# If Obama is assassinated in September 08 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367 "2008-08-27T00:04:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/1 "2008-08-27T00:04:07Z")
Are there Democratic Party provisions for a successor to the presidential nominee? Would it be Biden the VP nominee or Clinton, the Primary runner up. In general, what happens? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/2 "2008-08-27T00:06:54Z")
It’s never come up. But the party will decide who replaces him. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/3 "2008-08-27T00:38:50Z")
It has come up, at least for the Vice-Presidential candidate. When Thomas Eagleton resigned from the Democratic ticket in 1972, the Democratic National Committee met to appoint a successor. They came up with Sargent Shriver. There were 76 people who received at least one vote for the vice presidential nomination at the 1972 Democratic convention. Sargent Shriver was not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/4 "2008-08-27T04:17:47Z")
Just to be clear, as long as its _before_ the election its strictly a matter of political party protocol, its not a Constitutional issue. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/5 "2008-08-27T04:23:44Z")
I seriously hope this doesn’t happen (God, I hope it never happens, but I’m afraid of it), but if it did, I would hope they would nominate Hillary since she was a close 2nd place finisher. The GQ answer is that it’s for the party to decide, though, I believe. I don’t think it’s a legal issue at all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/6 "2008-08-27T04:25:41Z")
After her speech tonight, I’m inclined to go with Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/7 "2008-08-27T04:32:52Z")
Just for your information. Reagan AKA as whitey was shot most recently. Please stop with the racist bs. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/8 "2008-08-27T04:42:43Z")
[QUOTE=gravitycrash] Just for your information. Reagan AKA as whitey was shot most recently. Please stop with the racist bs. [/QUOTE] Who are you talking to? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/9 "2008-08-27T04:52:34Z")
Where is the racist bs? ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/10 "2008-08-27T04:56:20Z")
**gravitycrash,** I would guess is making the suggestion that the question was asked because Sen Obama is black. It could be suggested that the question supposed that Sen McCain would not be at risk of assassination because of race. One less reason for the crack-pots to shoot at a nominee I guess. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/11 "2008-08-27T05:31:30Z")
Maybe the question came up because, oh I don’t know, maybe there was news last night that suggested there may have been a plot to assassinate Obama? ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/12 "2008-08-27T06:08:42Z")
[QUOTE=Hail Ants] Just to be clear, as long as its _before_ the election its strictly a matter of political party protocol, its not a Constitutional issue. [/QUOTE] I was thinking of asking this same question but in 2 scenarios: A) If it happened today b) If it happened in December. You seem to be saying that anytime up until inauguration, it’s up the the party. Is that correct? (If so, then ISTM that any further discussion belongs in GD) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/13 "2008-08-27T06:49:10Z")
[QUOTE=Rucksinator] I was thinking of asking this same question but in 2 scenarios: A) If it happened today b) If it happened in December. You seem to be saying that anytime up until inauguration, it’s up the the party. Is that correct? (If so, then ISTM that any further discussion belongs in GD) [/QUOTE] “before the election” means before the election, not “anytime up until inauguration.” After the election, but before the inauguration, it would not be up to the party. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/14 "2008-08-27T07:51:26Z")
[QUOTE=Hail Ants] Just to be clear, as long as its _before_ the election its strictly a matter of political party protocol, its not a Constitutional issue. [/QUOTE] Wait a minute, so the party can just change their mind? So what’s all this convention rigmarole is non-binding? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/15 "2008-08-27T08:34:56Z")
We did the exact same question last election about [John Kerry](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268568) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/16 "2008-08-27T12:46:04Z")
[QUOTE=Hilarity N. Suze] “before the election” means before the election, not “anytime up until inauguration.” After the election, but before the inauguration, it would not be up to the party. [/QUOTE] Depends on what you mean by “after the election.” If it were between election day and when the Electoral College votes, it would still be up to the party. There is precedent for that: in 1872, Democratic candidate Horace Greeley died a few weeks after election day. He had lost, anyway, so it didn’t matter and his electors voted for whoever they wanted. If the election had been at stake, though, the party would have insisted all the electors chose a particular candidate. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/17 "2008-08-27T13:14:02Z")
Is it really possible for a political party to substitute a candidate all the way up to the election? I thought that the several states generally have rules about when the ballots have to be finalized; since these differ from state to state, things might get a little hairy if a candidate ends up on the ballot in one state but has to be replaced in another. [Mel Carnahan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Carnahan), for example, stayed on the Missouri ballot in 2000 despite dying three weeks before the election (and still managed to defeat John Ashcroft); meanwhile, [Paul Wellstone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wellstone) was killed in a plane crash 11 days before his election, and was replaced on the Minnesota ballot. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/18 "2008-08-27T13:22:21Z")
For the last couple weeks I’ve been wondering what would happen if McCain just died from old age a couple days before the election. As far as I figured out it’s tough shit, announce your candidate or don’t have one at all. Nothing states there has to be a candidate for any particular party. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/19 "2008-08-27T15:20:46Z")
[QUOTE=MikeS] Is it really possible for a political party to substitute a candidate all the way up to the election? I thought that the several states generally have rules about when the ballots have to be finalized; since these differ from state to state, things might get a little hairy if a candidate ends up on the ballot in one state but has to be replaced in another. [Mel Carnahan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Carnahan), for example, stayed on the Missouri ballot in 2000 despite dying three weeks before the election (and still managed to defeat John Ashcroft); meanwhile, [Paul Wellstone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wellstone) was killed in a plane crash 11 days before his election, and was replaced on the Minnesota ballot. [/QUOTE] Yes, because you’re never actually voting for a candidate for President. You are voting for his/her electors. Electors are usually staunch supporters of their party, so if their candidate were to croak they’d be very likely to support whomever their party chose as a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367/20 "2008-08-27T16:32:19Z")
[QUOTE=gravitycrash] Just for your information. Reagan AKA as whitey was shot most recently. Please stop with the racist bs. [/QUOTE] How is it racist to ask a protocol question? Would you have felt better if the question was about McCain? For that matter, it would seem that your use of the word “whitey” is inflammatory and racist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-obama-is-assassinated-in-september-08/461367.md?page=2)