Republican Party Official Blocks Ballot Access

The Bob Barr campaign says that a Pennsylvania Republican Party official has filed a lawsuit to “knock Bob Barr off the ballot in the Keystone state”. Below is part of the email I received from the Barr campaign this morning:

You can tell we are gaining momentum when the Democrats and Republicans work so hard to keep Bob Barr out of the media and off the ballot.  Over the weekend, the Saddleback Church kept Bob out of their forum in California - in what is a clear violation of McCain/Feingold campaign finance laws.

Now, a Pennsylvania Republican Party official working on behalf of John McCain has filed a lawsuit to knock Bob Barr off the ballot in the Keystone state.  This action is deplorable and we need to make sure every American knows what is going on, as this is probably just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come next.<u>
</u>
This action is especially ironic.<u> </u>

Who said:

''We all know that the Berlin wall is down . . . People should be able to get
on the ballot in states . . .   Everybody knows that I am a legitimate candidate.
I should be on the ballot.'' 

That would be Senator John McCain who was the victim of similar shenanigans in 2000 when he was trying to get on the New York Republican Primary ballot.

Now, in a blatantly hypocritical move, he's using the same tactics to stop Pennsylvania voters from having the chance to cast a ballot for Bob Barr.

Of course, this action doesn't even acknowledge that for Bob Barr to get on the ballot required many more signatures than it took for McCain to get on the primary ballot, and to get on the ballot in November required McCain to turn in ZERO signatures.

I am outraged, and you should be, too.  This move is one you might expect of a dictator in North Korea, Libya, China or Iran . . . not Pennsylvania.  This is not what our founding fathers would have wanted and I'm afraid that if we are not victorious in this fight, the establishment powers in both parties will be emboldened to do even more to thwart our efforts.

Today, as McCain and Obama are spending millions each week on TV advertising, our party is now confronted with having to hire a lawyer in Pennsylvania to fight back.  While we knew to expect dirty tricks to be employed against us, a national legal battle to protect our positions on voter ballots in the states was never anticipated.

As I said earlier, this is proof that we have frightened that national political establishment.  They are now willing to take the low road.  By every unbiased measure, we are certain to win in court, but the expense is something that is not cheap.

It only costs John McCain a few dollars to file a complaint but will cost us much more to defend against.  They know this hurts us and that we will not be as effective in our future advertising.

Whether you like Bob Barr or not, you should find ballot blocking offensive. Shouldn’t everyone have equal access? Aren’t we limiting the potential of America by allowing the powers that be dictate who can make it on to the ballot?

Those of us who have not fought to change this process are just as responsible as the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Will your child ever be able to run for President?

http://paragon.pnn.com/7005-election-2-8