What Do you think of Orrin Hatch as President ?

[JI7]

I was looking at the line up to be President. if somehow Trump and Pence are out it means speaker of the house.

But I can actually see Ryan not taking it just because he is so unpopular and there are already conspiracy theories against him among Trump supporters.

After that it would be the "president pro tempore of the Senate" which would currently be Orrin Hatch .

I could accept this and it would be far more preferable to the Pence, Ryan, Tillerson etc. And Hatch would probably be unlikely to run for President himself unless he for whatever reason ends up very popular which i don't see happening. and he is pretty old and probably would be a good time to retire.

[LovingA2andMI]

1. It's Doable....

As Long As Mike Pence or Paul Ryan are OUT!!!

Now what's most doable is a New Election but there is no provision in the Constitution for that at this time.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. No. A new election is NOT doable. Won't happen.

If Trump leaves the WH, Pence will be President. And then a new VP would be selected, as happened in 1973 when Gerald Ford became VP after Spiro Agnew was forced to resign because of his corrupt dealings when Governor of Maryland as well as when Vice President. Then when Ford became President after Nixon resigned, Nelson Rockefeller became the new VP. No new election.

I really think it's important that DUers understand both the Constitution and history.

[LovingA2andMI]

24. Maybe you need to learn how to read....

Scroll back up.....to the SECOND SENTENCE!

With that, your suggestion about "not knowing" the Constitution is null and void. But reading is fundamental.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

25. Yep. I did read all of the sentences.

But to start out with: Now what's most doable is a New Election even if you follow it up with but there is no provision in the Constitution for that at this time. undermines your argument.

People here on DU keep on clamoring for a new election. As someone who was an adult during Watergate, I get very impatient with such ignorance. Ok, so you modified your "what's most doable is a New Election" with an acknowledgement of the lack of Constitutionality for such a thing, so why then do you even bother to bring it up?

[LovingA2andMI]

38. Actually, No It Doesn't...

Again, reading is fundamental instead of reading what one wants to make a point out of no point at all.

Also, we will BRING UP what WE WANT at DU as such relates to thoughts about a New Election with a Republican in the White House doesn't break not ONE RULE of DU. #FYI....

[LaydeeBug]

2. I thought this very same thing, and I am think someone here said he was knee deep in it too. nt

[Stallion]

3. I Thought It Would Be the Best of Bad options

I'd actually be interested to see how he'd govern as a President. Basically a good man - although I disagree with all his stances. He fits into the "I Disagree with Him-but I've never Questioned his Loyalty to the Country" Category

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. It probably won't work that way.

Impeachments would have to be done one at a time. If Trump is gone, Pence becomes president and then he gets to appoint a vice president; if Pence goes after that, his vice president gets to be president and can appoint another vice president, and so forth. It's very unlikely that the succession would ever get as far as Hatch.

[Stallion]

8. True But I Believe His Vice President Needs to Be Confirmed-Right?

Can't remember exactly what happened with Nelson Rockefeller

[tinrobot]

11. Yes, confirmed by House and Senate.

President nominates. Majority vote approves.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

15. Rockefeller's appointment was controversial.

Rockefeller underwent extended hearings before Congress, suffering embarrassment when it was revealed he made massive gifts to senior aides, such as Henry Kissinger, and used his personal fortune to finance a scurrilous biography of political opponent Arthur Goldberg (See Peter Carroll It Seemed Like Nothing Happened, p. 162). He had also taken debatable deductions on his federal income taxes, and ultimately agreed to pay nearly one million dollars to settle the issue, but no illegalities were uncovered, and he was confirmed. Although conservative Republicans were not pleased that Rockefeller was picked, most of them voted for his confirmation. However, some, including Barry Goldwater, Jesse Helms, Trent Lott, and others voted against him. Many conservative groups campaigned against Rockefeller's nomination, including the National Right to Life Committee, the American Conservative Union, and others. The New York Conservative Party also opposed his confirmation. On the left, Americans for Democratic Action opposed Rockefeller's confirmation because it said his wealth posed too much of a conflict of interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Rockefeller

[Alice11111]

29. Interesting review. Thanks. God, if only we could have Rockefeller.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

39. President Rockefeller looks great right now.

Northern Republicans used to be the good guys.

[JI7]

9. i was thinking Pence might go down with Trump

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. In 1973, when Agnew resigned,

Nixon did NOT appoint the new VP, Ford. Essentially the Congressional leadership at the time decided that Gerald Ford was by far the best choice and told Nixon he had no other choice.

