"Poppy Cock! | Be John Galt
There is a stream of stupidity floating around the election that Nancy Pelosi could become acting POTUS. Latest article I saw spouting this drivel is here. Well for convenience permit me to show how exactly unlikely that is. Fact I would have a better chance of becoming a billionaire than Pelosi becoming acting POTUS. The components of this conundrum:
- Time line of Electors
- Line of succession
- The qualifying Amendments
Line of succession
Lets dispel a specific fact that most of the authors of this tripe have been using –
The 25th Amendment DOES NOT APPLY in the confluence of events of a Presidential election
There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this. The 25th Amendment addresses the line of succession for a sitting President. Fact it does not even cover issues of a President-elect.
Time line of Electors
There has been a great deal of concern about confusion post Nov 3rd considering the number of States that are permitting mail in voting. Well first of lets define what will really happen before launching into conjecture.
The timeline:
- Election Nov 3rd.
- Election results resolved Dec 8th
- Elector Qualification certified Dec 8th
- Electors cast ballots Dec 14th
- Ballots tendered to Senate Dec 23rd
- Ballots counted in joint session Jan 6th
- POTUS sworn in Jan 20th
So what is at issue?
- The post election mail in ballot morass ends Dec 8th. There is not wiggle room here its a hard date. You don’t have to believe me, look at the timeline of why the SCOTUS stepped in quickly in the election of Bush v Gore. They quashed any issue related to ballots on the 12th because FL electors had to cast their ballots on the 14th.
- If electors cannot be qualified or the election results for that state can’t be certified the process does not stop. The State in dispute cannot forward electors hence loses the vote for President. For example, if Texas cannot certify the election and electors on the 8th their 38 EVs are null.
- Any State whose ballots have not be received on or before the 23rd are null and void. So if California can’t keep the lights on and that prevents them from getting their votes in till the 25th? Tough, they are not to be counted. 55 EVs gone.
- Speaker of the House. The Constitution does not mandate a date for election of Speaker. If the Democrats were to retain the House it would be to Pelosi’s advantage to delay her reelection. Would the Republicans regain the House it would be to their advantage to call for an immediate vote in the first day of the first session of the House.
Qualifying Amendments
There are two:
- The 12th Amendment
- The 20th Amendment...Read all!"
