UPDATE: The Perry campaign is taking legal action to appear on the Virginia ballot arguing the current process involves both onerous and unconstitutional requirements. Curiously, Newt has neither filed a lawsuit or hinted at possible legal action to my knowledge.

Full disclosure: I am a Rick Perry delegate representing the state of Tennessee.

Here are some musings on the Virginia ballot mess for what they’re worth. And yes, when 5  of 7 major GOP candidates are excluded from a state ballot, mess is an apt description of the situation. RedState contributor Neil Stevens tweeted that he hadn’t seen so many candidates tossed from a ballot since the Iranian Presidential election. Possibly true. Regardless, there is a certain absurdity to the whole episode, especially as the story continues to unfold.

My friends at Team Perry instructed me to gain well above the necessary signature threshold, as the Secretary of State’s office would inevitably disqualify some of the signatures. In fact, the Tennessee SoS disqualified roughly 20% of my signatures due to various signature infractions. I still managed to qualify. I mention this simply to elaborate and explain that capturing valid signatures isn’t as easy as it seems. In Tennessee, voters must print their name, sign their name and include their residence as it appeared on their registration card. Easy Peasy right? Wrong. Many seasoned citizens had a hard time reading the instructions without their reading glasses and left off a signature or complete address. Some voters included their business addresses. Disqualified. Some voters forgot to update their registration to their new address. Disqualified. Some people were embarrassed to admit they weren’t registered voters but signed my petition anyway. And since I didn’t slip any truth serum in their drinks…  Disqualified. Some signees were convicted felons. Dis–Okay. Just joking on that one (I hope). Others failed to realize their voter registration lapsed since they hadn’t voted in so long. Suffice it to say, it’s inevitable that many signatures will be thrown out during the validation process for various reasons.

Before delving deeper into this blog post, readers should first familiarize themselves with RedState contributor Moe Lane’s excellent points here.  All interested parties ought to review his analysis of the fiasco, as my reflections are based in large part on his latest assessment. If you are operating under the assumption that all you need is 10,000+ signatures and you are golden, it will change the way you play the game and use your resources. Keep in mind that Perry got into the game late and has had to play catchup w/ Mitt Romney who’s been running for President since he was in the first grade and amassing a fortune since then and Ron Paul who’s been running for President since television began appearing in color while inspiring millions of devoted followers across the fruited plain by promising to legalize pot.

All that being said, I think Newt and Perry deserve some more grace from GOP voters than Santorum, Bachmann and Huntsman, because both Newt and Perry actually organized in VA and turned in over 10,000 signatures. By all appearances, they attempted to play by the Virginia Republican Party’s rules and thought they made the ballot. The problem, it seems clear now, is that the rules changed late in the game. Whether the referees notified Perry and Newt of the rules change (or the fairness thereof) is an open question.

I contacted via Twitter a prominent political scientist familiar with Virginia politics that Virginia lawmakers ought to pass legislation enabling GOP contenders polling 5%+ an automatic ballot berth. To my surprise,  he responded to my tweet: “Something like that ought to be done. I doubt they’ll do it in time for March 6 primary–or much earlier ballot printing.” He has a good point. The logistics of conducting an election will work against Newt and Perry.

In the last 24 hours, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has called for Virginia lawmakers to reform Virginia’s burdensome ballot requirements in order to make Virginia relevant in primary contest. Although Republicans hold majorities in Virginia’s legislature, I am not optimistic they will be able to resolve this fiasco satisfactorily in time for the primary.

Alas, the only likely redress ending with Newt and Perry on the ballot involves a lawsuit. It is truly unfortunate that Virginia party leaders have mishandled this process so badly. They’ve effectively disenfranchised Virginians and reduced their primary Presidential choices to an ineffective RINO libertarian congressman who routinely dons a tin foil hat and a Massachusetts moderate who inspired Obamacare and raised taxes on businesses 20% during his one term.

One last thought: how candidates handle adversity reveals a lot about their leadership and character. Perry’s public response has essentially been muted. It remains to be seen if he will issue any more public utterances on the situation, although I think it likely he will be forced to address the dilemma sometime soon. This strategy is probably wise considering many voters haven’t been paying close attention to the Virginia ballot fiasco over the last few days. Further, it gives Team Perry time to work the VRP channels privately and see if anything can be done before issuing any additional remarks. Newt’s response, however, leaves much to be desired. Comparing the ballot snafu with Pearl Harbor is beyond ridiculous. Moreover, Newt has an unyielding proclivity to blow things out of proportion to include his opinion of himself (i.e. his comparing himself to Churchill, Thatcher and Reagan).

Headed to Iowa later this week. Talk soon!

Choosing a political candidate is similar to dating. There are men with whom you flirt. There are men who you date.  And then there are the men who are so exceptional that you take them home to meet the parents.  Women learn the difference between these kinds of men with varying speed.  The Republican Primary voters (according to the polls) have flirted with most candidates and even dated a few  - Romney, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich.  Each one of the aforementioned candidates have surged in the polls and generated excitement in the Republican Party only to lose attention later.  This primary reminds me of those who are serial monogamists – being head over heels for someone for a month or so and then moving on to the next “best” shiny thing.

After flirting with and/or dating Romney, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, and Gingrich, Republican voters have yet to seriously consider Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.  Admittedly, after finding out Rick Santorum was running, I instantly thought he was the best man for the job.  But, like many, I later got distracted by some of the other bright shiny things. I “flirted” with a few candidates and even dating one.

