‘One pistol clip can change the balance of power’: Congress is wholly unprepared for a mass casualty event

Politico ^

[Tench_Coxe]

Over the past 15 years, members of Congress have survived two near-deadly shootings, a train crash with dozens of them on board, and a Capitol riot that had hundreds of lawmakers fearing for their lives.

Despite those incidents, the institution is wholly unprepared for a catastrophic event that kills or incapacitates multiple members — even if that hypothetical tragedy results in a major power shift: changing which party holds the majority in the House or Senate.

(snip)

Right now, the main idea to address the issue is a constitutional amendment that would require members of the House to submit a list of at least five possible successors to be tapped in the event of their death. If any member dies in office, the state’s governor would select an individual from the list to serve on a temporary basis until officials hold a special election for a permanent replacement.

(snip)

Opportunities to address the issue — known in congressional parlance as “continuity of government” — have come and gone over the past quarter century.

[LouAvul]

There is such a thing as has been noted. But the author clearly does not know what he’s saying.

[discostu]

That’s a silly idea. For one thing you don’t need an amendment for congressmen to have a list of proposed successors, it could just be a rule. For another thing, why should they have a say. The fact is governors and legislatures can replace dead congressmen rather easily, and congress can run short just fine, heck it runs short most days. Leave it alone, and stop jerking off with this “constitutional amendment” nonsense that we know will never pass.

[kawhill]

I didn’t know pistols had clips. Learn something new every day from politico.

[Vaduz]

The thinker wins LOL

[Vaduz]

House to submit a list of at least five possible successors to be tapped in the event of their death.

Sounds like the cloning business will be on the up tick wonder how many have stock in it Pelosi seen making phone call.

[sergeantdave]

The entire Kaddahfi government was shot, stabbed, beaten and buried in open pits during the 2011 Libyan civil war, down to the last Praetorian guard. No successor legislation was needed to create a new government. The various militia provincial governments figured it out all by themselves.

America can do that, too.

This is an issue where congress is expressing to the American people that it thinks that congressmen are important, but they’re not.

[dadgum]

Especially when that clip is used to load an M1 Garand…

[Paal Gulli]

Next question?

[LIConFem]

"Yes, and the M1 Garand I was issued in the army was fed with a "stripper clip." "

I thought the Garand was fed with an en-bloc clip. In any case, I think the author was talking about pistols. Either way, he's an idiot.