And Ford was the right choice. I happen to think his pardoning of Nixon was completely wrong, and it's probably the main reason he did not win the 1976 election, but nonetheless he was a very good interim President.

We should be so lucky in the near future.

[2naSalit]

5. Nope.

I wouldn't trust him alone in a padded cell... just him in the cell, nobody else.

[Norbert9]

6. Should be him or mattis but probably will be pence or Ryan

[rusty fender]

7. Vomit

[eleny]

10. Ryan will take it with as much fake reluctance as he accepted the Speakership, imo

[synergie]

12. God no. I'm sorry but this entire party is compicit here.

[Greybnk48]

43. I am convinced Ryan is part of this, as is Priebus.

They are both pathological liars and crooked as can be. Ryan won't even tell the truth about his workouts, much less more important things! Even right-wing poison monger Charlie Sykes thinks Ryan is a lying git.

As President, he would be a real danger to our country with his Ayn Randian views.

[synergie]

46. The RNC was hacked, as was the Bernie campaign, and Stein and Johnson too.

I can't help wondering what they've got on the GOP, whose servers the White House staff were still using, despite it being illegal and their constant chorus about emails.

Ryan, of course is a lying git. The reason everyone thinks he's a "policy wonk" is that he put that out, despite his apparent inability to grasp how policy actually works. He's just a sadist, as his stances on redefining rape, his work against the VAWA, his obsession with attacking PP and women's health, and let's not forget how delighted and excited he was to deny medical care to people.

[kentuck]

13. Call for an election.

Nationwide.

[Stallion]

18. Unfortunately We Have a Constitution

which doesn't authorize that-its certainly appears warranted when the election was won by fraud rather than impeachment based on actions as a President. There is a significant difference especially in the law. Fraud in the formation of a contract voids the contract ab initio (Latin) which means as if it never happened and therefore void. Unfortunately, Founding Fathers never considered a douche like Trump who would defraud his Country to get elected

[synergie]

47. We do have a precedent in the Supreme court.

There was a case where someone won an election by cheating and fraud, and the remedy in that case was to put into office the legitimate winner.

The founding fathers were not anticipating an entire party to be so corrupt as to fail so miserably in their duties. They should have gotten his ass out of there with the emoluments, but they won't do their job.

[defacto7]

14. No

I'm from Utah. All the above scenarios tell me we're screwed and Hatch wouldn't make it any better.

[lunamagica]

16. NO

[TeamPooka]

17. Thought this when I checked out the line of succession 6 weeks ago. Hatch is the only one

on the list I would call reasonable or sane

[Warren DeMontague]

21. Probably be the last, best hope for the dwindling #s of Americans who want a war on internet porn

Last edited Fri Mar 31, 2017, 05:01 AM - Edit history (1)

especially since Sticky Ricky Santorum seems to be relegated to the status of historical footnote/google joke.

[grantcart]

22. If they go this route it would probably be Romney.

Hatch is wanting to retire anyway.

[world wide wally]

23. How about making 2018 a Presidential election

I know there is no precedence but could it be done.
I knew Trump couldn't help but create a Constitutional crisis one way or another.

[longship]

30. There's no way to do that.

The constitution says that presidential elections occur every four years. PERIOD!

Just because we don't like the situation doesn't mean we get to make shit up.

Just saying.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

31. Sigh. Everyone here needs to understand just how our Constitution works.

There is NO, I repeat, NO provision for an election outside of the normal cycle. To say: there is no precedence but could it be done displays a genuine ignorance of how our system works.

It really is important to understand this. And even if Trump resigns or is removed from office, there will NOT be a new election. Vice President Pence will become our new President, and a new VP will be selected.

To review, for all of you not old enough to remember Watergate: Spiro Agnew was forced to resign because he'd been caught red-handed accepting bribes and the like. We all (those of us who were adults back then) had understood quite clearly that in 1972 Agnew was seen as Nixon's impeachment insurance. Unfortunately for Dick Nixon, Agnew's corruption was so profound that it wasn't all that hard to get rid of him. So then Gerald Ford, a genuinely squeaky-clean Congressman, became Vice President. Which absolutely cleared the way for Nixon to be impeached. Except that he resigned instead.

Right now, Pence does not seem to have sufficient liabilities to remove him from office, and even if that were to happen, I can't imagine an equivalent of Ford out there to move into the Oval Office.

