It Ain’t Happenin’
Okay, okay, enough with the rumors that Trump is going to suspend the elections and stay in office. It doesn’t work that way.
First of all, states run elections, even the federal ones. Some rightwing states could opt out but that doesn’t matter – it’s the number of votes, not the number of people who voted.
And secondly, he would not remain President. Here’s how it was explained to me:
His term ends January 20th and so does Pence, thank sweet Jesus.
All members of congress also lose their office, so there goes Nancy Pelosi.
Next comes senate. Fourth in line is the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is the senior-most member of the majority party. Currently that is Chuck Grassley.
But wait! 23 Republicans are up for election in 2020, and only 12 Dems are. If there is no election, all of their terms expire.
If 23 GOP senators lose their seats and only 12 Dems, that means a Democratic majority, so Patrick Leahy becomes the senior-most member of the majority party, and fourth in line.
I could live with that.
Thanks to everybody for the info.
President Leahy.
1Sounds a lot better than President Electoral College.
Could be better than a war with no participants. If the Blue states go ahead with elections while the Red states sit on their hands, Republicons not only lose the Senate. They can sit back and enjoy a completely Democratic House. Go home. Stay home, Republicons. Or, as ‘be best’ Messy would say: “I really don’t care. Do you?”
2I would suggest that the country should look at a safe voting system that can be audited/recounted. Something like mail-in-ballots….like are used here in Colorado! Use the COVID-19 pandemic to kill the voter suppression efforts.
3Back in 2008, I lived in terror that President Cheney would try this. And he didn’t.
He had broken enough international laws to be wary of losing the protection high office afforded him — and a black man was the front runner, so he might even get away with it.
True, he was smarter than Trump and all the people he’s surrounded himself with combined. So he probably figured this out all by hisownself while Trump would need pictures — drawn with crayons — and still wouldn’t understand why he couldn’t just wave his hand and make it happen.
Meanwhile, an election in which all the Republicans pulled a massive sulk and stayed home would suit me just fine.
4Love it!
5Way, way off-topic, but … an old friend reminded about this Mel Brooks 3 1/2 minute short, The Critic. I saw it back in the early 60s, but found it’s on youtube now:
https://youtu.be/PramR5oxn50
A 71 year old Russian Jew sits and comments on an avant garde animation flick. Brooks claimed it was based on a French animation he once saw, and some old guy kept muttering throughout the whole thing.
Like I said, this is totally irrelevant. But I have to look at something other than Trump before going to bed, or I’ll have nightmares.
6Surly Professor, you’ll enjoy this from Mel Brooks and his son Max:
https://mockpaperscissors.com/2020/03/17/take-mel-brooks-advice-please/
7With social distancing, self isolating and lockdowns how will people be able to generate any coverage of outrages such as police murdering innocents or illegal wars, or Climate change when mass protests seem to be contrary to all health recommendations?
8Buttermilk Sky: thanks! Looks like Mel is still spry, and who knows, maybe he really will become the 2000 year old man.
There was an article recently, about how he and Rob Reiner get together weekly and keep up with each other. Looks like they’ll have to miss out on the rendezvous for a while.
I did the phone call-around on my dead-end street to make sure everyone was OK and see if anyone needed a grocery run or anything. Especially the 87 year old woman across the street from me. That’s when it really hit me: I’m the oldest guy on the block. So I gotta practice my “Lady, don’t shush me. I’m 71 years old, I’ll be dead soon” schtick. But I’ll never do it as well as Mel.
9@ Tom A Westrup
10Seconded! All Texans who can do so should already be voting by mail.
Sounds ok, except I’d lose my superb Senator Jeff Merkley who is up for re-election.
11What ever works… Hey, wait a minute. WE’VE got millions of people.
Bolsonaro—who said he tested negative for COVID-19 on a second screening following conflicting reports on the results of an initial test—sparked outrage over the weekend by leaving self-quarantine to mingle with his supporters holding a mass demonstration in the streets, flouting the Brazilian health ministry’s warning against large gatherings.
“He proceeded to touch at least 272 of [his supporters],” The Intercept reported, “including shaking hands, fist bumping, and taking their telephones to snap selfies before handing them back.”
Brazilian lawmaker David Miranda, joined by fellow lawmakers and others in Brazilian civil society, circulated a petition Wednesday demanding Bolsonaro’s impeachment for acting “irresponsibly and criminally” during the coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/19/bolsonaro-out-balconies-and-windows-millions-demand-ouster-brazilian-president-over
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