Postpone elections so that Kerry will run out of money? Kerry needs to

[patricia92243]

opt out of any government money so he won't be limited to 75m until the elections - which could be postponed indefinitely. Instead, if he opts out, he could be raising more money during the "postponement".


I hope somebody in his campaign gives this aspect of it some serious thought.

[unblock]

1. can't be postponed indefinitely.

the winner of the election must be sworn in 1/20/05.

they can change the date all they like but they run into problems if there's no winner by then.

[ps1074]

2. LOL - exactly

One of the arguments in 2000 recount was that there will be no time as the constitution says the winner has to be sworn on 20/01...

The irony - BushCo wants to cancel the election but he can't as the winner has to be sworn in 2 months. Take that asshole :)

[TeacherCreature]

9. 1/20/05 is a artificial deadline

I don't think it is in the constitution is it?

[foo_bar]

10. the word November doesn't appear in the constitution

Amendment XX

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

...but the electoral college and Congress have to certify something by January. Popular presidential elections are a democratic nicety not specifically prescribed in the Constitution (not to sound like Scalia):

Article II, Section 1

Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

[Nicholas_J]

3. Doesnt work that way

Once Republicans hold their convention, Both they and Kerry are limited to spending 75 million dollars a piece for the actualy presidential campaign. They are free to spend as much as they want prior to the day they accept their party's nomination but once that is over, thats that, whhich is what all the hub bub Kerry not accepting the nomination at the convention was about. The Republicans lose a major public relations coup if they cancel their convention, on the third aniversary of September 11th, so this is not about to happen.

Plus in the end, cancelling the election will have a mopre detrimental effect on the BUsh campaign, rather than on Kerry. The public who support Bush view him as a straight shooting honest guy above politicking, Such an action would be so obviously political in nature, and so unprecendented in history (I mean elelction were held during a civil war, and under far more massively catastrophic conditions suchas the Great Depression without elections being cancelled, that such a limited thing as a terrorist attack, even of a degree of the Sepember 11th attacks, would not be substantial enough to call for a cancellation of an election. REpublicans may be worreid about Bush losing, but again, any such attempt to pass legislationa cancelling the electtion would be subject to a filibuster,which wouold again require a supremajority. THe democrats are noty going to sit still for the passage of a law that will deny them the White House.

[Ready4Change]

4. Can someone from another party get in on that?

Or is that limited to Dems and Reps?

[Nicholas_J]

5. Well you gotta use money you raise yourself

You just done get it from the government.Once the race is actually between thr two parties or ny parties you have a spending limit. This is not federal matching funds for campaigns that agree to term limits. Recent laws have limited the amount that can bee spend to prevent the buying of the presidency. Before hand of course, if you accept no campaign limits and no federal money, then the sky is the limit, wgile running for the nomination you can spens as much as you want running against others of your party, and the opposite party as well.

[newsguyatl]

7. you're wrong nicholas_j

=IF= they take the funding, they can only spend the 75 million, but each can choose to opt out and spend as much as they want for as long as they want.

you see, bushco could wait until kerry accepts the federal funds, THEN decide to opt out... if the elections are postponed, bushco. will have an endless amount of money to spend, kerry camp only has that 75 million.

[newsguyatl]

6. i had the exact same thought today patricia

i hope kerry will opt out again. he can EASILY raise the 75million, and THEN some.

[leyton]

8. I don't know if he can raise that much again

People are contributing now because they know that they only have a few precious weeks left to contribute. It will take enormous time and effort to raise another 75 mill, and all the while Kerry could be campaigning around the country.