I’m tempted to simply mock Americans Elect as another stupid Friedmanesque effort to pretend that what the country needs is for the right and left to pretend that they don’t have irreconcilable differences. But I now realize that they’ve already gained ballot access in twelve states and that they will probably succeed in gaining ballot access in most, if not all, of the other states. Even if their ticket only gets 1% of the vote, that can be enough to change the outcome in some of our more evenly divided states. I think we need to start thinking about some minutiae. In somewhat breaking news, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has told his supporters that he is dropping out of the Republican race and will seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party. Gov. Johnson has a lot of the same appeal as Rep. Ron Paul, and he could become a magnet for Paul’s supporters if he winds up on Libertarian ballot line. We’ll probably also see a Green Party candidate who will leech votes from Obama. And then there will be a couple of other right-leaning parties on most ballots, including the Constitution Party.
In any case, in a close election, any ticket that can attract any percentage of votes has the potential to change history. So, how will Americans Elect select its ticket? The answer is that they will have an internet poll. Before the vote, though, they will have a vetting process.
Each proposed candidate must be certified by the group’s Candidate Certification Committee as capable of performing the duties of office. According to the bylaws, this is done using criteria of demonstrated achievements (developed by the committee) that are based on qualifications of past presidents and vice presidents. The members of the Candidate Certification Committee are appointed by the Board of Directors.
A decision of the Candidate Certification Committee can be nullified by a two-thirds vote of all registered delegates. Other than that, the bylaws do not provide any mechanism for direct or indirect representation of members or delegates in the certification of proposed candidates.
AE’s rules say any nominee must be “considered someone of similar stature to our previous presidents.”
So, presumably, you have to be at least as accomplished as Geraldine Ferraro, Dan Quayle, and Sarah Palin in order to have a chance to win the internet poll. What happens then?
When a candidate chooses a running mate, they must choose someone from a party different from their own…
…The organization intends to narrow down its field of candidates in April 2012, after which the remaining six candidates must choose their running mates. Then, in June 2012, Americans Elect will choose its final candidate through an internet based convention, a process open to all voters, regardless of party affiliation. The intent is to provide a more open nominating process, resulting in better choices during the election.
So, in April, six candidates will be announced. Those six candidates will then have to find running mates from some other party before the big online convention in June.
Now, it’s possible for a Democrat to pick a Green Party member or a Republican to pick a member of the Constitution Party, but that runs counter to the spirit of Americans Elect which wants to blur ideological differences.
This is a really easy way to get on the ballot for president all across the country without doing any legwork. It’s a quite attractive prize. So, who would want to pursue it? Can you think of six tickets?
You could have a left-leaning ticket of Russ Feingold and Lincoln Chafee. Or a right-leaning ticket of Pat Buchanan and Chuck Baldwin. Or, maybe, Evan Bayh could link up with Colin Powell.
I think the whole idea is moronic, but I suppose there will be six tickets to choose from.
Personally, I think CNN had it right when they teamed Eliot Spitzer with Kathleen Parker.
