U.S. Electile Dementia paralytica 2024

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by axn

Surely, you know about the 61st amendment?

There was one in real life too, the "arnold amendment" (more details if you google it).

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by retina

LaurV's acceptance speech during inauguration:

"... and I shall devote all this country's resources towards finding retina's lair, be it here, or there, or elsewhere, but no matter where, it shall be found, and all of its computing capabilities shall be co-opted into computing the answer to life, the universe, and everything finding more primes."

That!

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by masser

The speculation has already begun, so let's start this thread.

Plus, I can no longer comment on the 2020 thread since it has been closed (with little discussion of said closure). I'm sure there will be more to be said about the 2020 election as events unroll.

It's quite simple, really. The election is over, the winners have taken office, and with the Supreme Court's latest decisions, the last (AFAIK) pending legal disputes of the results have been resolved. The subject is well and truly over. People may want to go on talking about it, but such talk will have no more currency than talking about the elections of 1800 or 1876. Time to move on to the next election, and this is the thread for it.

I don't know how the personality cult will play out politically. It could be that personality cultists and other deluded souls will unite with sane Republicans behind candidates for State and Congressional offices, but split on presidential candidates.

It could be the cult leader will be on an extended visit to Ossining or otherwise unavailable to run by 2024.

The Constitutional citizenship requirement to be President is "natural born citizen." The Fourteenth Amendment says

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

which clearly confers "natural born citizen" status on anyone born in the United States "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." But there are other "natural born citizens." If your parents are resident US citizens, you are a "natural born citizen" whether you are born in the US or not.

There is a limitation to expatriate citizenship, though. If your parents are US citizens born abroad to expatriate citizens who once lived in the US, they are citizens, but if they have never been resident in the US, you will not be a "natural born citizen." No multi-generation expatriate citizenship!

AFAIK there are only two kinds of US citizens these days: "natural born" and "naturalized." If this is correct, then any citizen who didn't have to go through naturalization is a natural born citizen.

One could of course, voluntarily relinquish US citizenship (for instance by becoming a citizen of another country), but I'm not sure under what circumstances someone's citizenship may be legally revoked these days. A naturalized citizen might lose their US citizenship if they were found to have been deceptive when applying to become a naturalized citizen. I had a great-aunt who was a natural born US citizen, who lost her US citizenship when she married a non-citizen, but regained it when her husband became a naturalized citizen. I don't think that can happen nowadays. Citizens can lose some of their rights as citizens such as their right to vote or their right to keep and bear arms, as a result of felony convictions.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

One could of course, voluntarily relinquish US citizenship (for instance by becoming a citizen of another country),...

Accidental Americans

[Dr Sardonicus]

This is from a recent AP story about the CPAC shindig.

Never mind the election, let's make him an Emperor! Is that supposed to be a scepter in his hand?

[tServo]

Is there anything to prevent a convicted felon from being elected president?

I don't think it would stop his fans from voting for him.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/0...records-471585

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by tServo

Is there anything to prevent a convicted felon from being elected president?
<snip>

No legal prohibition to a convicted felon becoming US president AFAIK. IIRC the now late Lyndon Larouche ran for president while incarcerated as a convicted felon (but did not come anywhere close to being elected).

IIRC in 1800, Congressman Matthew Lyon was re-elected while incarcerated under the 1798 Sedition Act, the US equivalent of a Lèse-majesté law. Repealing that law was a top priority of Thomas Jefferson, who was eventually declared the winner of the 1800 presidential election, after a tie in the electoral votes, and in 35 ballots in the US House of Representatives. He obtained the support of Alexander Hamilton, who, though a political adversary, thought Jefferson to be of good character, which he did not think of Aaron Burr, who had tied with Jefferson in the electoral and House votes. Thus it was Jefferson who became our third president, and Burr his vice-president.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Trump's 'Big Lie' imperils Republicans who don't embrace it

WASHINGTON (AP) - Allegiance to a lie has become a test of loyalty to Donald Trump and a means of self-preservation for Republicans.

Trump's discredited allegations about a stolen election did nothing to save his presidency when courtrooms high and low, state governments and ultimately Congress - meeting in the chaos of an insurrection powered by his grievances - affirmed the legitimacy of his defeat and the honesty of the process that led to it.
<snip>
"This message is working," said former Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman, driven from Congress by a Trump-aligned opponent in the party's nomination race in his Virginia district last year. Riggleman pointed to strong local fund-raising success and poll numbers for Trump loyalists.

"If you've got to say things you don't believe in, as long as that leads to a win, that's what's most important," he told MSNBC. "If you think you can win by fanning these flames of disinformation, why wouldn't you do that?" He added: "If you have no integrity."
<snip>

We will now read from the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 28 (KJV):

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

Trump's 'Big Lie' imperils Republicans who don't embrace it:

I think that we have seen this before in a number of Monarchs, Autocrats, etc.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

I think that we have seen this before in a number of Monarchs, Autocrats, etc.

Taking "this" to mean a personality cult for a head of state, we are still seeing it today. Turkmenistan and the DPRK (North Korea) come immediately to mind. Here in the good ol' USA, the cult figure was voted out of office, but his followers still refer to him as "the president" as if he were actually still in office, as opposed to the merely honorific "President _" for former presidents.

In some other countries, a ruler might "retire" from the titular leadership position, take a different position, and continue to rule "behind the scenes."

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

In some other countries, a ruler might "retire" from the titular leadership position, take a different position, and continue to rule "behind the scenes."

cough*putin*cough

Then again "There are always consequences"