Americans Elect may not have any candidates, but it's still aglow with triumph

And our next president is . . . well, maybe not.

"The primary process for the Americans Elect nomination has come to an end."

-- from "A Statement from Americans Elect"

by Ken

It was a pretty pathetic idea to begin with, this Americans Elect, which took advantage of many Americans' understandable weariness with both our major parties to . . . to . . . well, it's not clear what beyond self-promotion the Americans Elect promoters were after. And then, to make matters worse, the AE masterminds were intolerably opaque about such matters as who was making policy and how, what exactly the procedures would be, and especially where the moolah was coming from. The process was so untransparent that a lot of people worried about whose interests might actually be on the table.

And above you can see what it all led to. Not to worry, though. In the minds of the Americans Elect brain trust, the process worked!

[T]he rules, as developed in consultation with the Americans Elect Delegates, are clear. As of this week, no candidate achieved the national support threshold required to enter the Americans Elect Online Convention in June. The primary process for the Americans Elect nomination has come to an end.

Americans Elect, from the outset, has been a rules-based process, with the rules publicly available and open to debate by the Delegates. Our key priorities have been to: 1) honor the trust Americans Elect has built with the Delegates and American public; 2) require candidates to earn the nomination by building support among the Americans Elect Delegate community and American voters; and 3) create a basis for a solid future for the Americans Elect movement.

This decision honors these priorities.

Way to go, AE! Mission, er, accomplished? What's more:

Through the efforts of thousands of staffers, volunteers, and leadership, Americans Elect has achieved its operational goals, including:

• Creating a pathway for nationwide ballot access for a balanced presidential ticket unaffiliated with the nominating process of either major party to compete in the 2012 race;
• Building the technological platform for the first nonpartisan secure national online primary at AmericansElect.org;
• Attracting a significant base of more than 4 million supporters, including Delegates, petition signers and volunteers;
• Educating the national and local media on the Americans Elect mission; and
• Finishing an extensive candidate briefing program involving more than 100 potential candidates.

Huh??? Beyond that core of self-promotion, does anyone see that any of these goals, even assuming their validity, was actually accomplished? I'm not seeing it.

Again, though, not to worry. We haven't heard the last of Americans Elect, it appears.

We are continuing the Americans Elect mission of creating more choice in our political system, giving candidates unaffiliated with the nominating process of either major party an authentic way to run for office and giving the American people a greater voice in our political process.

Wait for it.

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