Here's today's lottery question. Who will Mike Pence nominate to be his vice president when he assume the office of president -- to replace him when he is forced to resign?
Keep in mind that it was Nixon's nomination of Gerald Ford (to replace former VP Spiro Agnew who had resigned) that largely cleared the way for pushing for Nixon's impeachment, since Ford was acceptable to all sides in case he had to himself become president. And this is actually a very serious question, since it's possible that any Pence removal from office -- remote as that is (though not implausible) -- would probably not take place until well-down the line, most likely after the 2018 mid-term elections...at which point it is not unreasonable to think that Nancy Pelosi will again be Speaker of the House, and next in line to be president if Pence doesn't name someone as his VP -- who is acceptable to Democrats. He couldn't name an ideologue like himself, since the Democrats could block the person, leaving the door open to Pelosi. And honestly, I don't think Democrats would actually want that, since a change of party in the White House without election would be deeply problematic. But it still gives them great power in making sure Pence would name someone reasonable that Democrats could accept. Someone who would be sane and solid, but not necessarily a threat in 2020.
4 Comments
Douglass Paul Abramson
6/17/2017 11:04:07 pm
It won't happen, but if I was in the GOP, I'd ask Colin Powell; with the qualifier that he would not run for office in 2020, if Pence gets the heave ho too. Moderate, respected on both sides of the isle and can not seriously be painted as weak on defense and foreign policy by the Alt-right loons. It would also give him a chance to repair some of the damage to his reputation the Bush Administration created when they sent him unwittingly, to the UN to lobby for the second Iraq War with bogus intelligence. And since an easy case can be made for him, the GOP will pick Gingrich.
Reply
Robert J Elisberg
6/18/2017 09:00:11 am
You've honed in on the problem here. "It won't happen" is the appropriate way to start your comments. It's a great suggestion, but not in the real world where Trump even struggled to find a law firm that would defend him.
Reply
Douglass Paul Abramson
6/18/2017 12:02:24 pm
True, but that was a very different GOP. Only a decade or so before that, a Republican Senate decided that Sessions was too racist for the Federal bench. The current Bozos didn't even blink when asked to approve him as the country's top law enforcement official.
Reply
Robert J Elisberg
6/18/2017 12:15:59 pm
I don't know with an absolute certainty what this GOP Senate will do. But an on-the-record censure is a high hurdle to overcome. Besides which, the current Congress and especially the Senate have no great love for Newt Gingrich. Keep in mind, as well, that the Senate worked with Jeff Sessions as a fellow-member for years when they approved him for AG. So, he and Gingrich are apples and oranges. Besides, it's also important to note that Trump didn't nominate Gingrich for any cabinet post, despite his aggressive support. And Trump is the one with the relationship with Gingrich, not Pence, who is the person who would have to nominate a VP. Could Pence nominate Gingrich and Congress approve him? Sure. Will they -- for all the reasons above and probably more, no, I personally don't think he has a chance. Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
Categories
All
|
© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2024
|