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cthulu2016

(10,960 posts)
Mon Nov 5, 2012, 07:21 PM Nov 2012

Will the House refuse to certify the Election? [View all]

First off, don't worry — this scenario would not prevent Obama from being President.

After this election the RW will believe, as a matter of scientific fact, that Obama won by fraud.

And it is distinctly possible, to my mind, that any House Republican who votes to uphold the electoral college results will be facing a primary challenge threat.

Here is how it could go down...

In early January Joe Biden opens the certificates (certified electoral vote from each state) containing the votes before a joint session of the just sworn in House and Senate, with appointed tellers to count the certificates.

Objections to the count must be filed in writing and signed by at least one member of the House and one member of the Senate. The House and Senate then retire to special sessions to decide whether to accept or reject the questioned certificates.

Both chambers have to reject the challenged certificate for it to be disqualified.

So, like everything else the House does, this is a free shot. They can do any crazy thing, safe in the knowledge that the Senate will prevent them having to deal with the consequences.

Any crackpot on in the House can join with Rand Paul, Jim DeMint, or whoever the craziest member of the incoming Senate happens to be, to object to certifying the electoral college result on any grounds. (I prefer "the font was too small" but who knows what they could come up with.)

Then the two bodies retire to consider the objection. And the House can, if it choses, vote along party lines to not certify Obama's election while knowing full well that the Senate will approve it, making Obama President.

I am not predicting this as likely— merely considering the thing. But if the RW gins up enough outrage in November/December over the "theft" of the election, with Romney getting 100 fewer EV than they 'know' he really got, who can say?

I would have considered this sort of stunt to be beyond possibility if it were not for the fact that these people routinely vote to end medicare and have the USA stop honoring its bonds.

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