Plausibility Check: Co-Presidency.

Is it plausible for there to be a Co-Presidency in the case of a disputed Election?

  • Yes, but it isn't a good idea.

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Yes, and it is a good idea.

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • No, and it isn't a good idea.

    Votes: 18 75.0%
  • No, but it is a good idea.

    Votes: 2 8.3%

  • Total voters
    24
Hello there. Once again I was chatting with my friend. We were debating the 2000 Election. Him (being very Left) said that Bush stole the election. I (being very right) said that that was not true. Suddenly our other friend pops in and says "I say they should have given both the prize just to shut everyone up". She meant it as a "Will you both shut up" comment, but it got me thinking...

Is it possible, without the use of ASBs, for Congress to grant the Presidency to both Gore and Bush, creating the office of Co-Presidency?
 
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If the election goes to the House, Lieberman can become Bush's Veep. But your scenario is ASB. There have been three "teams" of virtual co-presidents.

FDR and Byrnes: FDR ran the war, Byrnes ran the domestic front as head of the Office for Economic Stabilization.
FDR_and_Fala_at_table.jpg


150px-JamesByrnes.jpg




The Kennedy brothers

jfk_rfk.jpg




Bush and Cheney

bush-cheney.jpg
 
Hello there. Once again I was chatting with my friend. We were debating the 2000 Election. Him (being very Left) said that Bush stole the election. I (being very right) said that that was not true. Suddenly our other friend pops in and says "I say they should have given both the prize just to shut everyone up". She meant it as a "Will you both shut up" comment, but it got me thinking...

Is it possible, without the use of ASBs, for Congress to grant the Presidency to both Gore and Bush, creating the office of Co-Presidency?

I can't see it being done without amending the Constitution.
 
I can't see it being done without amending the Constitution.

It's also a horrible idea. Unless both are in agreement nothing get's done. The executive branch could be paralyzed. A crisis like 9/11 could turn into even more a nightmare than it already was.
 
Precisely: it's a sure-fire recipe for a complete logjam of both the legislative and executive branches. The two executives surely will have different agendas, and Congress will balk at cooperating with either one on both sides of the aisle.
 
I am under the impression part of the "Business Plot" against FDR was to use Smedley Butler to arrange a "Bonus Army" incident/"March on Washington" to pressure Roosevelt into agreeing to the appointment of some kind of co-president ("Secretary of General Affairs") who would have all the real power.

If something like this actually happened and it stuck (which is doubtful if it was pushed by essentially a well-funded lynch mob), we might end up with some kind of bizarre two-headed executive.
 
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MacCaulay

Banned
I am under the impression part of the "Business Plot" against FDR was to use Smedley Butler to arrange a "Bonus Army" incident/"March on Washington" to pressure Roosevelt into agreeing to the appointment of some kind of co-president ("Secretary of General Affairs") who would have all the real power.

If something like this actually happened and it stuck (which is doubtful if it was pushed by essentially a well-funded lynch mob), we might end up with some kind of bizarre two-headed executive.

And you needed someone who wasn't Smedley Butler. I've read more than a few books on that, and he was...less than enamored with what was actually going on. He was very suspicious of big business, as was shown in his numerous speeches about having fought in the banana republics as part of the USMC. Some of his speeches sounded downright leftist, which really cracks me up when he's continually mentioned by the local conspiracy theorist where I work as one of his heroes.
 
In order to have a Roman Republic-style co-presidency, you'd have to have a POD at the time of the Constitutional Convention. Some delegate proposes having two presidents who share power. Both could be elected like a normal president, with the co-presidents being the top two in an election, or one could be elected by the Senate, while the other is elected in a normal presidential election. In order for Congress to make Bush and Gore co-presidents, there would have to be a Constitutional amendment that would rewrite Article II.
 
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