Washington, D.C.–“I’ll take: Why did the Bidenistas selected Joe Biden for Pres., for $500 Daily Double please, LeVar.”
So here’s where we are: while the US media continues to fawn doe-y eyed over him and pamper him with soft questions, a series of incongruous and somewhat incomprehensible comments have served to further suspicions about Biden’s deteriorating mental health. Numerous political commentators, journalists and analysts have started raising doubts whether the President is mentally fit enough to lead. Concerns about his cognitive functions, his past, and his hair-sniffing don’t seem to have had much in the way of decision criteria.
In the wake of his disastrous CNN town hall, where he was seen meandering and providing confusing answers to the questions asked of him, journalist Grant Stinchfield argued the American people need an objective evaluation of President Joe Biden’s cognitive capabilities. He claimed that Joe Biden is showing more signs of dementia and a man in decline as his stammering, stuttering and a complete lack of coherence during his townhall meeting suggested.
So what do we, the American people, do next? Well, looks like Ol’ Yeller might need to be put down (politically, folks) and we will need to bring in the stunt double.
But a fast look into the “What-if” future provides us with a very unpleasant scenario-one that is unfortunately viable.
Any American schoolkid can tell you (Bwahahahaha! I meant to type “should” be able to tell you) the procedure when there’s an unexpected vacancy in the Oval Office. If the president of the United States leaves office during his term — dies (it’s happened eight times, four times through assassination), resigns (once, Richard Nixon), is removed from office (not yet), or is incapacitated in some manner (appears to be kinda likely)— his next-of-political-kin the vice president, slides over into the big boy’s chair. Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the U.S. Constitution.
But how many of us know what happens then? Specifically, now we have a “Space for Rent” in the Vice-Presidents seat either because he’s “promoted” to president or something happens to him while he’s No. 2
Not as many people understand what could happens next.
Those circumstances are provided for in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which was passed in 1967. Section 2 states: “Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.”
And if the VP just vacates the office for this or some other reason, the president has the right to nominate a sidekick, which the House and the Senate must then confirm. So the 25th Amendment clarifies that the second-in-charge doesn’t just assume the duties of the president, he (or, maybe someday, she) “shall become president“.
This means that the VP that just stepped into the shoes is now the one in charge of picking the next VP in line.
It might sound simple, but replacing a VP always has been a little sketchy. An unplanned presidential vacancy is immediately taken care of through Article II and the presidential line of succession.
Chain of custody goes in this order:
1. VP
2. Speaker of the house
3. President pro tempore of the senate
4. Secretary of state
5. Secretary of homeland security (I am speculating here)
In the old days, before 25th Amendment, when a vice presidential “Vacancy” sign popped up, the new president (frequently the old VP) just left that No. 2 chair open until the new election showed up.
John Tyler, who took over for William Henry Harrison (who died of pneumonia one month into his term), did not have a VP in his almost four years as president.
Lyndon Johnson, who took over for John F. Kennedy in November 1963, was without a VP for over a year until Hubert H. Humphrey stepped in after the 1964 election.
Even after the 25th Amendment, filling a vice presidential opening hasn’t been particularly easy. We’ve only had to dust it off twice since the 25th’s passage in ’67. The office of vice president sheet-covered for a couple of months in 1973 after Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned, but Gerald Ford was cleared to fill the spot.
When Nixon later tucked tail in August 1974, and Ford became president, he was without a wingman for more than four months, although Nelson Rockefeller finally was confirmed by Congress.
Through the years, the president and lawmakers have worked to grant the No. 2 spot in the executive branch increasingly more power, all the way up to passing a constitutional amendment that attempts to ensure that the office lights are always on. So no matter what, a president will have a vice president by his-or her- side — sooner or later.
Day One: Dear ol’ ‘Smokin’ Joe’ finally drools out his last incomprehensible statement, and Assuming Biden resigned or was removed, someone steps up and says that it’s time for a changing of the guard, and for Joey to go sit down next to the TV and eat some mashed yams.
Day Two: Kamala Harris would then nominate a new vice president. This could be anyone, including an extremist who otherwise could never become vice president. I don’t have anyone particular repugnant leaping to mind…
Day Three: A simple majority in both houses of Congress would then appoint/confirm the new vice president.
Day Four: Kamala Harris, as a team player (oh, you poor Dems-you might want to study her turn-coat history a little before you assume that she is going to do something that doesn’t benefit her) , could then resign so that the hypothetical extremist would then become president.
Day Five: We’ve already seen what a malevolent president focusing on division can do. And now some maniac is in power. If this were to happen, it’d happen before any senators or representatives elected in 2022 could take office.
Day Six: The President could then appoint a new VP-and I am pretty sure that Kamala Harris is currently in the unemployment line. Now, this would be unusual, but concerning the the refusal to allow two GOP senators to participate in the Jan. 6th investigation because the are not automatically on her side : Pelosi has the authority per committee rules to approve or reject members, and freely acknowledges her move was “unusual.” But “the unprecedented nature of Jan. 6 demands this unprecedented decision.” So we have a trend being established.
Day Seven: Pretty sure I don’t need to bother with the ‘Smiley’ icon here…
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