By MIKE MAGEE
This has been two weeks of combined messages with regards to the best workplaces 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 legal 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 compelled 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 determination on his personal operating mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was operating in opposition to.
And sooner or later later, a 20-year previous registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the former President with an computerized sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply wonderful for civilian circulation by Republicans.
All of this would possibly lead you to consider, with regards to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we’ve entered uncommon occasions. However, as historical past nicely illustrates, nothing could possibly be farther from the reality.
In our temporary 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 numerous circumstances the place these high 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 high 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 high management and succession. That they had already established that the workplace of the Vice President can be created, and that the President and the Vice President can 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 any individual in his place till the following election, they’d the facility to take action.
It took 5 extra years for the physique to determine on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president have been to turn into disabled or eliminated on the similar time. They determined that the following high two folks within the Federal Authorities who had truly been elected by the folks can 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 legislation 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 along 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 very 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 concern, 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 is just not unusual. So this give attention to succession is just not a theoretical train. It’s an actual concern for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly stunning in lots of ways in which it’s been left as unfastened because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this concern 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 can be the priorities. Actually, 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 appropriate the core drawback of amassing a lot energy in a number of people with out satisfactory checks and balances. Now, it took only some years extra to show {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the principles and limits Congress felt they’d established. Living proof: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you possibly can discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.
So what have we discovered prior to now two weeks?
- In our quick American historical past, traumatic harm and lack of life have been a continuing menace 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 many years making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
- The energetic debate inside the Democratic occasion on their “remaining” 2024 ticket is in line with 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 brazenly declares his intent to increase the facility of the Govt nicely 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 Widespread.
Mike Magee M.D.
This has been two weeks of combined messages with regards to the best workplaces 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 legal 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 compelled 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 determination on his personal operating mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was operating in opposition to.
And sooner or later later, a 20-year previous registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the former President with an computerized sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply wonderful for civilian circulation by Republicans.
All of this would possibly lead you to consider, with regards to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we’ve entered uncommon occasions. However, as historical past nicely illustrates, nothing could possibly be farther from the reality.
In our temporary 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 numerous circumstances the place these high 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 high 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 high management and succession. That they had already established that the workplace of the Vice President can be created, and that the President and the Vice President can 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 any individual in his place till the following election, they’d the facility to take action.
It took 5 extra years for the physique to determine on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president have been to turn into disabled or eliminated on the similar time. They determined that the following high two folks within the Federal Authorities who had truly been elected by the folks can 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 legislation 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 along 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 very 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 concern, 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 is just not unusual. So this give attention to succession is just not a theoretical train. It’s an actual concern for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly stunning in lots of ways in which it’s been left as unfastened because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this concern 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 can be the priorities. Actually, 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 appropriate the core drawback of amassing a lot energy in a number of people with out satisfactory checks and balances. Now, it took only some years extra to show {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the principles and limits Congress felt they’d established. Living proof: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you possibly can discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.
So what have we discovered prior to now two weeks?
- In our quick American historical past, traumatic harm and lack of life have been a continuing menace 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 many years making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
- The energetic debate inside the Democratic occasion on their “remaining” 2024 ticket is in line with 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 brazenly declares his intent to increase the facility of the Govt nicely 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 creator of CODE BLUE: Inside America’s Medical Industrial Complex. (Grove/2020)