GOP appeals Kerrey ruling (NE Supreme Court)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

Published Thursday March 22, 2012

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Republican Party wants the Nebraska Supreme Court to take up its challenge of Bob Kerrey's candidacy for the U.S. Senate.

On Thursday, the party filed a motion to expedite the appeal of Wednesday's Lancaster County District Court ruling that threw out the GOP's attempt to remove the Democrat from the May 15 primary election ballot.

(District Judge Steven Burns rejected GOP arguments that Kerrey falsified his residency when he registered to vote last month.)

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20120322/NEWS01/703229860#gop-appeals-kerrey-ruling

[hlthe2b]

1. You might want to correct your sub line... It is Nebraska Supreme Court--not US Supreme Court.

(Not SCOTUS)

[Iliyah]

2. Yeah and if the Nebraska Supreme Court

rules in favor of Kerrey it will, no doubt about it go to the US Supreme Court. The party of No, Lies and Opposition will try and find a way to block him.

[DallasNE]

3. How Does The Nebraska Supreme Court Have Standing

Regarding the election of a United States Senator. The U.S. Constitution spells out the requirements and Kerrey clearly meets those requirements.

The thing that makes the Nebraska Republican Party look so silly is that what Kerrey is doing is identical to what Republican Chuck Hagel did the first time he ran for the Senate. Or what Republican Hal Daub did before his first run for the U.S. House. Both lived and worked in the Washington D.C. area.

[MADem]

5. They are trying to suggest he doesn't meet residency requirements.

The states run the elections, not the feds. It's why our elections are so effed up.

Rather ironic, since Mitt Romney ran for Governor of Mass while collecting a HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION on his Utah Ski Lodge home.

The cheap so-and-so had to pony up additional taxes when the Boston Globe ratted him out.

[DallasNE]

6. Remember Allan Keyes

He was a lifelong resident of Maryland and Republicans drafted him to run against Barack Obama for United States Senate after the Republican winner of the Illinois primary had to drop out. Plus, I gave two recent examples in Nebraska where Washington D.C. lobbyists returned to Nebraska to run. This is a common occurance for a reason. Here is what the U.S. Constitutions says.

Qualifications

Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution sets three qualifications for senators: 1) each senator must be at least 35 years old, 2) must have been a citizen of the United States for at least the past ten years, and 3) must be (at the time of the election) an inhabitant of the state he or she seeks to represent.

It is common to call people like Keyes a carpetbagger but it is a little more difficult with Kerrey because he is a former 2-term U.S. Senator from Nebraska. This is even the "Omaha" seat he previously held.

Also, while the States have broad authority on how they conduct elections, including a requirement for a runoff election should no candidate receive an minimum of 50% of votes cast, but they have no authority over the qualifications for Federal office candidates.

I say again, where does the Nebraska Supreme Court have standing to rule on the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. Now if this was for Governor of Nebraska I wouldn't be making this argument. This makes the Nebraska GOP look incredibly stupid as they have a zero percent chance of being successful here.

[MADem]

7. Of course, he was BORN in NE. That's not the actual goal, here.

The goal is to paint him as a New York New School "outsider" to the generation of selfish "What About MEEEE" voters who either weren't alive, weren't old enough or not paying attention when he was the dashing, progressive, war-hero, one-legged senator dating a very hot and A List Linda Rhondstat or Debra Winger.

This is a shit flinging exercise. They want to fling and see if some sticks. It helps to depress turnout and enthusiasm. It's like LBJ's accusation towards one of his opponents--it didn't matter if the guy was innocent of a charge of congress with a farm animal, he just wanted to hear the guy have to DENY it.

It's shit-stirring/shit-flinging 101. The GOP are good at it. They'll play cute with laws and state residency requirements, they'll ask for tax returns and addresses and who-knows-what else in order to try to scramble the issue, and they will do it until they are told to STFU, because that kind of crap serves to disincentivize voters who might be attracted to Kerrey as a candidate AND a Nebraskan.

[MADem]

4. Wow, they are AFRAID of him, aren't they? nt

[sofa king]

8. Dick Cheney set the precedent.

The Supreme Court ruled that Cheney's vacation home, where he never lived, never worked, and rarely visited, sufficed as "residency" in a state other than Texas, so that the electoral votes from that state could be counted for George Bush in 2000.