All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[BeastieRunner]

For those asking what happens if a person is incapacitated before, on, or after the election ...

"If something happened after the conventions but before the election, the national party committees would pick another nominee. Under Republican rules, the Republican National Committee could reconvene the national convention, although Pildes told me it’s hard to imagine that being feasible. So in both parties, national committee members would vote to elect a new nominee.2 Pence would once again be the obvious choice for Republicans, although the GOP would also have to pick a new vice presidential nominee (as would the Democrats if this situation arose for them). And while Democrats could try to back a former candidate or an outsider who didn’t run — say, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — Brown said a crisis like this would likely push the Democratic National Committee to put the vice presidential nominee at the top of the ticket. “I assume that the Democrats would attempt to follow that same pattern [as the GOP],” she said.

Neither party has ever had to replace someone at the top of the ticket, but Democrats do have some experience with replacing someone in the No. 2 spot. In 1972, the national convention nominated Missouri Sen. Thomas Eagleton to be George McGovern’s running mate, but after reports surfaced that Eagleton had received electroconvulsive therapy for depression, he withdrew, and the DNC chose Sargent Shriver to fill the vacancy. Brown cautioned me not to read too much into how this worked, though, because she argued that the process would work differently if someone died. “It’s different with a death because a death is unexpected,” said Brown. “Whereas by the time you get to Eagleton withdrawing at McGovern’s request, the whole party is kind of on board with that already.”

And what if something happens very close to Election Day? It’d probably be really hard to pick a replacement in time to update ballots, as most deadlines to certify state ballots would have passed by early October — not to mention other logistical hurdles that could pose problems, such as mailing ballots for overseas military service members in time, or making last-minute adjustments to absentee ballots. It’s entirely possible that if the candidate died only a few days before Nov. 3, voters might not know who the party’s nominee was when they go to the polls.

Again, neither party has experienced this at the top of the ticket, but Republicans did have this happen to a vice presidential candidate in 1912, when sitting Vice President James Sherman died on Oct. 30, just days before the election. This left insufficient time for the RNC to meet and nominate a replacement to join President William Howard Taft on the GOP ticket, but it was also largely a moot point as Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson. The RNC still chose a replacement, Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, who received all eight of Sherman’s electoral votes, but it’s unclear whether a new presidential pick would receive the electoral votes intended for the original nominee today.

That’s because, unlike in 1912, more than half the states have laws that attempt to bind electors to a state’s vote. In fact, there’s an ongoing case in front of the Supreme Court about whether members of the Electoral College are free to vote for whomever they want or whether state laws can require them to vote a certain way. And depending on how the court rules, that could affect the ability of individual states to adjust for the unexpected death of a presidential nominee. For instance, Michigan’s law requires an elector to vote for the ticket named on the ballot whereas Florida’s rules say that an elector is to “vote for the candidates of the party that he or she was nominated to represent.”

Finally, if the nominee was incapacitated after Election Day, a lot might depend on whether he is considered the “president-elect.” If he is, it’s actually pretty straightforward — the 20th Amendment says the vice president-elect shall become president. But if it all happened before the Electoral College votes on Dec. 14 or even before Congress counts the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, it’s not clear what would happen next, as he might not be considered the president-elect. There is one instance of this happening — in 1872, Horace Greeley died on Nov. 29, just before the Electoral College’s Dec. 4 gathering and most of his 66 electoral votes were split among four alternate candidates (including Greeley’s vice presidential nominee, Benjamin Gratz Brown), but this example is largely academic, too, as Greeley had already lost to Republican President Ulysses S. Grant."

From back in April.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...un-for-office/

[Powerboy]

So Trump has Covid. I doubt even this will have any impact on his core followers. But it might really impact the swing votes.

My concern is that I am an "essential" worker and the Republicans have not been willing to grant anymore money to compensate people for not working so I have to work which puts me at risk.

Again, I just hope the irony of Trump calling it all a hoax, not preparing, refusing to wear a mask and holding huge rallies while mocking Biden for playing it safe and not doing that and then getting Covid overwhelmingly brings the swing voters to Biden.

[BeastieRunner]

It has begun:

[BeastieRunner]

"THIS might be the only proof that Trump and Melania are within 6 feet of each other." Savage Conan.

[babyblob]

Fox news is reporting they are transporting Trump to Walter Reed Hospital. Seems fishy if it is just a kild case.

[Kirby101]

Fox news is reporting they are transporting Trump to Walter Reed Hospital. Seems fishy if it is just a kild case.

It's not mild. They are giving him experimental treatments. Not done on mild cases.

[babyblob]

And they are taking him by air care. Not over the road. But they said he is walking under his own power.

[Username taken]

It's not mild. They are giving him experimental treatments. Not done on mild cases.

Yep, he's not having mild symptoms.

The story has been changing, it was no symptoms to mild symptoms to moderate symptoms and now high fever.

It's not surprising considering Trump is well over 70.

[BeastieRunner]

Gonna be a wild weekend.

Already rumors of resignation.

We won't be that lucky, me thinks.

[babyblob]

It is also being reported that the cameras and reporters have been moved as to not witness Trump going to Marine One.

Edit - I dont know how true this report is as NBC, ABC, And Fox News all have cameras pointed at Marine One.

[BeastieRunner]

It is also being reported that the cameras and reporters have been moved as to not witness Trump going to Marine One.

Edit - I dont know how true this report is as NBC, ABC, And Fox News all have cameras pointed at Marine One.

SS made Fox move outside the press barrier. I'm sure it is true.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Gonna be a wild weekend.

Already rumors of resignation.

We won't be that lucky, me thinks.

Yeah, this. 2020 hates all of us, we won't get rid of Trump this easy.

...but we can hope!

[Joker]

Yeah, this. 2020 hates all of us, we won't get rid of Trump this easy.

...but we can hope!

If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that things can change at any moment. The October Surprise could be that moment.

They’re not giving him “antibody cocktails” and airlifting him to Walter Reed because things are okay.

[Iron Maiden]

I assume Mike Pence is in charge now...

[The Cool Thatguy]

I assume Mike Pence is in charge now...

Or Mother is.