If it's a Deadlock, Edwards could be Dubya's VP!!!

[meganmonkey]

Wow - A government in exile?!?! Or the Senate choosing Edwards as Bush's VP???
Craziness!
Their first 100 days
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1340277,00.html
excerpts:

If it is a deadlock...
During any legal fight Bush, as the incumbent, will continue in office with Kerry's team likely to set up its own 'government in exile'.

A straight tie in the electoral college would mean that the President will be chosen by the House of Representatives, while his Vice-President is chosen by the Senate.

The House is likely to still be Republican controlled, meaning Bush would be selected.

Bizarrely, if the Senate fell to the Democrats it could conceivably choose John Edwards as Bush's Vice-President.
-snip-

Edited to fix link (I hope)

[Nite Owl]

1. So when they impeach

* Edwards would be prez.

[The Wielding Truth]

5. Cool scenario.

[secretpoet]

2. Just imagine

if it went the other way, and it ended up being a Kerry/Cheney White House.

I wonder how many assassination attempts there would be.

[RevCheesehead]

3. But what if the house - Gasp! - elects Kerry?!!

Sure, they'd be "on the record," but if repugs are deserting the chimp-in-chief, ANYTHING is possible!

Then (let me dream, OK?), Crash-cart has a heart-attack and dies, and the VP would be: McCain?

[meganmonkey]

4. Hey, it's possible - I like that idea!

All the talk about a 'civil war' within the repub party...

How many more repubs than dems in the house right now?

[tritsofme]

9. It doesn't matter

Each state would get 1 vote.

So each state delegation would have to reach a consensus or their state would not be counted.

GOP has a pretty big margin in control in this category, we can't win in the House, Delay has his Republicans by the balls, every one of them.

I doubt the Senate would pick Edwards even if we regain a majority, likely they would give it to Cheney.

I'm not sure if he could break a tie and vote for himself though...

[Bucky]

8. OK, you dream then. The House would not elect Kerry

Even if we somehow won control of the House, the Constitution says House votes are cast by state delegations, with each state getting one vote. The winner would have to have control of 26 state House delegations. Currently Republicans have a majority of 28 delegations. Another four or five states have tied delegations.

Even if you count Vermont's independent socialist-lite congressman as a Democrat, we'd have to win over control of seven state delegations to get Kerry elected--and this in a year when there are hardly even seven races in the whole House up for grabs.

[Gregorian]

6. Well, you can't say it's boring.

I've been pissed for four years. Then scared. Now, exhilarated.
If it weren't so damned serious, I'd be a lot more fun.

Very interesting post!

[meganmonkey]

12. Thank you, Gregorian!

I thought it was a pretty interesting article (not just the deadlock part). I originally posted it with a much more boring header and no one read it. Or at least, no one replied.

I figured with a more sensational sounding headline, I might get some hits. It seems to have worked.

;)

[Walt Starr]

7. Link is broken and there would NEVER be a government in exile

The Brits don't have a clue here. The electoral college decides. If there are legal challenges, they'll be decided before the electoral college votes. There will not and cannot be a "government in exile".

[meganmonkey]

10. Link is fixed.

And don't you think if it is contested and Kerry won't concede he would start putting together his administration? If it drags on for weeks I am sure he would be preparing. And with Bush as the incubumbent, he wouldn't be considered 'in exile', Kerry would.

[Walt Starr]

11. Gore and Bush were both putting together their administrations

and neither were considered "in exile".

By definition, for a Kerry government to be "in exile", it would have to exist after January 20, 2005 while Bush is illegally occupying the White House. Kerry's government does not exist until 12:00 AM Eastern Time on January 20, 2005.

[meganmonkey]

13. Semantics...

Even in the article, 'government in exile' is in quotes. I think all they're referring to is that the administrations will be getting put together, as you say in you post that's a given. But if it is still legitimately disputed come Jan. 20, there are a lot of folks who will not recognize Bush*'s govt, and will recognize Kerry's. At that point, would it be considered 'in exile' to you?

[Walt Starr]

14. Yes, after January 20 if Bush refuses to leave, Kerry will have

a government in exile.