The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I don't think any Presidient would last longer than 4 years. With no opponent to focus on and only your own record to defend with multitudes of people looking to spin it as negatively as possible I don't see how you could possibly stay in office. So much of campaigning is how much your opponent sucks. Without the chance to do that and the negatives only coming at you, you would have no chance.

That's why you'd want a supermajority for a no vote.

By the way, if there's no vice president, who breaks ties in the Senate?

[Alex]

Even Reagan in 1984?

Well, by definition every president would last for at least 5 years (with the last year as a lame duck, but then currently any re-elected president spends 4 years as a lame duck).

Would it being very difficult to go longer than 5 years be a bad thing?

[scaeagles]

Reagan might very well be the exception. And no, I don't necessarily think that would be a bad thing.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Would an outgoing president ever be eligible to run again? If so, after how long? After the next 4 year term?

[scaeagles]

I don't necessarily like the supermajority to vote someone out. Seems to grant a lot of power to someone who can fool 40.1% of the people on a permanent basis. That may not be very hard.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I don't necessarily like the supermajority to vote someone out. Seems to grant a lot of power to someone who can fool 40.1% of the people on a permanent basis. That may not be very hard.

Ross Perot got about twenty percent of the vote. Everybody who voted for him was an . . . well, let's just say they're a guaranteed no vote in any retention election. So, assuming as you do a 60 percent supermajority, it comes down to obtaining a majority among the remaining 80 percent.

Whether one sees the presidency as higly important or as an office that has grown well beyond its conception in the constitution, there's a good argument to be made for requiring a supermajority to remove him and not spending so much money on elections every four years. The office becomes not quite like a federal judgeship where you serve for life. It's more like a California appellate judgeship where you infrequently stand for retention and generally nobody cares.

[Alex]

Would an outgoing president ever be eligible to run again? If so, after how long? After the next 4 year term?

Hmm....I could go either way. So I'll say that a former president can not run in the election immediately following his no confidence. But then he is eligible for any future full election (so five years minimum between terms).

By the way, if there's no vice president, who breaks ties in the Senate?

Good question. I resolve that by giving Puerto Rico, Guam, and DC each a senator with a 1/3 vote. No more ties. Or, just give the vote to the president (which is essentially what it became once the 12th Amendment was passed).

[alphabassettgrrl]

Interesting. I don't like our current system very much, other than the fact that we more or less vote on the candidates.

I'd be up for something new.

[Ghoulish Delight]

[snide]

The Latest on Health Care Reform

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report, 12/17/09) - The United States Senate today unveiled details of its health care plan, tentatively called CompromiseCareTM:

Under CompromiseCareTM, people with no coverage will be allowed to keep their current plan.

Medicare will be extended to 55-year-olds as soon as they turn 65.

You will have access to cheap Canadian drugs if you live in Canada.

States whose names contain vowels will be allowed to opt out of the plan.

You get to choose which doctor you cannot afford to see.

You will not have to be pre-certified to qualify for cremation.

A patient will be considered "pre-existing" if he or she already exists.

You'll be free to choose between medications and heating fuel.

Patients can access quality health care if they can prove their name is "Lieberman."

You will have access to natural remedies, such as death.
[/snide]

[alphabassettgrrl]

::sigh::

Rumors about Medicare for all? I kind of like that idea.