This year our country will experience something in presidential politics that has not been seen in nearly two generations: a sitting U.S. Senator will be elected President.
For so long we have learned that members of the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body,” a.k.a., the U.S. Senate, were constitutionally (excuse the pun) unable to assume the country’s highest office. Of course, THE Constitution has not prohibited it. The electorate has. Time and time again. Call John Kerry. He will explain it to you.
We are told that being Governor is the prerequisite to the post of Commander-in-Chief. George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton. Beyond that, your only hope was being a Vice President hoping to reach the next level: Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush. In the interest of good taste, I am excluding Lyndon B. Johnson, of course.
So, this year our country will make history. We will for the first time ever either elect a female or black American or, definitely, for the first time in 48 years, choose a sitting Senator, as we did in 1960 with the promise of the youthful John F. Kennedy. Yes, in 2008, we will choose another JFK. The choice will either be JFK, his mother, or his grandfather. Shame on me! But you get the point.
Admittedly, I am dismissing Mike Huckabee, a Governor, who would historically seem to have a lock on becoming the next Leader of the Free World. An earlier article provides my reasons for why that will not happen.
Tonight at the family dinner table, my high school children asked what would happen if the country did not want anything to do with these candidates and for some perverse reason wrote-in George W. Bush, with 75% of the vote, and Mickey Mouse, with the remaining 25%. I was able to inform them that George W. was constitutionally prohibited from serving as President any longer (and there is no pun here), and Mickey could not because he is not a U.S. citizen over 35 years old. Well, OK, he is over 35 years old, but I told the kids that citizens usually are of the human persuasion despite how some of them act periodically.
So, I throw out to my great audience of readers -- and ask both of you -- how would our country deal with this crisis? I figured that the Speaker of the House would govern by default, as the sitting Vice President’s term would have expired. But I confess. I have no idea.
If any of my readers would like to opine on this totally silly matter, please do not hesitate to e-mail and I will gladly post responses at the bottom of this article on my website.
2008 is looking like an incredibly exciting year. We are all going to have a great deal of fun.
Comments:
"2008 is looking like an incredibly exciting year. We are all going to have a great deal of fun."
Fred, I for one don't share your enthusiasm for the lackluster field of losers that our country and system have chosen to rise to "finals" of contendorship to lead America into the future. In my assessment, if you were to aggregate their assets in terms of leadership, integrity, ability and agenda, they would not have the collective value of a singular Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower. It's all about $$ and ego and in some cases a place in history. I for one find it depressing that the race to the bottom for the Presidency goes on. To have to choose between candidates that for me offer a lack of experience, an agenda that I can't embrace or someone that I find personally repugnant is not "an exciting year".
Let me add that even though it might invalidate your precept that we are "guaranteed to make history", I really hope Michael Bloomberg throws his hat into the ring to at least give us an alternative.
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Equally tongue in cheek, I’m sure the decision would be handed to the Supreme Court, where, in their eagerness to undo the huge mistake of the 2000 election, Al Gore would be declared the winner! (Smile)
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 475 words.
© February 7, 2008
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