As LPNY has no ballot status in NY, there would be no line for a NY-23 candidate without petitioning. The petition deadline was in August. Candidates must accept their line.

An endorsement without a line is meaningless.

ALBANY, N.Y. – In a Republican Party struggling to find its identity, the surprise withdrawal of the chosen GOP candidate for a New York congressional race — forced by a rising conservative upstart — renews a lingering national debate: Are moderates welcome in today’s Grand Old Party?

The question became even more relevant Sunday when the ex-candidate, state Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, threw her support behind the Democrat in the race rather than the Conservative Party candidate favored by fellow Republicans.

The GOP leadership insisted on Sunday political TV talk shows the party is strong and inclusive while Democrats described a Republican party out of touch with the people.

“We accept moderates in our party, and we want moderates in our party. We cover a wide range of Americans,” said Republican House Leader John Boehner in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

But in New York’s rural 23rd Congressional District, the message was clear early: Scozzafava was too moderate; some even used the dreaded “L” word

Several years ago, the Connecticut for Lieberman Party re-elected Joe Lieberman, who ran against a Republican and the Democrat who had beaten Lieberman in the primary. National Democrats who supported Lieberman to victory have been paying the price ever since.

On this election, note that Gingrich supported the real Republican. Note also that the Republican, having withdrawn, is endorsing the Democrat rather than endorsing the conservative.

Reason Magazine interview with Alaska State Rep. Andre Marrou 1986 (sorry don’t know which exact month).

Fmr. State Rep. Leon Drolet, Michigan (for Steve Dresch.) Leon is now Chair of the Michigan Taxpayer’s Alliance, and very easily gotten a hold of.

About 2 1/2 years ago I was petitioning in Dallas, Texas on some local property rights issues. I was petitioning in front of a Wal-mart in Irving, working for Charlie Chavez out of Denver.

Charlie had worked hard for me to secure the location. And boy was it good. I was getting 350 to 400 signatures a day.

I was making more money than I’d ever made as a petitioner, save a Paul Jacob-backed drive in St. Louis one week.

I was pulling maybe $600 – $700 a day.

Then I get this call from Richard Winger. Seems he’s hosting some sort of conference for Third Party advocates in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had heard that I was in Dallas, and wondered if I’d come up to speak to the group, given my reputation as the best political petitioner in the country.

I reluctantly agreed. And asked Charlie for the day off.

I had to rent a car, since my truck wasn’t in the best of shape.

Took off early in the morning. What I thought would be an easy 3 hour drive, ended up being closer to 5 hours.

So, I got to the location an hour early that Winger had given me directions too; A pizza joint on the outskirts of Tulsa in some small town.

I felt a little uneasy. But hey, this is where he told me to go.

I waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. The waitresses even started looking at me funny.

Finally I gave up. Not a soul showed up for the event.

I had to drive all the way back to Dallas, another 5 hours.

To recap: I lost a whole day’s petitioning maybe $700.00 since it was a Sunday. I lost the cost of the rentacar, about $50.00. And I lost gas money, maybe another $50.00.

I emailed Winger when I got back and asked him “what the fuck happened???”

He told me that they changed the location at the last minute to some hotel in the same friggin’ town, BUT NOBODY BOTHERED TO CALL ME UP!!

I lost some $800 due to Richard Winger, the so-called “Nation’s #1 Ballot Access Expert.”

And you wonder why I’m so vitriolic towards him?

But what the hell. I’ll do it anyway:

Firstly Richie Boy, Vallaincourt IS STILL IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE LEGISATURE TIL THIS VERY DAY!!!

He was describes as an ELECTED LIBERTARIAN on a number of websites last year, serving in the NH House. But he Caucuses with the Republican Party. I had him on my Blog Talk Radio show and asked him about this very thing. He was a bit cagey, but admitted that he was both a Libertarian AND a Republican.

And funny how Richie avoids any mention of Jim McClarin who served for a breif period in 1998 in the NH Legislature.

Also, no comment from Richie on Stephen Dresch, the only Libertarian to ever serve in the Michigan House of Reps. (Dresch was the only sitting legislator to publicly endorse Andre Marrou for President in 1992, then switched to Libertarian for the final 6 months of his term.)
Dresch most certainly caucused with the MI GOP.

I’ve met Randolph’s daughter who is an adjunct prof. at the Univ. of Alaska. I’ve never met him personally. But from what I understand he voted with the Republican Party while in the Alaska House 9 out of 10 times. As Richie well knows, Randolph went back and forth from the GOP and the LP numerous times in the 1980s.

I’ve met Fanning. He was appointed as a State Senator for one term in the late 1980s, while still being an LP member. He told Ron Paul and I in his offices that he was both a Libertarian Party member and a Republican.

Boy, you just sparked another memory. Vic Kohring, Rep. from Wasilla. Was a big supporter of Harry Browne. I met Vic on numerous occasions. Ditto for Vic. He was both a Libertarian Party member and served in the Alaska House as a Republican.

Geez, I could go on and on and on. But you get the picture.

Little Richie Winger, the guy who has a tendency to give people he invites to conferences wrong directions and even wrong information on the events location, gets it wrong on all counts.

The ALP’s Vito Marcantonio, who frequently dug deep into his own pockets to help some of his impoverished constituents, was soundly defeated in 1950 when the Democratic, Republican and Liberal parties ganged up on him behind the fusion candidacy of James G. Donovan, a Harvard-educated lawyer whose massive campaign war chest was amply financed by Wall Street.

Arguably the most left-wing member of Congress in American history and the only congressman to vote against the Korean War, the 51-year-old Marcantonio died of a heart attack while seeking to regain his congressional seat as an independent in 1954.