You guys are missing out on the real question. What if all the anti-war protestors got up and started buring our churches, forcing women to get abortions, outlawing christianity, and converting our children to homosexuality? Unlikely I know. But if the anti-war people DID do that, what would you do? Would you try to stop them from destroying America? Or would you simply go along with the liberal threat to our way of life?
I think my speculation proves that anti-war protestors are a threat to America, and should be rounded up and put in camps so that they cannot enact their godless agenda. After all, if they would do such things, they MUST be evil, right?
Certainly the state legislature can choose its electors in any way it prefers, down to having them go at it with quarterstaffs on a bridge across a stream in a state park – the winners being those who avoid getting toppled into the water. (Charging admission to watch this might be a good way to improve the state finances!)
However, one small problem lies in the failure to permit a popular vote to choose the electors – the state loses its representation in the House:
And there would be 49 states prepared to insist that the penalty be imposed – it gives them more representatives. (I’m thinking of Utah’s protest against N.C. after the last census as a good example of the extent to which they will push the issue.)
As for my senators and representative, Bob Etheridge is the latter, and as a good moderate Democrat, he would be raising the roof about the cancellation of elections – and I need not say what office Liddy and John aspire to and how they’d react to having it placed out of their reach, need I?
In all seriousness, what makes this such a ridiculous hypothetical is GWB’s own personality – I’m sure he sees himself as a white knight leading the forces of goodness against the Axis of Evil – but he’s also been surprisingly moderate in many ways, not kowtowing to the extreme right wing of his own party but within his own personal ideology trying to do the “big tent” thing. (A high member of his staff met with HRC recently, and the religious right were outraged – “He’s supposed to listen to us, not them!” was what their remarks boiled down to.
I would work to assist the flying purple monkeys who would come down from the planet Zarkon to impose benevolent dictatorship and distribute free pudding to all.
Then I would go shopping for new shoes, vacuum the living room, and set up a puppet government headed by my sister’s Golden Labrador.
What exactly is the purpose of these scenarios?
What would you do in case of alien invasion? What if the law of gravity is revoked every second Wednesday? What if Michael Jackson turns out to be the love child of Elvis and Bigfoot?
The advantage of fantasy is the same as the disadvantage. The laws of probability don’t apply.
There is effectively zero chance that Bush will suspend elections. There is effectively zero chance that anyone would abide by a decision by him to do so. There is effectively zero chance that the Justice Department or any Republican in Congress or any state government who would support him. The Supreme Court would instantly overturn such a decision, the military would not act in obedience to enforce such a decision, and every voter in America would reject the idea out of hand.
Because, Shodan, to any good Liberal or any good Conservative, the guys on the other side are pure eeee-villll, out to destroy American [values/freedom – (select the proper term for your protest)] and not caring a whit for the rights of the opposition.
I think you and I ought to protest – we didn’t get the memo announcing this!
As long as we’re playing “Let’s make believe!”, let’s actually use our imaginations! My personal take on your scenario is as follows:
I’d use this crisis to spring into action. As last surviving person from the planet Krypton, I’ve grown up on Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of normal men.
Having rewoven the baby-blankets that wrapped me in the rocket as it hurled through the void towards Earth into an eye-catching costume, I publically reveal myself. I casually hurl the Constitution-breaking bastards from their false seats of power, restoring the elections and bringing TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY! back to the people.
Thrilled by this, the people, as one, vote for a constitutional ammendment to suspend (for me only) the “have to be born a U.S. citizen”* bit in the constitution and I’m elected president of the United States, getting a 99% turnout (of eligible voters) and of that 99%, capturing 99% of that (giving me every electoral vote: the only demographics I didn’t sweep were the “manical bald scientist” group and the “5th dimensional imp” demo.)
Once in power, I parlay my ability to solve the national debt by using a combination of super strength and heat vision to turn plain coal into diamonds. I also use my X-Ray vision to find sunken pirate treasure. I not only balance the budget but have so much of a surplus that we not only have guns AND butter, we also have rifles and mocha-hazelnut frappes for EVERYONE!
