What about a Horace Greeley scenario? Maybe Lincoln gets pneumonia/hit by a carriage/assassinated on a train/killed by vampires at some point after "winning" the election but before the electors meet. Would the Republican electors maintain enough cohesion to appoint Hamlin/Seward/Cassius Clay President? Or would the vote be divided amongst many favorite sons, thus tossing the presidency into the House, perhaps between Breckenridge, Bell, and Douglas. Could Douglas get elected by the 1860 House?
It's interesting, and perhaps plausible to think that a deadlocked House would simply not appoint a President for several months and leave the nation leaderless. At that time, the Presidential line of succession only had four members: the President, the Vice President, the President pro tempore, and the Speaker of the House. Also, the President pro tempore and Speaker were really only "in office" during sessions of Congress. I'm sure Buchanan will call a special session during this emergency, but if for some reason he doesn't, then on March 4th, he and Breckenridge are out of office, and with no Congress yet in session (until December!), there'd be no President.
The Cabinet would probably stay in place, albeit with no one to report to, and I'm not even sure how the military would adjust. Nor the several secessionary states in this scenario, although this could just be like Christmas (1991!) for them and the USA at large.
It's interesting, and perhaps plausible to think that a deadlocked House would simply not appoint a President for several months and leave the nation leaderless. At that time, the Presidential line of succession only had four members: the President, the Vice President, the President pro tempore, and the Speaker of the House. Also, the President pro tempore and Speaker were really only "in office" during sessions of Congress. I'm sure Buchanan will call a special session during this emergency, but if for some reason he doesn't, then on March 4th, he and Breckenridge are out of office, and with no Congress yet in session (until December!), there'd be no President.
The Cabinet would probably stay in place, albeit with no one to report to, and I'm not even sure how the military would adjust. Nor the several secessionary states in this scenario, although this could just be like Christmas (1991!) for them and the USA at large.