Buh-Bye Carl Romanelli and good riddance!!!

[LynneSin]

Any Green that defends this creep is just beyond explanation to me. I understand the Pennsylvania system for getting names on a ballot is fucked up and by all means we should work to improve that.

But Carl Romanelli was not a Green. Oh sure, his party registration was "Green" but from day #1 he was the sleezeball who took money from Santorum and allowed Santorum's crony to gather 'signatures' in order to get on the ballot. Romanelli is an insult to the Green Party and what they stand for and I hope that the Green's distance themselves from this loser!

Santorum tried to claim that he wanted to give 3rd Parties a chance to run for office and yet, ironically, Santorum did nothing to help the Constitution or Libertarian parties get their candidate on the ballot. But then again those two parties siphon votes from republicans NOT the Green Party

I'm glad that he's finally off the ballot so we can focus on the real issue of getting Rick Santorum out of office! This was nothing more than desperate ploy by Santorum to get re-elected.

BTW, if Pennsylvania does reform how they handle 3rd parties (and I hope they do) they need to illegalize these companies who gather signatures for money. When you hire someone to gather signatures where the person gathering gets a certain amount for each signature, this only increases the chance of invalid signatures. The company that Santorum & Romanelli used to gather signatures (I think it was FSM Inc) was also investigated in Ohio for fraudulent signature gathering to get Ralph Nadar on the ticket.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/25/ap/politics/mainD8KC0HN00.shtml

Green Party Candidate Off Pa. Ballot
Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania is thrown off ballot

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sep. 25, 2006
By MARTHA RAFFAELE Associated Press Writer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(AP) A judge on Monday ordered the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate removed from the November ballot because the party did not have enough valid signatures in its nominating petitions.

Carl Romanelli's candidacy had been challenged by state Democrats. Romanelli's bid was backed by Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, who hoped that Romanelli could siphon votes from his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Bob Casey.

Santorum has consistently trailed Casey in polls.

Commonwealth Court Judge James R. Kelley ruled that Romanelli, a railroad industry consultant from Wilkes-Barre, was 8,931 signatures shy of 67,070 he needed to qualify as a minor-party candidate.

[waiting for hope]

1. Yahoo!

All that good, clean, republicant money WASTED......couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Snark. Who's prissy pansy going to debate now?

[LynneSin]

2. Well there is one more court Romanelli is trying

Not much he can do about the invalid signature, but he's trying to challenge the requirement that he only needs 2% of the person who received the most votes statewide in 2005, not 2004.

But I have a feeling the guy is toast but with the Rick Santorum team, I'm sure they have their lawyers on it

[gratuitous]

16. It's the Republican way . . .

Fight hard, lose if you have to, and always cheat. And if you don't like the outcome, just change the rules.

[wryter2000]

3. Hey!

I've been gone since last Wed. We have an Olbermann atavar? :bounce:

As to the OP, huzzah! Romanelli and any Green who supports him should be ashamed of themselves.

[waiting for hope]

7. I captured this one myself.....

Try Yahoo pictures - they have a good selection.

[wryter2000]

11. Thanks!

I may do that.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Say what you want about Greens, but they aren't Repblicans

This guy has betrayed their ideals. He's must be very lonely right now.

[LynneSin]

5. As I said in the post - The Green Party needs to distance themselves

Romanelli has brought alot of shame to the Green Party and a ton of scorn from non-greens who are on the same side of the political spectrum.

Anyone still defending this asshole pretty much is defending Santorum. Consider this - Maryland is a close race and they have a Green Party candidate. You don't see anyone here complaining about it. It's been well document that Santorum supporters gave him the money for his campaign, paid for signature gathers and even when the judge ordered an investigation of the votes and allowed for people from both the Democratic and Green Party to witness what was happening - Romanelli sent Santorum volunteers.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Comment

I was a registered Green for about three years (raise the heat shields, Mr. Scott) and while many of them really believe their own rhetoric about there being no difference between Democrats and Republicans, using the party to tilt the election to somebody like Santorum -- not just a fascist, but a crooked fascist -- is not what most of them think they ought to be about.

This has problably made a lot of Pennsylvania Greens very uncomfortable with their party's leadership.

[The Magistrate]

10. Unfortunately, My Friend

This sort of thing is not unique. The Republicans know a good thing when they see it, and are ruthless about exploiting opportunities.

[DancingBear]

12. WHO is defending Romanelli??

No one, that's who.

People ARE defending the right of third parties to get a place at the table, and the sheer vitriol spewed out by countless numbers of posters here (who somehow think that should be "against the law" when it comes to their particular pet party) is sickening.

This is NOT directed at you, BTW, as I take note your Maryland example. However, if by some stretch the MD Green candidate were to get enough votes to tip the election the whole tone of the argument would change - for the worse.

[LynneSin]

13. I appreciate your candor but the facts are simple

Carl Romanelli received the bulk, if not all of his money & support from Rick Santorum. It's well documented, hell The Mudracker pulled the list of all Romanelli's contributors and they were all big Santorum supporters and at the time the only money coming from a Green candidate was Romanelli spending a few dollars of his own.

When you see this kind of blatent candidate buying ESPECIALLY when it's a party that swears they are above this kind of corruption, it's gonna upset alot of people. The guy from Maryland, as far as I know, has not received this kind of financial support from the republican party. Will we complain about him? Well of course, that's the nature of us democrats but the MD Green is on there because of Green Power, not Rick Santorum power

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

6. I don't understand how this wasn't a 1st amendment case

Several years ago, the SCOTUS ruled that campaign contribution limits amounted to a stifling of free speech. Since that is the case, then any money I would donate to a party would have to be used by said party to promote said party's message. Any funding used by the party to finance, in part or in whole, a candidate campaigning for another party would, according to precedent, be a violation of my free speech rights. I paid for a particular message, but my money was used to proffer another candidate's message instead.

Santorum is, in effect, violating the 1st amendment rights of the very people he represents. Apparently he is of the belief that violation in his, and his donors', favor is acceptable.

DBDB

[LynneSin]

8. Although your logic makes sense

Those donators don't see it as their 1st amendment rights violated. I mean it wasn't Santorum's campaign but Santorum voters who gave the money (probably at the suggestion of Rick Santorum). And the only voice they're trying to stiffle is Bob Casey's because the hopes of the Santorum supporters is to siphon off enough votes in order to ensure that their candidate is their representative in DC

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

14. Then here is an idea the next time this happens

And don't think they won't try it again somewhere else.

We donate. Legally, it doesn't matter that we are Dems donating to a Repub cause. All that matters is the possibility our donation is being used in a way counter to our intent. Then file a class action lawsuit since we can't determine how many people this affects.

DBDB

[Joe Bacon]

15. GREEN = Getting Republicans Elected Every November!

Pound that message home every chance you can.