independentsforkerry.org

Constitution Party News via TPID:

Tom Tancredo’s American Constitution candidacy in Colorado won 620,632 votes. This total is far and away the top votal total for any candidate outside the Democrat or Republican Party. It appeared near the end that he might win the race. His total percentage nearly doubled his poll numbers when he entered the race. His race assured the American Constitution Party of Colorado major party status in that state. He received more than three times as many votes as his Republican opponent.

Receiving the second highest vote total of all of the “alternative party” candidates for Governor across the country was Chelene Nightingale in California. Nightingale, the Constitution Party endorsed American Independent nominee attracted, according to the California Secretary of State, 133,716 votes, or 1.7% of the total vote for the six candidates for Governor (the California results for Governor are amazingly still incomplete). To put this result in some perspective, Chelene won more than twice as many votes than the AIP nominee for Governor received four years ago, in 2006. She also, obviously, ran ahead of all of the other “alternative party” in California in this election. In recent years AIP candidates had generally placed well back in the crowd, or dead last, in Gubernatorial contests in California.

Note from Paulie: The full article from which this was taken has already been discussed on IPR at Constitution Party 2010 Election Highlights; this one just focuses on one aspect of the results.

Independent Political Report

Disturbing Revelations Reveal Lack of Conviction and Leadership Ability

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam confuses Tennessee voters about his stance on gun rights, claiming one day everyone should go armed anywhere and then the next day restrictions should exist on some of us.

“Evidently it depends on where he is and how hard the wind is blowing,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said of Haslam’s flip-flop on gun rights. “The man is about as firm on an issue as a limp noodle. This is not the kind of leadership Tennessee needs right now.

“Bill Haslam needs to sit down and explain himself to voters. Why would someone who has never owned a gun leave Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-gun group and join the National Rifle Association? Why does Mr. Haslam constantly contradict his own statements regarding guns in schools, businesses and bars?”

Over the past week, Bill Haslam has reversed, revised and recanted statements about gun rights in a shameful attempt to appease an extreme view. In addition to his statement indicating he would sign legislation eliminating a system that prevents guns from ending up in the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable, Haslam has continued to jump from one side of the fence to the other on firearm issues.

Guns in Schools
On Monday, October 25, Haslam joined fellow wingnut state Rep. Stacey Campfield in supporting allowing anyone to carry guns into classrooms across the state. Not only did Haslam indicate he views drinking establishments and educational institutions to be one in the same, he also reversed previous statements he made regarding the issue:

Haslam: “It’s like a bar. The bar owner should be able to decide what happens there. The schools—local school boards should be able to decide. Whoever has control over that property should be able to decide what happens there.”

When the news reporter informed the clueless Haslam the ban on guns in schools was a state law and not a local issue, he did an about-face and contradicted himself:

Q: Currently, there’s a state ban on guns in public schools? So you want to do away with the state ban?
Haslam: “No, I wouldn’t. I would not touch that ban on any kind of gun ban in schools.”

Guns at Work
On Monday, October 25, Haslam contradicted his previous stances on guns at work when speaking to news reporters at a campaign stop in Springfield.

Haslam: “Employers should have the decision about what happens in, on their property.”
Once again he contradicted a statement he gave to the Tennessee Newspaper Network earlier this year:

Haslam: “I support allowing a legal carrier to keep a gun locked up inside his or her own car while at work.”

After Haslam’s misfire, his campaign scrambled to cover his tracks and issued a statement claiming its candidate had “misheard” the reporter’s question.

However, it was later revealed that the Haslam family owned Pilot bans employees from bringing guns onto company property, whether they have a handgun permit or not.

“These reversals by Haslam reveal a lack of conviction and a surplus of ignorance regarding the issues facing Tennessee,” Forrester said. “Bill Haslam’s inability to take a stand indicates he doesn’t understand the issues or is simply saying whatever voters want to hear. Either way, it’s clear he’s unfit to lead this state.”

TN Democratic Party News

Illinois Green Party candidate for Governor Rich Whitney led all Green Party gubernatorial candidates in 2010 in total votes and percentage of the total vote, with 99,625 votes, 2.70% of the vote.
Only three times in history have Green Party gubernatorial candidates exceeded 10% of the vote. The first was in 1994, when Roberto Mondragon, who [...]
Green Party Watch