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To: El Gato
If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; Amendment XX, Section 3

Finish the statute. It says right after that, if a President cannot be qualified, then the House will choose the President.

The House is under no obligation, whatsoever, to make Biden President after Obama is disqualified.

842 posted on 01/10/2009 12:23:49 PM PST by Polarik (Polarik's Principle: "A forgery created to prove a claim repudiates that claim")
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To: Polarik
Finish the statute. It says right after that, if a President cannot be qualified, then the House will choose the President.

Actually that comes from the 12th amendment, and the "base" Constitution, whereas my original quote was from the 20th amendment. So it actually comes before, not after the original quote.

But the 12th amendment says that the House is restricted to choosing from the top three vote getters.

First from the 12th amendment:

The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.

Then from the 20th amendment.

Section. 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section. 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Remember that if an earlier amendment conflicts with a later one, the later amendment overrides the earlier one, and the base Constitution as well.

845 posted on 01/11/2009 7:40:28 AM PST by El Gato ("The Second Amendment is the RESET button of the United States Constitution." -- Doug McKay)
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