Governor Mitt Romney

For the record, I have never trusted Romney.  He is the “too good to be true” guy.  He is the guy that admits that he cheated in the past, but promises to never do it again.  He is good-looking and well spoken and will tell you anything you want to hear.  In my earlier naïve years, I may have flirted with Romney.  I may have even been stupid enough to date him.  However, I learned long ago that this kind of man will disappoint you in the end with either infidelity or inability to commit.  Romney is definitely not the marrying kind.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

Bachmann is included in this list of those who Republicans have “dated” because of her early surge in the polls before Perry announced his candidacy.  I strongly considered Bachmann as her values closely align with mine.  However, I was disturbed by what I thought to be intellectually dishonest comments attacking other candidates.  This made me question her ability as candidate.  It also made me wonder if I could trust her.  As with any relationship, trust is imperative.  I am not sure why she chose to misrepresent the Gardasil issue.  If it was a mistake, it was a big one in my book.

Governor Rick Perry

After seeing Rick Perry speak at CPAC 2011 in Washington D.C., I really wanted him to enter the race.  He has strong conservative principles and a proven record of success as Governor of Texas.  His stance on State’s rights and promise to make Washington irrelevant was all the sweet-talking a lot of us Republicans needed.  He is charming with his Texas swagger, confidence, and patriotism that is so lacking in the White House today.  However, that charm started waning with each passing debate where Perry turned in disappointing performances.  Furthermore, many Republicans disagree with his stance on immigration reform in the State of Texas.  Aside from a few issues, Rick Perry is one of the most proven conservative candidates in the race.  He will need to recapture that spark among voters again and convince them that he can stand toe to toe with Obama in a campaign before.  Perry is a datable guy if he can just work hard enough to make us believe in him again.

Herman Cain

Cain was certainly an attractive candidate – a man whose confident and straight-forward way of talking gained attention among Republicans.  Cain was a refreshing change from the field of professional politicians.  His strong conservative convictions and unique delivery caused many voters to flirt and even date Cain for some time (there is no pun intended here).  However, his lack of knowledge on foreign policy coupled with his reputation as a “ladies man” (whether deserved or not) destroyed his chances to ever be brought home to meet the parents.

Speaker Newt Gingrich

Who could resist a flirtation with Gingrich, a former conservative hero that ushered in a Republican majority in Congress for the first time in 40 years in 1994?  In debate after debate, Gingrich proved that he wasn’t just a flash in the pan from the 90’s, but a powerhouse of intellect and debating prowess.  This combination caused a large jump in his polling numbers as many Republicans decided to take the plunge and date Gingrich.  Unfortunately for Gingrich, many of those voters were reminded of Gingrich’s entire record.  Not only had he supported liberal policies in the past, he continues to express his admiration for one of the most far left Presidents in history – FDR.  Hearing this made me want to break up with him on Twitter instantly.  Like all relationships, when you realize your values do not align on serious issues, it is probably best not to proceed forward.   Many are still dating Gingrich, perhaps hoping that they are dating the Gingrich who wrote “The Contract with America.”  I hope that he is that man.  But, I think that his recent statements have shown that while he is a conservative sometimes, he still believes in using big government to achieve his goals.  So, that leaves us with Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

Congressman Ron Paul

I don’t think conservative voters have ever given any real consideration to dating Ron Paul.  Let’s face it – Ron Paul supporters have married and pledged their life-long fidelity to him long ago.  These libertarians are like enthusiastic newlyweds proclaiming to the world their love.  Conservatives have flirted with Paul’s ideas more than the man himself.  He has raised the bar for many other candidates on economic issues such as the Federal Reserve and even on some foreign policy issues.  However, while many Republicans are open to suggestion that America is suffering from battle fatigue and our military is overextended around the world, what we really want is a hawk in the White House.  We want to be protected from those in the World who would destroy America.  Republicans can’t date or marry Paul because we just don’t think he can protect our country.  We can’t trust him to be Commander in Chief.  Everyone knows that a relationship without trust is really no relationship at all.

Senator Rick Santorum

For me, it began and will hopefully end with Rick Santorum.  He was the first guy in the room I noticed.  He is smart, has strong conservative convictions, and conveys them well.  Unfortunately, I think many voters have put him in the “friends” category because they didn’t really feel that “spark” they felt with other candidates.  Rick Santorum is the good guy.  He doesn’t have baggage.  He is consistently conservative.  He is a family man.  He is the guy the girls pass over to date the bad guys.  He is the guy that is a great friend to those girls even though they repeatedly make mistake after mistake.  After some period of time, girls turn into women and learn that the bad guys are not the ones to marry.  Then they turn their attention to the “marrying kind”.  They turn their attention to a man like Rick Santorum.  It is time to stop flirting with candidates whose values don’t align with ours with the false premise that only they can win.  This primary is time for conservatives to choose.  It is time to find that candidate to take “home to meet the parents.”

Rick Santorum has a consistent, proven record of social and economic conservative principles and an impeccable character.  He believes in American Exceptionalism.  He is a hawk on foreign policy.  He has a proven record in the United States Senate working to reduce dependency on welfare and protecting the sanctity of life.  He is also a fiscal conservative who has obtained high scores from the American Taxpayers Union and pledged to end crony capitalism in Washington.  Rick Santorum is the total package.  As Rush Limbaugh said on Wednesday – “I love Rick Santorum, if he won I would never have to wonder if he would do the right thing.”

The question confronting conservative voters in this primary is will we do the right thing?  Will we vote for the person we believe in and trust?  Or, will we let Washington insiders and pundits tell us to lower our standards and support a more “electable” candidate?  We have several great candidates running in this primary. As any good friend would advise, life is too short to settle when choosing a mate.  As I advise here, this election is too important to settle for anyone but the best.  This is why I am supporting Rick Santorum.