Quite right. But we have an 18th century blueprint for government that cannot be updated. So we are stuck with 18th century issues being very very important, and 21st century issues being very very absent.
I’m not sure what, other than tearing down the USA and building a replacement, that we can do to fix this. And right now the wrong team is the one setting the stage for the teardown and worse yet, the blueprint for the replacement.
I’m on Team Tear Down and Build a New One, but only after we secure a Team Blue to supervise the tearing down and rebuilding effort. This shit is wack, starting with Electoral College assuring minority rule, Supreme Court policing itself against open corruption, Senate filibustering every good idea comes down the pike, POTUS empowered to pardon any felon he likes, including himself…
Butler was sworn in this afternoon without objections.
She registered to vote in California, establishing residency there, yesterday.
In 2020 Biden won and had a majority of the popular vote. It’s only happened in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016, so it’s rather rare.
Thats not a law, that is a Senate rule- which has been changed several times.
Only Federal crimes, and a self-pardon is doubtful.
Enough for me.
But back to Feinstein’s replacement: If she chooses to run in '24 (I don’t think she will) she’ll probably take votes away from Barbara Lee most of all the three declared candidates.
And that’s probably one reason Barbara Lee is pissed off about how this went down. But, she chose to announce her candidacy for the seat. Had she hedged and waited to see if Feinstein did not make it to the end of her term, Lee probably would have been selected. But she did not know Newsom was going to rule-out current candidates. At this point all she can do is run a good campaign and see if that is enough, plus hope that Butler does not run.
I think that if Newsom wanted Barbara Lee to be the next senator, he would have chosen her rather than make his weird “but no one who wants it” statement. And if he didn’t want her, (which i believe his actions demonstrate) he would have found someone else to tap. I don’t think her having declared her candidacy had anything to do with it.
I gotta admit, I’m intrigued with the choice he made. Butler has a ton of political experience for someone who hasn’t run for an office herself.
Pretty good guess, though. If he’d endorsed any declared candidates, he’d have gotten himself into even hotter water than he is right now, for putting a heavy thumb on the scale. I think Barbara Lee just decided to roll the dice, and hope that DiFi lived out her term.
Yeah, you are probably right.
Oh, I do. I think he mostly doesn’t want to upset Schiff and Porter who a) are so far polling stronger than Lee and b) have political clout. Newsom seems to always be relentlessly triangulating to expand his personal political alliances. Lee and the Congressional Black Caucus are (so far) taking the high road and Schiff and Porter are happy.
I honestly don’t think Newsom would have any problem with Lee. Further if she was already the clear front runner I think he just might have pulled that trigger. But she’s not and this offends the fewest number of people the least. Pure political expediency in what was a bit of a no-win situation.
At least not de facto. De jure, that’s the whole point of having an amendable Constitution: we ought to be able to update anything and everything.
Legal Eagle screwed this up too. President and VP can be from the same state. IF they are from the same state an elector from that state can only vote for one of them.
Yeah, but that would have caused issues.
as was said-
For that particular election sure. But suppose both are from Vermont in a blowout. The 3 EVs wouldn’t matter but both can still be President & Vice-President despite being from the same state.
Okay, you are correct. but back then, it would have been a shitshow, not that anyone would have been able to do anything.
In the Texas scenario, could half of the delegation vote for one and half for the other?
Yes. It is up to each elector to vote for a non-resident for one of the positions.
So what happens to Feinstein’s committee appointments?
Schumer will introduce a resolution to reassign her committee positions to other Democrats. It’s unlikely they’ll go to Butler – unsurprisingly, Feinstein was on some choice committees that much more senior Democrats would love to have. Schumer will have to negotiate those demands. Butler will get put on Joint Committee on Printing or whatever other assignments they use to razz freshmen.