Then, once the masses are lulled into a false sense of security, my reign of terror will begin. First, I pass a law forbidding any woman to wear lead-lined underwear…
Super-Fenris
*cause I’m using the Earth-One version, not the Byrne version, that’s why.
Actually, Polycarp, I don’t mind that part. As a proud member of the Vast, Right-Wing Conspiracy, I take pride in my commitment to bringing an end to the rights of anyone who disagrees with me in the slightest.
But these bizarre scenarios annoy me. We don’t get enough information. It’s like what they used to do in fourth grade -
"What if you had to choose between eating a cow flop and dropping a live wolverine into your undershorts? "
I need more context than that before I can choose.
For a coup as predicated to last longer than a lunch break, there has to be some kind of popular support, or else an occupying force (either foreign or domestic) to enforce the dictatorship. The OP rules out invasion, and as a conservative, I have never met any conservative - literally never - who advocated a change to a dictatorship in the US.
Maybe I don’t get out as much as I should, but I cannot believe there are vast numbers of secret fascists in the US. Therefore an announcement that elections had been suspended would be met (IMO) with a mixture of incredulity, annoyance, and the automatic expectation that whoever attempted it would be in custody somewhat sooner than convenient.
And suggestions that the Republicans (or Democrats if Clinton had tried it) would go along with it is ludicrous. Not a single member of Congress would consider it for a split second. This is especially so, because the OP suggests that the suspension of elections happened for “moderately compelling reasons”.
This is simply impossible. And anyone who thinks that there is any chance that Republicans would go for it, or Americans would accept it, is so far out of touch as to be delusional.
So if you can have your delusions, I can have them about flying monkeys as well.
(On preview, Super-Fenris has my vote to resolve the crisis. Although I would recommend against basing the currency on diamonds - too much power to the DeBeers Company. Instead, use your super-powers to build a solar energy collection array around the sun, and beam unlimited cheap energy via microwaves back to earth.
Although I would begin work on my idea for a Kryptonite-lined IUD for Lois Lane at once. Call me mad, would you? I’ll show them who’s mad! Bwahahahaha!)
Don’t take me too seriously. I don’t think the conditions in the US are anywhere near allowing an attempt at a ham-handed junta. I like that, “ham-handed junta.”
Anyway, who the hell knows? I’d probably get shot by a federale the first week. Rebellions suck for the rebels. They have all the sattelites and tanks. We’d just have the mountains.
Anyway, would anyone let the president cancel elections for a good reason,* much less a pretext? I’d rather be one of the people who died fighting. Seriously.
This is a silly scenario, but if you want a serious answer, I probably would just stay home and bitch. I mean, I wouldn’t like it, but I really don’t see myself going all rebel. The poor vision and poor coordination would mean I couldn’t really hit anybody with a bullet, the hay fever would mean camping in the mountains wouldn’t be fun, and the morbid obesity would mean that I can’t run from the police or army coming to arrest me.
I do believe you’ve written yourself a .sig line here, my friend!
Seriously, I think that the incremental demonization and factionalization of this country is really getting absurd. I played Scot’s game in the same way as I answered the Adam and Eve’s children in Eden question – as an interesting hypothetical exercise, or a “What would happen if the Supreme Court declared the Civil Rights Act of 1964 unconstitutional – retroactively to when it was passed?” debate.
But I’m a liberal (not card carrying, unfortunately, if you don’t count my Social Security card! ;)) and I have to agree with you that conservatives are just people who see things differently than I do but are motivated by what they see as the common good. And I’d hope that the same could be said by many a conservative about us left-wing radical pinkos out to destroy American values wholesale.*
Me, if any of this happens, I will just cool it, make my way to Colorado, where Fenris will of course have found the Citadel, and then proclaim myself as the Chief Prophet of Og the Mighty. We’ll see how long GWB can resist a combination of good old American razzle-dazzle and the magnetogravitic spectrum. (The OP said to use our imaginations!)
Well, really, we’re working it retail – the old Fabian thing, you know!
Now I bet you thought this was all monkeyshines, didn’'t you? Now I’m a-gonna tell you, down heah in Alabammy, we are gonna circumvent the electorial procedure by moving that there primary election back befoah the Republican Con-vention, therefore relegating that “Shrub” character to a write-in candidacy.
