.aspx

I've endorsed Santorum for President, I hope Phil will consider supporting Santorum as well now that Roemer has dropped out.

Other Illinois conservatives that have endorsed Santorum include Eric & Jennifer Wallace, Gina Danaher, Karen Hayes, Sandra Czyznikiewicz, David E. Smith, Rich & Jacqueline Grabowski, Carrie Miller, Ed Southwell, Penny Pullen, Joe Hedrick, Charlene Foss-Eggeman, Lisa Smith, Tony Raymond, Bonnie & Jim Quirke, Dan Sugrue, Sharee & Michael Lagenstein, Al & Kathy Salvi,Sheila Devall,Pamela Snow, Irene Napier, Terry Hunt, Loren Heal, Chris Arndt, Jill Stanek, Earl Gough, Jon Zahm, and Liz Eilers.

I haven’t decided whom I hope will win the republican nomination, but I hope that Rep. Paul will win the majority of the delegates, from the March primaries and caucuses, since he’s the candidate who has the fewest delegates. I hope that, when the Republican National Convention starts, no one will have the majority of the delegates. If that happens, the convention will be more suspenseful and exciting, causing more people to watch and hear the great republican ideas.

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