Chicago Tribune: Obama Knows His Way Around A Ballot

[Dinger]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070403obama-ballot,0,1843097.story
" The day after New Year's 1996, operatives for Barack Obama filed into a barren hearing room of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

There they began the tedious process of challenging hundreds of signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Alice Palmer, the longtime progressive activist from the city's South Side. And they kept challenging petitions until every one of Obama's four Democratic primary rivals was forced off the ballot. . . . "

[anonymous171]

1. It's good to know that Obama can fight the good fight.

[billbuckhead]

3. Hillary's soulless opponent has been against small "d" democracy since the very beginning

Michigan and Florida Dems take note.

[anonymous171]

5. lol So says the supporter of Obama's DLC-democrat opponent.

[undeterred]

17. Hillary is the one who hates playing by the rules

and who lost her soul along the way.

[bigtree]

2. the unity candidate

edging out progressive candidates by challenging their credentials

[EFerrari]

25. The unity candidate fighting for his election.

We need MORE of that, not less.

[xultar]

4. If Hillary had done this we'd be hearing how evil she is for disenfranchising voters

Using KKKarl Rove tactics, GOP Lite, a Bitch...Monster, Republican, Racist...

[undeterred]

14. No, this is perfectly legal

But running for president does not involve gathering signatures on petitions.

[McCamy Taylor]

6. Sam Zell, owner of The Tribune Co. is a Republican who owes his soul to Bush FCC

It is in my journals. He has a case pending in court about keeping his new media empire together and if he is not nice to the Bush administration (which he has every reason to be since he is a known GOPer) he could lose a bunch of media properties.

The Tribune Co. is Fox for this election. I said that months ago.

[McCamy Taylor]

11. Oh and this is straight from the McCain play book, He said this would be his strategy.

So, why is it posted here?

[Orangepeel]

7. I like a candidate who fights for honest elections

His opponents shouldn't have tried to use bogus signatures.

[undeterred]

15. EXACTLY!

[PM7nj]

8. Article from April 3, 2007

We have all seen this already.

[Dinger]

9. I Didn't See It Till Today

I just thought maybe there were others like me.

[calicat]

10. Kick! n/t

[Dinger]

12. Thank You : ) (nt)

[undeterred]

13. Challenging signatures on nominating petitions

is not illegal or unethical- its done all the time. Its up to the candidate to make sure they have more signatures than they need so that they cannot be easily disqualified for something so simple. People have to live in the same district as the candidate. They cannot sign for more than one candidate. They cannot sign twice, and they cannot be fabricated.

[thevoiceofreason]

18. I had an acquaintance in Texas go to jail because of forging signatures

on a nomination petition. Caught red-handed -- idiot. Unfortunately, these things happen, and tere is nothing wrong with requiring folks to play by the rules.

[undeterred]

22. Its a lot more work than people think to get signatures

You need to go to a busy area where you won't get asked to leave! But don't even think about cheating because your opponent will challenge. And some people will sign everything so you really have to get a couple hundred extra. What Obama did was smart and nothing out of the ordinary.

[Zynx]

16. Wait...am I supposed to like this or not?

On a gut level I don't. It makes me feel as icky as the fact that Hillary left her name and no one else's on the ballot in Michigan.

[undeterred]

21. If you are running for Assembly and find out

that your opponent didn't bother to collect all the signatures- say he had someone make up the last 200 because he was short- you could challenge that and he would be disqualified as a candidate for making them up. Apparently thats what Obama did, and for that the Hillary people think he "has no soul" and is "against democracy".

Better to let your opponent cheat, I guess, than use the brain God gave you.

[GoldieAZ49]

19. His chickens are coming home to roost

[Bensthename]

20. Obama even lead back then fighting false petitions. Obama is da man.

[Straight Shooter]

23. I guess the only way to settle this is to look at all those signatures again.

If the petitions were archived.

[JoFerret]

24. Suppress every vote

.