Should Gabrielle Giffords resign her Congressional seat?

[Ed Anger]

The UN is always a threat. Today an office building, tomorrow Africans trying to tell us what to do.

[Razgovory]

The UN is always a threat. Today an office building, tomorrow Africans trying to tell us what to do.

You can easily stop a determined UN assault with little more then a pair of ear plugs.

[Iormlund]

You mean change the Constitution?  That's kind of expensive and it takes a long time.  Not to mention it isn't easy (you'd probably have some kind of bizarre GOP conspiracy theory about how this is somehow a plot to take away guns or set up death panels or have the UN take over).

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th. Surely not even your politicians can screw that up.

[Slargos]

No, for the reasons that Mongo already stated.

Once/if it's clear that she will never be able to fully perform her duties, then yes.

[Admiral Yi]

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th. Surely not even your politicians can screw that up.

I assume you're being facetious?  Amending the Constitution is no small task.

[Razgovory]

You mean change the Constitution?  That's kind of expensive and it takes a long time.  Not to mention it isn't easy (you'd probably have some kind of bizarre GOP conspiracy theory about how this is somehow a plot to take away guns or set up death panels or have the UN take over).

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th. Surely not even your politicians can screw that up.

An alteration of the Constitution requires a popular vote in the states.  It's much more trouble then its worth.

[Admiral Yi]

An alteration of the Constitution requires a popular vote in the states.  It's much more trouble then its worth.

??  State legislature I thought.

[Iormlund]

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th. Surely not even your politicians can screw that up.

I assume you're being facetious?  Amending the Constitution is no small task.

How many legislators can disagree on this particular amendment? It would be merely a non-partisan, technical improvement.

[grumbler]

You can easily stop a determined UN assault with little more then a pair of ear plugs.

[Razgovory]

An alteration of the Constitution requires a popular vote in the states.  It's much more trouble then its worth.

??  State legislature I thought.

You may be right.  I don't remember exactly.  Still it's a lot of hassle for something not that important.

[dps]

An alteration of the Constitution requires a popular vote in the states.  It's much more trouble then its worth.

??  State legislature I thought.

Can be done by either the state legislature or by specially elected ratification conventions in each state, Congress specifies which when they send the proposed admendments to the states.

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th.

Not really.  The 25th provided a method whereby the Vice President would be able to become Acting President if the President was incapacitated.  But we already had the office of Vice President.  We don't have any remotely similar office in the legislative branch.  While I do think that an admendment to address the situation of how a incapacitated Senator or Representative probably wouldn't encounter much direct opposition to the idea in and of itself, there's no particular sense that it's needed, either, and if one was proposed, there would be a huge battle over how to chose an acting replacement.

[Iormlund]

Not really.  The 25th provided a method whereby the Vice President would be able to become Acting President if the President was incapacitated.  But we already had the office of Vice President.  We don't have any remotely similar office in the legislative branch.  While I do think that an admendment to address the situation of how a incapacitated Senator or Representative probably wouldn't encounter much direct opposition to the idea in and of itself, there's no particular sense that it's needed, either, and if one was proposed, there would be a huge battle over how to chose an acting replacement.

Who takes the seat if a Representative dies? Does it remain vacant until there are new elections?

[Admiral Yi]

Who takes the seat if a Representative dies? Does it remain vacant until there are new elections?

I think it depends on state law, but usually they hold a special election.

[Admiral Yi]

Takes backs.  In a lot of cases the governor appoints someone. 

Massachusetts famously changed their law during (Republican) governor "Mitt" Romney's tenure so that the legislature filled vacancies.   Then after he left office they changed the law back so the governor chooses.

And of course you're probably familiar with the brouhaha in Illinois over Gov. Blagoyavich trying to auction off Obama's Senate seat.

[Neil]

You mean change the Constitution?  That's kind of expensive and it takes a long time.  Not to mention it isn't easy (you'd probably have some kind of bizarre GOP conspiracy theory about how this is somehow a plot to take away guns or set up death panels or have the UN take over).

You could just copy & paste the relevant article of the 25th. Surely not even your politicians can screw that up.

So the Vice-Congressman would take over?  And after him the Speaker of the Congressman's House?