What happens if Kerry wins (Nov-Jan '05)?

Excuse if I'm putting the cart before the horse a bit, but no seems to be asking this question and it's important. I shudder to think of the damage BushCo could do even in just 3 months as lame duck, out of sheer spite alone. Is there any Constitutional means for Congress to draft articles to have these guys immediately removed from office upon conclusion of the election, even if it meant Denny Hastert or some other repuke in the WH for 3 months? Not asking IF this will happen, but what if anything we can we do make it happen? Would the Articles of Impeachment apply in this case? If there's any means of getting it done, we should definitely pressure our reps on it.

I'm pretty sure that some in Bushco are assuming that they are going
to lose in Nov... so they are already planning and doing things to
leave a legacy of war and Neocon stratagems in place. Not to mention
trying to get a number of social issue laws passed.

I *suppose* there must be a way in which they could get even more hardcore than they already have, but it's hard to imagine how at the moment, frankly.

anyway, with any luck and justice in the world, he'll be so unpopular by then that even the Republicans will be in open rebellion, or enough of them so that he won't be able to say that the sky is blue without getting flak for it.

and pardon - preemptively - everyone in sight.

We get Bush declared to have been President illegally. Then the pardons don't count, and we can in addition charge him and his cabinet with sedition.

Presidential pardons don't apply to foreign criminal charges. Treaty or no treaty the Bush crime family must pay.

Rehnquist, nominated by Nixon, is 80; John Paul Stevens, 84, nominated by Ford; Sandra Day O'Connor, 74, by Reagan; Antonin Scalia, 68, by Reagan; David Hackett Souter, 65, by Bush I. Anthony Kennedy, 68, by Reagan. Do you think any of them, namely Rehnquist, Stevens or O'Connor, might resign between the election date and when Kerry comes to office? I understand O'Connor had talked about retiring before during the 2000 election but after playing an important role in the selection of bush, put off retirement to try and preserve her legacy.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'm afraid some could retire during bush administration so he could appoint their replacement rather than have a Democrat do it. Am I just paranoid or does anyone else think this?

When this session ends there may be retirements. But count on a filibuster until after the election.

What is scary is the R's may rescind the filibuster rule. That is not in the Constitution.

Are there any legal scholars out there who can comment on this?

Remember that the Senate has to confirm Supreme Court appointees. People who charge that Rumsfeld should be fired are met with the argument that there's no way to confirm a new Secretary of Defense in an election year. The same principle applies here. I know, half of you are going to say "don't underestimate Bush" but he is still bound by political realities. There will be enough opposition by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate (yes, there are honorable Republicans) that a nomination could never be shoved through in three months. Heck, I don't know that the Senate is even in session between election day and inauguration. The whole thing would be so illegitimate that it would never pass.

I haven't heard that he's unwell. Hopefully he can hang in there for a few more months. I'm sure he wants to.

And if Rehnquist goes...well, i won't say his replacement couldn't be any worse, because * has proven over and over that it can *always* be worse; but at least it's not like it'll change the overall balance of the court. Unless of course Scalia then becomes Chief Justice, which would *suck.* Scalia is even worse than Rehnquist.


I think, I *hope,* O'Connor might stay put. It's the least she can do. lord knows she's no friend, but at least she's sane enough to understand what she and they have unleashed with their ruling.

we'd better hope for a Democratic Congress. I'd hate to imagine what our current and extremist one would do, not to mention the field day they'd have as President Kerry trys to clean up the massive disaster our chimp has created. It won't be fun, a Democratic House and Senate is absolutely necessary!

We start building the detention camps for everyone who voted for Bush...

We can go on from there.

However, a mandatory sentence to a mental institution for anyone who vould vote for him THIS year is perfectly reasonable.

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for sure

and I'm not talking about removing keyboard keys.

I'm talking about what Poppy did to Clinton with Somalia, but much worse.

They will use those months to ramp up conflict, to create disasters that will take much time energy and political capital to deal with.

That is if they give up power in the first place...

Just remember:

Dubya will pardon everyone in the Administration before Kerry comes in.

The right-wing radio folks will go ape shit on Kerry immediately.

The Repug congress will find something from Kerry's past to investigate and will come up with something every single day of the week to harass him on.

Kerry will play defense for a while and ask Ted Kennedy and others to throw big stones at the Repug heads on offense. Everyone will complain about how brave Ted is and what a wimp Kerry is even though we see through the Bush staying above the fray all the time.

Kerry will try and stay on point on his plans and policies.

Iraq will get very bad. In the end Kerry will take heat no matter what he does. However, at least he will be able to deflect most of it back on Bush who will still be very unpopular.

_

There will be immediate orders for massive industrial shredders. They will work 24/7 for 3 months and still might not get the job done.

The 20th Amendment: Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

And Article 2, Section 1, Clause 1: "...He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President,"

Articles of Impeachment wouldn't just have to drafted and ratified by the House but he would have to be convicted by a 2/3 vote by the Senate. Only then could he be removed in office. I just don't see that happening even if Kerry were to win and the Democrats achieve a super-majority in the Senate and House. They don't take office until the 3rd(which is also part of the 20th Amendment)