President Richard Mentor Johnson

I've been looking at the Wikipedia page for Martin Van Buren's vice President ichard Mentor Johnson (served 1837 to 1841) and am absolutely boggled at how scary it would have been for him to be President. Any ideas on how things go in a Johnson presidency if Van Buren dies in say March 1838?
 
Agreed. He's pretty non-scary to me.

opposed debtors prison +
supported separation of church and state +
tough economic times; founded a tavern and spa +++!

opposed Second Bank of America - but a given for a Jacksonian
opposed abolition - on par with Washington and TJ

used his political position to help friends and himself: that describes every politician...ever.

So really given the times in which he lived, he really seems pretty decent to me, and I'm a staunch libertarian.

Benjamin
 
I've been looking at the Wikipedia page for Martin Van Buren's vice President ichard Mentor Johnson (served 1837 to 1841) and am absolutely boggled at how scary it would have been for him to be President. Any ideas on how things go in a Johnson presidency if Van Buren dies in say March 1838?

Given that this was before John Tyler established the precedent of the VP serving out a whole term, and given that Johnson was widely disdained, it's likely that ITTL Congress will decide that the death of the President merits a "special election" -- so Johnson doesn't serve very long.
 
Agreed. He's pretty non-scary to me.

opposed debtors prison +
supported separation of church and state +
tough economic times; founded a tavern and spa +++!

opposed Second Bank of America - but a given for a Jacksonian
opposed abolition - on par with Washington and TJ

used his political position to help friends and himself: that describes every politician...ever.

So really given the times in which he lived, he really seems pretty decent to me, and I'm a staunch libertarian.

Benjamin

I wouldn't call him "scary" in the would-probably-destroy-the-county sense, but he'd a lousy President. What Wikipedia genteelly calls erratic behavior was probably bad, bad alcoholism.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Given that this was before John Tyler established the precedent of the VP serving out a whole term, and given that Johnson was widely disdained, it's likely that ITTL Congress will decide that the death of the President merits a "special election" -- so Johnson doesn't serve very long.
Now that is something right there.
 
I wouldn't call him "scary" in the would-probably-destroy-the-county sense, but he'd a lousy President. What Wikipedia genteelly calls erratic behavior was probably bad, bad alcoholism.

So long as he has a decent cabinet and sticks to his ideals, I really don't see to much of a problem.

Besides some of the most mockable politicians have been drunks...Yeltsin and Ted, I'm looking at you.

Benjamin
 
Given that this was before John Tyler established the precedent of the VP serving out a whole term, and given that Johnson was widely disdained, it's likely that ITTL Congress will decide that the death of the President merits a "special election" -- so Johnson doesn't serve very long.


Could Congress force that through over a Presidential veto? And even if they did would the SCOTUS uphold it?

The Constitution is quite clear that both President and VP serve "during a term of four years" and that the President's powers and duties, if not necessarily his office, devolve upon the VP if anything happens to him.

I can see room for argument about whether Johnson is POTUS or merely VP acting as POTUS, but on the face of it he seems entitled to serve out the full term if he insists on doing so.
 
Could Congress force that through over a Presidential veto? And even if they did would the SCOTUS uphold it?

The Constitution is quite clear that both President and VP serve "during a term of four years" and that the President's powers and duties, if not necessarily his office, devolve upon the VP if anything happens to him.

I can see room for argument about whether Johnson is POTUS or merely VP acting as POTUS, but on the face of it he seems entitled to serve out the full term if he insists on doing so.

For what it's worth, I believe at this time the succession law provided for the possibility of a special election.
 
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