Trump, Covid-19, Martial Law

[Hercules56]

Covid-19 doesn't go away in the Summer, mutates to become more deadly, sticks around through the Fall.

500,000 Americans have been infected. 15,000 have died. Numbers keep going up.

Trump decides that for the "good of the nation", the November election is postponed until the virus goes away.

Probable? Not likely. Possible? Very much so. So much so that it's kinda scary.

 

[Hans]

Covid-19 doesn't go away in the Summer, mutates to become more deadly, sticks around through the Fall.

500,000 Americans have been infected. 15,000 have died. Numbers keep going up.

Trump decides that for the "good of the nation", the November election is postponed until the virus goes away.

Probable? Not likely. Possible? Very much so. So much so that it's kinda scary.

I had a similar fear that polling station would be 'to dangerous' and they would delay the election or stretch it over 10 days or so to allow fewer people to be crowded together.

 

[Hercules56]

I had a similar fear that polling station would be 'to dangerous' and they would delay the election or stretch it over 10 days or so to allow fewer people to be crowded together.

Honestly if this **** does last through the summer, I will be very reluctant to go into a crowded polling site.

 

[dudalb]

If this really happens, no choice but armed resistence.

 

[theprestige]

If this really happens, no choice but armed resistence.

And then someone in the armed resistance brigade coughs, and they all die of C19, thinking as they expire, "I guess postponing the election was a good idea after all."

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Treatment will be available sooner than that. But it wouldn't surprise me if Miller and incompetrump aren't making contingency plans for seizing power.

I wouldn't have said this with any other POTUS.

 

[dudalb]

And then someone in the armed resistance brigade coughs, and they all die of C19, thinking as they expire, "I guess postponing the election was a good idea after all."

But just a few days ago you were sying how C19 was being blown out of propotion by the anti Trump media.
THat is a change of view positively Orwellian in it's nature.
But I admire your devotion to Dear Leader.

 

[theprestige]

But just a few days ago you were sying how C19 was being blown out of propotion by the anti Trump media.

I was?

Say I'm wrong. How does not postponing the elections help you?

THat is a change of view positively Orwellian in it's nature.

Be careful you don't pull a muscle, straining like that.

But I admire your devotion to Dear Leader.

Personal attack noted and reported.

 

[MinnesotaBrant]

Witchehunting makes a comeback with or without merit don’t know yet. The inquisition doth make a return to Salem.

 

[Trebuchet]

Honestly if this **** does last through the summer, I will be very reluctant to go into a crowded polling site.

You know how many polling sites there are, crowded or not, in my state? Zero, Zilch, Nada. It's all by mail. Or if you wish to save a stamp, you can drop it the handy box behind the courthouse.
Of course, Republicans will never go for it because it's too easy for ******* to vote.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Trump decides that for the "good of the nation", the November election is postponed until the virus goes away.

Probable? Not likely. Possible? Very much so. So much so that it's kinda scary.

Under the Constitution, the President does not have the authority to postpone an election. Congress has the power to set the election date. The date is set by statute; any changes would require approval by both houses. Congress could theoretically give the President or someone office of the Executive branch the power to et the election date, but that would also have to be a law passed by both houses.

It is questionable whether Congress could postpone an election after December 31, because the Constitution sets what years elections must be held. But the Supreme Court has allowed fairly wide jurisdiction of elections to Congress. If there were a national emergency due to a virus, I think the Supreme Court would allow Congress to postpone to a later date.

Under the Constitution, the terms of President and Vice-President expire on January 20. If neither a President and Vice-President have been elected by that date, Congress sets who will act as President until a President or Vice President have been determined. Under current law set by Congress, the House would determine the President, with each State getting one vote as determined by that State's Representatives. If nobody gets at least 26 votes, the Speaker of the House acts as President until someone gets 26 votes.

If an election was postponed until after January 20, I think once the election is held the elected President would replace the acting President (it depends on how you interpret the Constitution). The other reading would be that Congress determines who acts as President, and if they postponed the election I would think they would designate that the person winning the election would become President (otherwise the Supreme Court would probably find the postponement unconstitutional).

 

[The Great Zaganza]

At this point, I find it more likely that the Cabinet will ex Trump via the 25th when Republicans in Congress start dying.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

A less severe response is vote by mail, but that requires a bit of foresight and organization.

In my state, I'd either vote early when there are no crowds, or request a vote by mail ballot.

 

[carlitos]

Covid-19 doesn't go away in the Summer, mutates to become more deadly, sticks around through the Fall.

500,000 Americans have been infected. 15,000 have died. Numbers keep going up.

Trump decides that for the "good of the nation", the November election is postponed until the virus goes away.

Probable? Not likely. Possible? Very much so. So much so that it's kinda scary.

None of the conspiracy people who have proposed this scenario have seemed to consider absentee or mail-in balloting. Almost every state could manage things without much significant change, and those that would need to adjust have plenty of time to do so.

 

[Segnosaur]

If an election was postponed until after January 20, I think once the election is held the elected President would replace the acting President (it depends on how you interpret the Constitution).

Not sure that would work in reality.

The > 1 month delay between the general election and the inauguration is generally used to set up a transfer of power... The incoming administration gets ready to appoint top-level officials, there is knowledge transfer between outgoing and incoming appointees, etc.

If a president is elected and takes over right away, they would not have their 'team' in place.

 

[timhau]

Not sure that would work in reality.

The > 1 month delay between the general election and the inauguration is generally used to set up a transfer of power... The incoming administration gets ready to appoint top-level officials, there is knowledge transfer between outgoing and incoming appointees, etc.

That knowledge transfer thing is going to be a problem.

 

[Armitage72]

If a president is elected and takes over right away, they would not have their 'team' in place.

There was no team in place last time, and look how that worked out.

 

[TalosMarr]

None of the conspiracy people who have proposed this scenario have seemed to consider absentee or mail-in balloting. Almost every state could manage things without much significant change, and those that would need to adjust have plenty of time to do so.

Sure, that's viable if you don't mind millions of votes getting lost for months, in the court system or physically, and the possibility of some additional ballots being "found". That's what some of the hubub in Florida was about for 2018, found mailed ballots postmarked on and before the day of the election, and they've been dealing with mail in ballots for decades. Multiply that by every state that doesn't already do mass mail in ballots (and some that do like Florida again) with a short term rollout and it would be chaos.

ETA: And expensive, how much do you think it will cost to print and ship ~ 250 million mail in ballots in 8 months, because if everyone eligible doesn't get one there will be even more lawsuits and delays.

That's not even mentioning that it would completely circumvent the voter ID requirements that the GOP has spent the last decade pushing through as a dire "need".

ETA 2: I don't think that the voting suspension thing is worth worrying about myself, outside of potential for short term martial law if **** really gets bad. Mostly because the voting stuff is decided by the House not any part of the Executive and continuing martial law without the approval of Congress past the narrow time allowed should trigger the unlawful order clause for anyone attempting to be made to enforce it.

 

[Ranb]

That's not even mentioning that it would completely circumvent the voter ID requirements that the GOP has spent the last decade pushing through as a dire "need".

Voter ID laws still work when absentee or mail-in ballots are used. The person still needs proper ID to register.

Ranb

 

[ChristianProgressive]

Covid-19 doesn't go away in the Summer, mutates to become more deadly, sticks around through the Fall.

500,000 Americans have been infected. 15,000 have died. Numbers keep going up.

Trump decides that for the "good of the nation", the November election is postponed until the virus goes away.

Probable? Not likely. Possible? Very much so. So much so that it's kinda scary.

With the Treasonous, illegitimate GOP in power? I'd go with likely or highly likely.