[Twoller]

Originally Posted by Borderwatch

....

On top of this, the passage of Proposition 14, which changes the structure of political parties substantially in California, will prevent the people of a party from any opportunity to have a voice in the operations of their party...unless the party leadership allows for it. In effect, those officers recognized at the time Prop. 14 goes into effect next January 1 may act as a soviet style politburo. That is exactly what this small band of rogues intend to do. They don't care one bit about the welfare or future of the American Independent Party. They are trying desperately to hold onto recognition by the state for one reason and one reason only: the Presidential ballot line of the American Independent Party in California has great value to a potential Presidential candidate in 2012 and they fully intend to auction it off to the highest bidder.

So what can we do and how will your attendance make a difference? Unless Prop. 14 is repealed or overturned by the courts, the future of the American Independent Party will be determined by the Courts or the California Secretary of State's office could choose to recognize the results of our Convention and State Central Committee Organizational Meeting this year. The latter scenario might be considered by some to be a long shot, as it could be viewed as an admission by the Secretary of State that her decision in 2008 was a mistake. Politicians don't like to admit mistakes. However the so-called AIP "organization" which they recognized in 2008 is run in such a crudely despotic and illegitimate manner and by such a small handful of people, that it is quite conceivable that the Secretary of State's office may decide that this is not a close call at all, that the wrong group was recognized as the proper AIP leadership in 2008 and that they have no choice but to rectify their error. Either way--whether it is courts or the secretary of state--we want there to be absolutely no doubt whatsoever who the members of the American Independent Party recognizes as its leadership!

....

The only thing that Proposition 14 effects are the primary elections. That's it. If any political party does not want to participate in the primary elections, then it does not have to. Participation in the primary elections is voluntary. It was my impression that the American Independent Party did not participate in the primaries.

Anyone can form a political party any time they want to, for any reason and run it any way they want to. This has to do with the First Ammendment to the Constitution regarding freedom of assembly and petitioning the government. But since the primary elections are run by the government, then the government can have a say in how they are run.

Again, remember, the only purpose of the primary elections is to provide the political parties with a public place to run their elections for their nominees for a candidate to run in the actual election for some office. That's it. If a political party does not want to have elections at all to pick their nominee, there is nothing anywhere that says they have to do that. Or, if they want to run their elections outside of the government run public primaries, then they can do that too.