Who stole your congressional seat? Smokescreen gets in your eyes.

The Daily Caller ^ | 2/5/13 | David Ottenwess

[FrdmLvr]

You’ve been the victim of unprecedented public corruption: Former U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter’s 2012 nominating petitions were sabotaged to knock him off the ballot and steal a congressional seat from you, the American people.

In order to get on a congressional primary ballot in Michigan, a candidate needs to submit at least 1,000 valid petition signatures. Last spring, Michigan’s secretary of state discovered that more than 85% of the McCotter campaign’s 2,000 signatures were fraudulent and/or invalid. The scandal kept McCotter off his district’s GOP primary ballot; he resigned from Congress a few months later.

Yet, after a Michigan attorney general’s investigation that didn’t produce a motive, a credible timeline, or blame (let alone charges) for nearly two-thirds of the fraudulent signatures, the saboteurs who “cut and pasted,” duplicated, and forged these easily obtained petitions still have not been brought to justice for their public corruption. Why?

[FrdmLvr]

This is part 1.

[fieldmarshaldj]

This piece tries to discern what happened with Thaddeus McCotter’s campaign.

[Paladin2]

McCotter was not all that strong of a conservative.

He didn't stand up against the GOPe House leadership.

[BlueDragon]

the story is whack, as a hired off the street signature gatherer might say.

Speaking of signature gatherers...why all the goofy questions this alleged attorney David Ottenwess asks while overlooking mention of who had oversight over the signature gatherer/petition manager? Why didn't the candidate look after his own interests?

2000 signatures? If I was running for office, I do think I could collect that many personally, if I had to go door-to-door or hang out in front of grocery stores (like petition assemblers do in California, anyway...local laws may vary).

If this lawyer has been a long term adviser to the candidate, what, was he on vacation when the candidate was needing to qualify for the ballot?

There's something fishy about the article. Is it as simple as a lawyer trying to cover for his own incompetence? I'm not certain I can figure this one out, but the suggestions this lawyer makes...I dunno. Goofy. Crazy sounding. If one is going to make crazy sounding accusations, then there better be some stronger basis for them than given. Is the lawyer/adviser himself a saboteur? He's making his look like a FOOL.

[Darren McCarty]

Four people charged all plead guilty. I’m not sold on this piece by someone obviously biased to protect his advisee.

[Redmen4ever]

It isn’t that unusual for Republicans to come up short petition-wise, when they have to come up with real numbers. Think about Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich in Virginia. When their sig’s were actually examined (because of an unrelated court case, prior to last year they would have simply been accepted), they were off the ballot. Only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney remained. With his near complete sweep of delegates from Virginia, and similar advantage in many districts in other states (since Santorum didn’t have boots on the ground early during the process), Romney’s nomination became inevitable. With regard to where was McCotter, during the Michigan petitioning period, I believe he was running for President. With his attention elsewhere, he must have farmed out petitioning, didn’t hire anybody with actual experience, and got what he paid for.

[Redmen4ever]

It isn’t that unusual for Republicans to come up short petition-wise, when they have to come up with real numbers. Think about Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich in Virginia. When their sig’s were actually examined (because of an unrelated court case, prior to last year they would have simply been accepted), they were off the ballot. Only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney remained. With his near complete sweep of delegates from Virginia, and similar advantage in many districts in other states (since Santorum didn’t have boots on the ground early during the process), Romney’s nomination became inevitable. With regard to where was McCotter, during the Michigan petitioning period, I believe he was running for President. With his attention elsewhere, he must have farmed out petitioning, didn’t hire anybody with actual experience, and got what he paid for.

[iopscusa]

Maybe McCotter was just bored with the Congressional gig? He seemed to like to play music and puff on a blunt???

[iowamark]

An incumbent Congressman should be able to get a thousand signatures with ease. However, no member collects his own signatures. He has staff to do that. Thad trusted the wrong people.

[TexasFreeper2009]

I will believe to the day I die that Romney was directly responsible for keeping many of the others off the ballot in multiple states.

Conservatives had to be stopped at all costs, so Romney could throw the election to Obama.