What happens if...

Petra · #1 11-01-2004, 05:20 AM

...the election is a tie?

As I understand it - just learned this about 10 mins ago on a political commentary piece on the news and would like to make sure I 'get it' - should the election be a tie, the vote then goes to the House of Representatives who choose the President, and they usually go Republican (?); then the vote goes to the Senate to vote on who'll be Vice, and they usually choose Democrat (?), and so the US could end up with a Bush/Edwards leadership or at a long shot, a Kerry/Cheney team.

Is that how it goes?

I only caught bits of it, so I'm unsure of my recollection and understanding of what happens in this rare instance.

Has there been any combo leaderships in US history?

Either way, wouldn't that be a totally rad situation! :giggle:

trendkill · #2 11-01-2004, 05:30 AM

I think that's true either in the case of a tie, or in the event that neither candidate gets 270 electoral votes. So in theory Bush could lose the popular vote and the electoral vote, and yet still be reelected by the House of Representatives.

Petra · #3 11-01-2004, 05:34 AM

He may be reelected in such a situation, but surely he would be kept in check more, and forced to be more transparent, by having to accommodate the greater political clout of a Democrat Vice Prez?

The Lone Ranger · #4 11-01-2004, 05:44 AM

Since both the House and Senate are in the hands of Republicans now, if it came down to that, I don't think there's much chance of them picking anyone other than Cheney to be Vice President.

Sadly, the voters in 2000 made it abundantly clear that Bush did not have a mandate. That didn't stop him from claiming that he did and running the country exactly as he saw fit, though.

In this country, the Vice President has almost no real power, except to cast the deciding vote in the the event of a tie vote in the Senate. So, I think Bush could and would ignore a Vice President who was at odds with him, especially since he wouldn't have to worry about re-election.

*Sigh*

Michael

Petra · #5 11-01-2004, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

Since both the House and Senate are in the hands of Republicans now, if it came down to that, I don't think there's much chance of them picking anyone other than Cheney to be Vice President.

Hmmm, that's a bummer.

Quote:

In this country, the Vice President has almost no real power, except to cast the deciding vote in the the event of a tie vote in the Senate. So, I think Bush could and would ignore a Vice President who was at odds with him, especially since he wouldn't have to worry about re-election.

*Sigh*

Michael

He may have to be more careful to avoid impeachment, though, wouldn't he? And, gawd, think of the leaks?! The White House would look like a sieve, it'd be so full of holes!

The Lone Ranger · #6 11-01-2004, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunachick

He may have to be more careful to avoid impeachment, though, wouldn't he? And, gawd, think of the leaks?! The White House would look like a sieve, it'd be so full of holes!

Ooh! Good point!

It would be a lot harder to run his cryptofascist agenda under those circumstances.

Oh, I would so dearly like to see Bush impeached. And then tried for war crimes.

Cheers,

Michael

wade-w · #7 11-01-2004, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lunachick

He may have to be more careful to avoid impeachment, though, wouldn't he? And, gawd, think of the leaks?! The White House would look like a sieve, it'd be so full of holes!

Not really. Impeachment of the President is a function of the House, and if impeached, the Senate then prosecutes. I can't imagine a majority Republican House bringing impeachment proceedings against a Republican President. And there is no requirement that the Vice President be included in anything, so leaks are not necessarily a problem.

wade-w · #8 11-01-2004, 06:06 AM

The original procedure for choosing the Vice President was that while the cadidate with the most electoral votes became President, the candidate with the second most votes was then elected to the Vice Presidency. So yes, the first several administrations were all "combo leaderships" by default. At least, until the process for choosing the Vice President was amended.

As The Lone Ranger notes, the Vice President has little power, and no official input on policy or anything else. He is officially the President of the Senate, which is mostly a ceremonial position; he only gets a vote if the Senate is tied. Even this function is so weak that the real political leader of the Senate (the Sentorial equivalent of the Speaker of the House) has an official title as well, President Pro Tem.

To answer your other question, if no candidate has a clear majority in the Electoral College, then the House of Representatives holds a vote to elect the President. Since the House is currently Republican, this would in effect mean Bush would be reelected. This has happened before, but I am too lazy right now to look up the details.

Dingfod · #9 11-01-2004, 06:16 AM

Wouldn't the Prez and the Veep be chosen by the newly elected Congress not the current Congress? If that is the case, the Senate could well have a Democrat majority and we'd end up with a Bush-Edwards administration? I mean, Karl Rove is probably going to be wanted by the FBI when they find out he made and starred in the Azzan the American al Qaeda video*, so what would Bush do without his brain? Especially when the International War Crimes Court will have a warrant for Bush himself.

*My theory that this video was Roverboy's October surprise he claimed to have up his sleeve. I've seen video stills in which Azzan's eyes and eyeglasses bear a strong resemblance to Roverboy. Voiceprints anyone? Didn't it seem like Azzan the American spoke with a bit of a Texas accent? He sounded a lot like Roverboy. [conspiracy nut mode off]

Petra · #10 11-01-2004, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrenly

Wouldn't the Prez and the Veep be chosen by the newly elected Congress not the current Congress?

So, it is possible?

:chin:

wade-w · #11 11-01-2004, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrenly

Wouldn't the Prez and the Veep be chosen by the newly elected Congress not the current Congress? If that is the case, the Senate could well have a Democrat majority and we'd end up with a Bush-Edwards administration?

My first reaction is to say no, because the newly elected Congress would not be sitting yet. But I'm not positive, so I'm going to have to go look it up. Damn you Warrenly! I wanted to be lazy tonight!