By MIKE MAGEE
This has been two weeks of combined messages with regards to the very best places of work of the land. Simply two weeks in the past on July 1, 2024, a majority of the Supreme Court docket determined to expand Presidential immunity for felony malfeasance whereas within the workplace that former President Trump had so severely tarnished on January 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court docket’s meddling occurred simply three days after President Biden was pressured to acknowledge that he had badly flubbed the First Presidential debate, which led to a sequence of restoration strikes (the ABC Stephanopoulos interview on July 6; the dwell Press Conference in D.C. on July 11; and the full-energy “Don’t You Quit” rally in Detroit, Michigan on July 12) to attempt to show he wasn’t too old or infirm to do the job.
Within the meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris remained loyal and succesful within the wings, whereas Trump went silent, cagily delaying his resolution on his personal working mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was working towards.
And at some point later, a 20-year outdated registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the former President with an automated sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply superb for civilian circulation by Republicans.
All of this may lead you to consider, with regards to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we now have entered uncommon instances. However, as historical past properly illustrates, nothing might be farther from the reality.
In our transient historical past as a functioning Democracy, eight of our Presidents have died in workplace and one has resigned. 4 sitting Presidents have been killed by gunshot (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK) and three have survived makes an attempt on their lives (Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and now Donald Trump). As for his or her #2’s, seven VP’s have died in workplace and two have resigned in workplace. And that doesn’t even start to cowl the various instances the place these prime elected officers have managed to keep up their positions by hiding and covering-up a variety of debilitating bodily and psychological sicknesses whereas in workplace.
The Founder Fathers had little curiosity in insulating their prime leaders from authorized oversight. However after we declared our independence in 1776, it took one other decade or so earlier than the Constitutional Conference settled on a system of prime management and succession. They’d already established that the workplace of the Vice President could be created, and that the President and the Vice President could be elected by the Electoral Faculty. However final energy lay with the Congress. In the event that they noticed match for any cause to take away each the President and the Vice President, and put someone in his place till the following election, that they had the ability to take action.
It took 5 extra years for the physique to resolve on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president have been to develop into disabled or eliminated on the similar time. They determined that the following prime two individuals within the Federal Authorities who had truly been elected by the individuals could be the President professional tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Home of Representatives. That was the road of succession as of 1792.
This was the established regulation for one more half century, till 1841, when William Henry Harrison died of typhoid. He had solely served for 31 days and, because it was specified by the Structure, the Vice President assumed his workplace, however the extent of his powers and the titling related together with his assumption of energy have been unclear. Was the Vice President only a substitute till the following election or was he truly now president? John Tyler just about resolved that query with a really Trumpian transfer. He contacted the primary native choose he might discover, and had himself sworn in as President, not as “Appearing President.” This created an enormous stir. John Quincy Adams went loopy over this challenge, however a precedent had been set. From then on, if a President died, the Vice President turned President.
Now, as we’ve seen, presidential and vice‑-presidential turnover shouldn’t be unusual. So this deal with succession shouldn’t be a theoretical train. It’s an actual challenge for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly shocking in lots of ways in which it’s been left as free because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this challenge has been queued up. Legislative options have largely been reactive.
For instance, in 1886, there was the assassination of James Garfield. He was shot on July 2nd, 1881, however he lived for one more 80 days, unable to operate as President throughout that time period. It’s notable that over all of these 80 days, he by no means had a dialogue with Chester Arthur, the vp, about assuming the presidency or what could be the priorities. In truth, Chester Arthur was completely remoted, each by Garfield and by the individuals who serve Garfield.
Arthur did set up a committee to look at problems with succession, however they did little to right the core downside of amassing a lot energy in a couple of people with out sufficient checks and balances. Now, it took just a few years extra to reveal {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the foundations and bounds Congress felt that they had established. Living proof: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you may discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.
So what have we discovered previously two weeks?
- In our brief American historical past, traumatic harm and lack of life have been a relentless risk to our President and Vice-President in workplace.
- As soon as in workplace, Presidents have a tendency to reduce their psychological and bodily disabilities, and are aided of their conspiracies by relations and political loyalists and allies.
- Peaceable switch of energy within the Govt department has been acknowledged as “the weakest hyperlink” by the Founding Fathers who spent a number of a long time making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
- The lively debate inside the Democratic social gathering on their “ultimate” 2024 ticket is per different incumbent candidates who’ve struggled and managed to carry onto energy with various outcomes.
- Extending additional protections from legal responsibility to the now wounded and newly heroic former President Trump, a convicted felon who overtly declares his intent to increase the ability of the Govt properly past the fears of the unique Founding Fathers, would counsel that this Supreme Court docket has, intentionally or mistakenly, wandered into new and uncharted territory.
U.S. Govt Department Management Turnover and Misbehavior Is Frequent.
Mike Magee M.D.