If Trump leaves office (impeached, resigns, whatever) Pence will become President. Period. Some loyal right-wing Republican will become the new VP, and we can only hope that in 2018 the country will elect vast numbers of Democrats at all levels.

Me? I won't be holding my breath.

[SticksnStones]

35. You get that this is just a place for venting and spitballing ideas, right?

It's not like official US policy comes out of these threads...chillax ~ most folks here know the constitution quite well and the call for a new election is nothing more than venting.

It's a catharsis in these incredibly frustrating times where every day brings more information about just how unfair the election was.

Peace.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

41. I do get that this is a place (just a place?) for venting

and spitballing ideas. But it would be more useful to stick to throwing ideas out that have a basis in reality. Throwing out ones that can't possibly happen, like nullifying the election or making 2018 an election year are just plain dumb. Better to invest that energy into something practical, like (and I know I'm going out on a limb here) running for office. Or volunteering to help elect good Democrats to replace some of the awful Republicans currently in office, at all levels. Yeah, those are the dumb ideas.

I'm speaking as someone who has run for office in the past, and who had gone door-to-door on behalf of candidates.

[SticksnStones]

44. Yes, I agree that running for office and canvassing for candidates is paramount

And sincere kudos to you for your actions.

But typing up ideas doesn't really expend a lot of energy and I'd counter it doesn't really detract from the overall mission of supporting dems.

We can do both. I just think it brings in negative energy to poo-poo posts that are really just folks blowing off steam.

Peace, friend.

[alwaysinflux]

26. Y'all must be young

If you think Orrin hatch is good. i got to know of him during the Anita Hill / Clarence Thomas hearings, and he became the epitome of evil republican in my mind. He was despicable. I think he might pass due to his age, and I would hope Tillerson would pass since he is barely able to function as SOS. So does that bring us to Mattis?

[BadgerMom]

28. And Merrick Garland

Hatch once said he thought a moderate like Merrick Garland would be a good Supreme Court nominee. Once Pres. Obama nominated Merrick Garland, Hatch wouldn't go to bat for him. He remained a spineless Republican follower.

No matter what, it's going to be a long tough slog to 2020.

[Alice11111]

27. Clearly, we all go through the same scenarios of "what ifs," hoping to get to Mattis.

Orin Hatch is as despicable as McTurtle. I agree with Poindexter, the most likely scenario is whoever Pence selects as VP...if Pence isn't implicated too, before he is VP...which would give us Ryan, if he survives as Speaker. What an unbelievable nightmare. Just let it be over fast, before he destroys the world.

I think DT's plan, if he resigns, is to make a deal w Pence for a pardon and for Pence to pick Kushner as his VP. However, it is unlikely that Kushner would be confirmed, having the Trump taint, even if Pence stuck to the deal. Still, DT would make that deal because he thinks his legacy would survive. He's obviously setting Kushner up to be Prez someday...at least in his bubble of "reality."

[Egnever]

32. You must be looney

Orin hatch is a special kind of nutjob. Much more dangerous than trump.

[get the red out]

33. I agree

He isn't a traitor, and understands how government works. He is an older guy and I seriously doubt he would want to run for President. He has been in the Senate so long that he probably wouldn't rule out compromises. In normal circumstances this wouldn't be much of a recommendation, but with Trump nukes aren't even off the table, horrific losses of life are going to happen as Trump excellerates conflicts throughout the world.

[yuiyoshida]

34. All Republicans...

[SticksnStones]

36. It's a special kind of galling to know that every remedy available

In our Constitution to this blatantly corrupt administration still rewards republicans.

[blogslut]

37. In my fantasy scenario...

The corruption becomes so obvious and intolerable that about 50 GOP reps switch to the Democratic party. 10 or more switch over in the senate. Trump resigns and flees the country. Pence is left holding the bag and marched off to jail. Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as President.

A girl can dream.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

40. It would be situationally humorous. And almost impossible.

A Trump-Pence dual impeachment is highly, highly, highly unlikely in my mind. Republicans could easily cut bait on Trump, but I don't see nearly as many going along with Pence unless the evidence of his complicity is absolutely so damning that it can't be ignored. Pence as a fringe player won't cut it. Not with a Republican controlled Congress.

A Trump-Pence-Ryan trifecta isn't going to happen. It just won't.

[scarletlib]

42. Puke City

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

45. No fucking way