Rachel just talked about the problem for Bernie in New Hampshire because he is not registered

[jwirr]

by party in Vermont. She also said it is because Vermont does not register voters by party.

I assume that Howard Dean was going to run in New Hampshire when he ran. How did he deal with this same problem?

[think]

1. Personally I don't think they want to go down that road

The world is watching....

[jwirr]

2. And that may be why Rachel talked about that. I hope.

[think]

4. Was a great segment. Enjoyed it :) /nt

[virtualobserver]

3. he did run in NH, but he had been a Democratic Governor

hard to argue that he wasn't a Democrat.

But this is ridiculous, Bernie has announced that he is running for the
Democratic nomination.

[jwirr]

5. Exactly and if we want to talk policies I would like someone to show me when he has not been

working with the Democratic Party.

[virtualobserver]

9. He will soon be leading in the polls in NH

...imagine how foolish they would look if they kept the leading candidate off the ballot.

[think]

6. Politics work even if they don't. The perception is bank....

[Snotcicles]

7. Could they write-in? Boy wouldn't that be embarrassing, getting smoked by a write-in. nt

[Springslips]

31. I was just thinking. . .

Even a close second as a write in canidate would be a great thing. Hell bill was the comeback kid for coming in second there.

[TexasProgresive]

8. This would mean that LBJ and GHWB and GWB

could not be in the N.H. primaries because there is no party registration in Texas. Oh I forgot the perennial doofus, pRick Perry. This just doesn't make sense.

[jwirr]

10. No I wondered why Rachel was even talking about it?

[marym625]

16. It's the new line for the third way

Which is why she is talking about it. Not that she is third way but it's being used as a subtle attack on Bernie so she's reporting it.

They would be hard pressed to use it against him when the State he's from doesn't register people I'm parties. We don't in Illinois either and Jessie Jackson went through the primaries. I don't believe he ever held office either.

[dflprincess]

11. Minnesota does not have party registration

and I don't recall either Hubert Humphrey or Walter Mondale having problems in New Hampshire.

Mondale had been out of office 4 years when he ran so it wasn't like he was a current Democratic office holder - they were taking a chance assuming he was still a Democrat -(not really, but you get my point).

[longship]

12. No party registration here in MI either.

And when I lived in Wichita, KS years ago they first had it, then not.

It is what happens when today's GOP gains a majority in state legislatures along with a GOP governor.

[HooptieWagon]

13. The DNC already said they accepted him as a Democratic Primary candidate.

I realize that doesn't automatically put him on every state's ballot, but if the NH Party pulls some bullshit to help Clinton, it's going to reflect really badly on both of them. And will probably piss off enough of his supporters to the point of them writing him in on the GE ballot if Clinton is the nominee. She better understand that, and make it quite clear to the NH Party to let the voters decide, and respect their decision. Her minions in Florida rigged the primary for her in '08, and I'll never forget or forgive that.

[jwirr]

14. I think you are right. Rachel was talking about some law that the state could use. If I were NH

I would not want to piss off so many people in the country.

[glinda]

20. Bernie's Campaign needs to keep an eye on it. Things have just begun to get nasty.

Sadly.

[Agnosticsherbet]

15. Did Rachel mention that Senator Patrick Leahy is a Democrat

and as the quote below shows they hold every major office except Lieutenant governor.

Vermont Democratic Party
Today the Democrats have the dominant political party organization in the Green Mountain State, holding every major office at both the federal and state level except forLieutenant Governor and one of the two US Senate seats, the latter held by Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Howard Dean was a member of the Democratic Party as governor, and ran in New Hampshire as a Democrat.

Since there are so many elected Democrats in Vermont, how do they do this?

The Democratic Party in Vermont know who the Democrats are. If Rachel did not state that then she is not the person I thought she was.

[jwirr]

17. She just talked about Bernie. Anyone here from Vermont who can clear this up? Because it is not

like Rachel to not know what she is talking about.

[smokey nj]

18. Are you saying that you don't think Bernie SHOULD be allowed on

the ballot in NH? If you are, I don't think you should be posting in this group.

[Agnosticsherbet]

19. No, I am saying that the coverage on this story is crap

Elected officials in Vermont are members of the Democratic Party, so there is clearly a way to be a "registered Democrat" in Vermont.

Sanders, by choice, has remained an independent. So there is a way to be recognized as not a Democrat. Whether people register as Democras or not is irrelevant. The state knows who is and is not a Democrat.

As to New Hampshire's rules, in accordance with the Constitution, states have the explicit power to set rules for their elections. Someone should talk to the person in charge of elections in New Hampshire and set this story to rest.

[PoliticAverse]

21. To get on the Democratic presidential primary ballot in New Hampshire...

Sanders needs to sign an oath that includes the statement:

"I am a registered member of the Democratic party".

[merrily]

22. Vermont law makes it impossible for him to be a registered Democrat.

I don't think the way to enter the primaries is by lying under oath.

[TexasProgresive]

23. pRick Perry and Carnival Cruz

have to sing an oath saying, "I am a registered member of the Republican party."? Since to do so would be to commit perjury. You can not swear that you are registered as a party member in the state of Texas. I don't think party registration has ever been recognized in this state.For any from Texas or other states with non registration would be lying under oath.

[MNBrewer]

24. I've noticed this particular "concern" surfacing on my Facebook feed

all of the concerned people are Hillary Clinton supporters.

[jwirr]

25. Then we need to call Rachel and see what she thinks she is doing. I tried to get a email address

but could not find one. Anyone know one?

[joshcryer]

26. NPR has a recent piece, it should be fine:

The quirky law and wording is unique to the Granite State, according to Richard Winger, who publishes the Ballot Access News newsletter.

"New Hampshire just doesn't ever seem to worry that its election laws might be unconstitutional, because they should," said Winger.

He pointed to a 1986 Supreme Court case, Tashjian v. Republican Party, which struck down a Connecticut law that primary voters had to be members of that party after the Connecticut GOP adopted a law allowing independent voters to vote in their primaries. Winger says that case could be used to justify getting Sanders on the ballot, too, since the state party supports his inclusion.

"New Hampshire is the only state dumb enough to say a candidate has to be a registered member of that party," Winger said.

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/06/24/416929786/this-quirky-new-hampshire-law-might-keep-sanders-off-the-ballot

The NH Democrats will sue in Sanders' favor if the Republicans make noise.

Of course the campaign should be on top of it and I am sure they are.

[jwirr]

27. I had read that before and my concern is why Rachel chose to bring it up now. What was her

angle.

[joshcryer]

30. Slow news day?

[smokey nj]

32. I've seen it posted here many times that Republicans actually want to run against Bernie in the

GE. If that is the case, it doesn't make sense that they would try to keep him off the NH ballot.

[joshcryer]

33. They'd be the only ones stupid enough to try.

NH dems said they'd fight it in the courts. I can see the republicans doing it just to throw a wrench into things purely for subterfuge.

[sadoldgirl]

28. I heard or read the same rule applies to NY. True?

If so, I don't trust Cuomo.

[jwirr]

29. Yeah I heard that also. If we want to have primaries than the states need to get out of the way

of any candidate who runs. If they do not then they are unfair to the rest of the country. The primary is about more than just one state.