Forum: Author Hangout

And guess what, a thread started as a warning about discussing politics has morphed into a political discussion!

Now you just have to mention the second amendment and/or socialism and the thread will be totally botched in no time at all.

I can think of at least one do-over story where the hero becomes a congressman, a Vice President and then President as part of a very long story and the story was very good.

Yes, and then he becomes Vice President again, becoming President (again) to replace the resigning President and then appoints a past President to become his Vice President. (Maybe I'm wrong - wasn't he President in the chapter before being an equerry so that might make three separate sessions - but I could be wrong.)
I haven't worked out exactly how many terms he has served but don't you have a two term limit?

Technically, the two-term limit hasn't been around all that long

The two term limit was originally suggested by George Washington.

While Cleveland was the only President to serve non-consecutive terms, he still only served two terms.

The only president to run for more than two terms was FDR. And when he went for 4, it resulted in a constitutional amendment to impose an enforceable two term limit.

Interesting point, it's actually possible to serve up to 2.5 terms as president, if you start out as vice president.

If a vice president takes over for the elected president due to death or removal, if it's before the mid point of the term, that term counts against the vice president's presidential term limit, but if it's after the mid point, it doesn't.

The only president to run for more than two terms was FDR. And when he went for 4, it resulted in a constitutional amendment to impose an enforceable two term limit.

Theodore Roosevelt ran for a third term after becoming disenfranchised with what his successor was doing in office. He ran under the "Bull Moose Party" and IIRC, Woodrow Wilson won in that cycle.

So FDR wasn't the first to try for a third term, he just was the first to have one.

So FDR wasn't the first to try for a third term, he just was the first to have one.

He was the first to try for three consecutive terms. Technically, FDR had four terms, but he died just a few months into his fourth term.

Technically, FDR had 4, but he died just a few months into his fourth term.

True enough, but as he was the only one to get a 3rd term, anything involving a subsequent term could only involve him at present.

Theodore Roosevelt ran for a third term after becoming disenfranchised with what his successor was doing in office. He ran under the "Bull Moose Party" and IIRC, Woodrow Wilson won in that cycle.

There has been some debate over the years as whether the presidential term limit amendment is lifetime or consecutive terms.

There has been some debate over the years as whether the presidential term limit amendment is lifetime or consecutive terms.

If they meant consecutive terms, they would have said so. They didn't, so it reads as a lifetime restriction.

There has been some debate over the years as whether the presidential term limit amendment is lifetime or consecutive terms.

This is not ambiguous:

Amendment XXII:
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

Also:

Amendment XII:
[...] But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.

You can't be Vice President if you've already been President for more than a term and a half.

Teddy Roosevelt was elected VP (as a Republican) as McKinley's running mate in 1900. McKinley was assassinated in September 1901, and Roosevelt succeeded him and served out the rest of the term, three years and a bit.

Roosevelt ran on his own merits in 1904, was elected, and remained President until 1909. He declined to run again in 1908, and Taft (R) was elected.

Roosevelt became frustrated with Taft's conservatism, and in 1912 he founded the Progressive Party and ran for President again, against Taft (R) and Woodrow Wilson (D). This schism in the Republicans meant that Wilson won in an electoral landslide. (And this is why third parties don't work in the American system.)

So Teddy Roosevelt only actually ran for President twice, non-consecutively, and lost the second time. He actually served only one full term. If the 22nd Amendment had been around at the time, he would have been forbidden from the 1912 run, because he served too much of the term McKinley was elected for, but he didn't actually run for President three times.

Is there a limit to the length of time someone can be VPOTUS?

Nope. So long as you haven't triggered the Presidential term limits, which requires having been elected as President at least once, you can keep being Vice President forever.

Though, as Vice President John Nance Garner put it, "the Vice Presidency isn't worth a pot of warm piss."

...and I love the way he gets to become president

Being a captive audience to someone's political views causes me to disconnect also. Especially when I am familiar with their position and disagree with it.

Even when you agree with them, more often than not.

Present day "Political Fiction" is very hard to write. Probably because so much of present day politics is disconnected from reality as it is.

Right or left doesn't matter, unless you're specifically writing for that audience(and even then), it is more likely to alienate or disillusion readers enough to keep them from pursuing further works by you.

1. How can you tell when a politician is lying? Their mouths are open !!

I've never heard that one that way, it's always been "Their mouths are moving."

UK politicians must be inordinately poor ventriloquists ;)

AJ; is there any doubt about that?

As for term limits the idea of a two term limit is good - just look at recent politicians who have changed the law from two terms to more or even "for life" like Mugabe! 'nuff said?