# Will there even be a 2020 election? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2019, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027 "2019-11-26T20:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/81 "2019-11-30T15:02:41Z")
If somehow things look really bad next summer for Trump I can see him quitting and say it’s for health reasons. But the odds of that are 5% at best. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/82 "2019-11-30T16:03:29Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Is this a joke? The idiot in chief has done stupid shit, but also good shit. We’re nowhere close to a Constitutional crisis, popular uprising, or coup d’etat. Where do stupid questions such as this originate? people who think history started the day they were born. ---
**Author:** ![DrCarioca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/77aa72/32.png) [@DrCarioca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCarioca)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/83 "2019-12-01T11:06:44Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > There has never been a period in American history as crazy as this one… Well, the Civil War was pretty crazy… ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/84 "2019-12-01T17:23:58Z")
> [@DrCarioca](#): > > Well, the Civil War was pretty crazy… This… also, The Depression was pretty Crazy Civil rights era was pretty crazy The Cuban missal crisis was pretty crazy This is the age of social media and hyperbole. People don’t like or like the President because either he’s a outsider and that’s bad or he’s an outsider and that’s good. We’ll survive it. Shrug. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/85 "2019-12-01T18:24:07Z")
Look at Agnew/Nixon. First Agnew resigned (not a first for VP). Ford was appointed VP. (A first due to a new constitutional amendment.) Nixon resigned (a first) and Ford became President. First time anyone became President without being elected to at least VP. And that wasn’t the only crazy thing in that era. From ~1964-1974 a whole lot of unusual things happened. Far more unusual than now. (And there were rumors in 1972 that Nixon was going to cancel the election if he thought he was going to lose.) And, as people have pointed out, this wasn’t the strangest period in our history yet. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/86 "2019-12-01T18:29:41Z")
Can we declare that the official first-day of the Presidential election season is when a straight dope member asks if it is true the next presidential election won’t be held? ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/87 "2019-12-01T21:59:49Z")
Only if the Democrats can’t come up with a candidate. Which they will, even if the main criterion is a pulse. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2019, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/88 "2019-12-01T22:04:55Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Can we declare that the official first-day of the Presidential election season is when a straight dope member asks if it is true the next presidential election won’t be held? Only if the question is asked immediately after the prior inauguration, which is when the next season starts. We no longer pause between presidential terms; it’s continuous. Get the organizing and fundraising started FAST or you’re a loser. Crazy times now, and past? Yes, because crazy country, now and past and forever. Who said America grew from infancy to senility without passing maturity? America is more an idea than a place. No, the country has not yet imploded; but “past performance is no guarantee of future results,” as a stock prospectus may warn. Yes, it can all go to shit… if we let it. ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/89 "2019-12-02T14:57:39Z")
I’m sorry but no. We will have an election because the Constitution says so. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/90 "2019-12-02T17:14:08Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > People don’t like or like the President because either he’s a outsider and that’s bad or he’s an outsider and that’s good. We’ll survive it. Shrug. I feel that this kind of comment really minimizes what is happening. Yes Trump is an outsider and so was Reagan (to a lesser degree, but still). The difference is that we have someone utterly corrupt and craven in the white house, who flouts the law in plain sight, and has found a party and political climate willing to acquiesce to that. I think the Ukraine thing is worse, and definitely more brazen than Watergate, and yet half the population sees nothing wrong, and a good chunk of those think the real crime is being perpetrated by the “deep state” or whatever. Many on the religious right see trump as some kind of savior. For me, it’s not enough to say we’ve been through a lot in the past. I see no guarantee that Democracy and the separation of powers is going to survive this, especially since both are already critically damaged at this point. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/91 "2019-12-02T18:38:42Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I feel that this kind of comment really minimizes what is happening. > Yes Trump is an outsider and so was Reagan (to a lesser degree, but still). > > The difference is that we have someone utterly corrupt and craven in the white house, who flouts the law in plain sight, and has found a party and political climate willing to acquiesce to that. > I think the Ukraine thing is worse, and definitely more brazen than Watergate, and yet half the population sees nothing wrong, and a good chunk of those think the real crime is being perpetrated by the “deep state” or whatever. Many on the religious right see trump as some kind of savior. > > For me, it’s not enough to say we’ve been through a lot in the past. I see no guarantee that Democracy and the separation of powers is going to survive this, especially since both are already critically damaged at this point. I don’t buy this, just saying. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/92 "2019-12-02T19:54:33Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > I don’t buy this, just saying. Which part? The accurate stuff about Trump and who supports him? Or the assertion that the USA as we know it is very likely to change in the near future? ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/93 "2019-12-02T22:21:43Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > People don’t like or like the President because either he’s a outsider and that’s bad or he’s an outsider and that’s good. I’d just like to chime in that this is ludicrous - it’s wrong about the motivations of _both_ pro and anti-Trump folks. As in, _absurdly_ wrong. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/94 "2019-12-03T16:37:18Z")
> [@EarlGrayHot](#): > > I’m sorry but no. We will have an election because the Constitution says so. The Constitution says treaties are the supreme law of the land; the US has broken those since Washington’s term. It contains emoluments clauses, many voting rights articles, and various other bits this slimeball willfully violates. Dubya called the Constitution “just a scrap of paper” and Tramp wipes his butt with it. Wishful thinking won’t ensure an election, especially not a “free and fair” election, which is nowhere guaranteed. We’ve no guarantees either of honest, transparent vote counts. And that’s just what Team Tramp and their Russian master want: to dis-empower democracy, to dis-unite the American union. Tramp has already threatened civil war. That’s the endgame. Something called an “election” may indeed occur in November 2020. But no guarantees. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/95 "2019-12-03T19:42:40Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > The Constitution says treaties are the supreme law of the land; the US has broken those since Washington’s term. It contains emoluments clauses, many voting rights articles, and various other bits this slimeball willfully violates. Dubya called the Constitution “just a scrap of paper” and Tramp wipes his butt with it. Wishful thinking won’t ensure an election, especially not a “free and fair” election, which is nowhere guaranteed. The story goes that he called it just a “piece” of paper, and in all likelihood the story is complete bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/96 "2019-12-04T01:33:23Z")
And even then, if he said it was just a piece of paper, context is important. I’ve heard people say things like «a constitution is just a piece of paper unless the people believe in it.» Any linky-link-link, **RioRico**? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/97 "2019-12-04T01:53:31Z")
«Scrap of paper» is more commonly associated with Chancellor Bethman-Holleweg and Germany’s invasion of Belgium in WWI. > **[Treaty of London (1839)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_London_(1839))** > > The Treaty of London of 1839, was signed on 19 April 1839 between the Concert of Europe, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium. It was a direct follow-up to the 1831 Treaty of the XVIII Articles, which the Netherlands had refused to sign, and the result of negotiations at the London Conference of 1838–1839. > Under the treaty, the European powers recognised and guaranteed the independence and neutrality of Belgium and established the full independence of the German-sp... ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/98 "2019-12-10T17:35:42Z")
Is there any truth to what I’ve been hearing that the 2024 Presidential elections have been cancelled? First ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027/99 "2019-12-10T17:55:02Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > It contains emoluments clauses, many voting rights articles, and various other bits this slimeball willfully violates. What emolument has Trump personally received without the approval of Congress? Whose voting right has Trump personally violated? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-there-even-be-a-2020-election/844027.md?page=4)