This has been two weeks of combined messages with regards to the very best places of work of the land. Simply two weeks in the past on July 1, 2024, a majority of the Supreme Court docket determined to expand Presidential immunity for felony malfeasance whereas within the workplace that former President Trump had so severely tarnished on January 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court docket’s meddling occurred simply three days after President Biden was pressured to acknowledge that he had badly flubbed the First Presidential debate, which led to a sequence of restoration strikes (the ABC Stephanopoulos interview on July 6; the dwell Press Conference in D.C. on July 11; and the full-energy “Don’t You Quit” rally in Detroit, Michigan on July 12) to attempt to show he wasn’t too old or infirm to do the job.
Within the meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris remained loyal and succesful within the wings, whereas Trump went silent, cagily delaying his resolution on his personal working mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was working towards.
And at some point later, a 20-year outdated registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the former President with an automated sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply superb for civilian circulation by Republicans.
All of this may lead you to consider, with regards to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we now have entered uncommon instances. However, as historical past properly illustrates, nothing might be farther from the reality.
In our transient historical past as a functioning Democracy, eight of our Presidents have died in workplace and one has resigned. 4 sitting Presidents have been killed by gunshot (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK) and three have survived makes an attempt on their lives (Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and now Donald Trump). As for his or her #2’s, seven VP’s have died in workplace and two have resigned in workplace. And that doesn’t even start to cowl the various instances the place these prime elected officers have managed to keep up their positions by hiding and covering-up a variety of debilitating bodily and psychological sicknesses whereas in workplace.
The Founder Fathers had little curiosity in insulating their prime leaders from authorized oversight. However after we declared our independence in 1776, it took one other decade or so earlier than the Constitutional Conference settled on a system of prime management and succession. They’d already established that the workplace of the Vice President could be created, and that the President and the Vice President could be elected by the Electoral Faculty. However final energy lay with the Congress. In the event that they noticed match for any cause to take away each the President and the Vice President, and put someone in his place till the following election, that they had the ability to take action.
It took 5 extra years for the physique to resolve on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president have been to develop into disabled or eliminated on the similar time. They determined that the following prime two individuals within the Federal Authorities who had truly been elected by the individuals could be the President professional tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Home of Representatives. That was the road of succession as of 1792.
This was the established regulation for one more half century, till 1841, when William Henry Harrison died of typhoid. He had solely served for 31 days and, because it was specified by the Structure, the Vice President assumed his workplace, however the extent of his powers and the titling related together with his assumption of energy have been unclear. Was the Vice President only a substitute till the following election or was he truly now president? John Tyler just about resolved that query with a really Trumpian transfer. He contacted the primary native choose he might discover, and had himself sworn in as President, not as “Appearing President.” This created an enormous stir. John Quincy Adams went loopy over this challenge, however a precedent had been set. From then on, if a President died, the Vice President turned President.
Now, as we’ve seen, presidential and vice‑-presidential turnover shouldn’t be unusual. So this deal with succession shouldn’t be a theoretical train. It’s an actual challenge for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly shocking in lots of ways in which it’s been left as free because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this challenge has been queued up. Legislative options have largely been reactive.
For instance, in 1886, there was the assassination of James Garfield. He was shot on July 2nd, 1881, however he lived for one more 80 days, unable to operate as President throughout that time period. It’s notable that over all of these 80 days, he by no means had a dialogue with Chester Arthur, the vp, about assuming the presidency or what could be the priorities. In truth, Chester Arthur was completely remoted, each by Garfield and by the individuals who serve Garfield.
Arthur did set up a committee to look at problems with succession, however they did little to right the core downside of amassing a lot energy in a couple of people with out sufficient checks and balances. Now, it took just a few years extra to reveal {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the foundations and bounds Congress felt that they had established. Living proof: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you may discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.
So what have we discovered previously two weeks?
- In our brief American historical past, traumatic harm and lack of life have been a relentless risk to our President and Vice-President in workplace.
- As soon as in workplace, Presidents have a tendency to reduce their psychological and bodily disabilities, and are aided of their conspiracies by relations and political loyalists and allies.
- Peaceable switch of energy within the Govt department has been acknowledged as “the weakest hyperlink” by the Founding Fathers who spent a number of a long time making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
- The lively debate inside the Democratic social gathering on their “ultimate” 2024 ticket is per different incumbent candidates who’ve struggled and managed to carry onto energy with various outcomes.
- Extending additional protections from legal responsibility to the now wounded and newly heroic former President Trump, a convicted felon who overtly declares his intent to increase the ability of the Govt properly past the fears of the unique Founding Fathers, would counsel that this Supreme Court docket has, intentionally or mistakenly, wandered into new and uncharted territory.
Mike Magee MD is a Medical Historian and common THCB contributor. He’s the writer of CODE BLUE: Inside America’s Medical Industrial Complex. (Grove/2020)
