Why would there be election drama? did I miss something? We saw the president get formally sworn in.
THE LAST SHIP Season 2 - discussion, spoilers and general mayhem
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Why would there be election drama? did I miss something? We saw the president get formally sworn in.
Let's just hope they don't spend twenty minutes of dead air showing us Nathan James's rebuild.
Although, the background music on this show is really well done, so such a scene would at least be accompanied by a great score. I can see it now, piano music playing as Chandler and Slattery are on a rib circling the Nathan James in the dry dock cradle.
Presumably Michener is only finishing off the term, and that with next year being 2016 (even on the show) there will be an election. Like in real world situations when Presidents are sworn in mid-term, there's still regularly scheduled elections. EG, although Johnson was sworn in in November 1963, there was still an election November 1964.
I would seriously doubt them doing a presidential election story for next season. In-universe it doesn't make much sense. The infrastructure just isn't there. If any thing I think the most they might address it (if at all) is to say that he's invoking emergency powers to hold it off another 4 years.
BSG did an election and their society was in much worse shape...
And there is your drama. People have had republics with less infrastructure then exist in the post Red Flu America. President Michner declaring himself unreplacable would set his Chief of Naval Operations and others in this St Louis capital against him.As well as opening a door for a charismatic warlord.
BSG's constituents weren't spread across a continent with no infrastructure in place to hold an election.
Given the situation and the trouble Chandler went through to get Michner where he is, I don't think he would object to emergency powers being used to stabilize the situation. Now, come 4 more years and nothing being done to re-instate voting, he might have a problem.
Only we already have people like Madam Gunderson. And with warlords teased already running cities, possible with populations larger than St Louis and Norfolk thinking that the same constitution which made Michener President also mandates an election. Why would they step aside for a twelfth in line whose name they didn't know until a video virus hit any working mobile phone network
Sheep still clinging to the memory of America after the deaths of 140 million citizens like zombies without an original thought waiting patiently for the resumption of social services like rubbish collection and the post office.
Even though they're probably ratbastards drenched in blood, I think I have more respect for the warlords carving out their new little empires in the vacuum and opportunity.
Building something.
Chandler and the President seem pretty clear that the former borders of America are still their responsibility, even though there might be other new founding fathers creating their own new countries in locals that used to be Americana... But if the old US is willing to put those guys down who had the temerity and industry to create a new country... What about America's unruly neighbours five feet past their old borders in total chaos who need order?
Is the US going to get bigger?
A lot bigger?
Or is the President going to give Mexico back to the Mexicans, and Canada back to the Canadians after saving them all from plague and warlords?
(Fuck Castro, they'll keep Cuba.)
Even though they're probably ratbastards drenched in blood, I think I have more respect for the warlords carving out their new little empires in the vacuum and opportunity.
Building something.
Chandler and the President seem pretty clear that the former borders of America are still their responsibility, even though there might be other new founding fathers creating their own new countries in locals that used to be Americana... But if the old US is willing to put those guys down who had the temerity and industry to create a new country... What about America's unruly neighbours five feet past their old borders in total chaos who need order?
Is the US going to get bigger?
A lot bigger?
Or is the President going to give Mexico back to the Mexicans, and Canada back to the Canadians after saving them all from plague and warlords?
(Fuck Castro, they'll keep Cuba.)
They had an election (and an impeachment) in Last Man on Earth, which barely took any effort at all.
True and we still have radio, aircraft, ocean going vessels, autos are still able to run on empty roadways. James Madison and the gang would dreamed about having the infrastructure that President Michener has.
Infrastructure may have been the wrong word. A better word would be "organization". Most of the U.S. is in a lawless condition, hence the warlords and anarchy we've seen. How do you hold an election that covers a meaningful percentage of your citizens?
And the military, what there is of it, isn't going to go all "usurper!!! dictator!!" on Michner. The ones in charge still around and willing to fall in line in the first place are going to be rational enough to accept emergency powers until things are stabilized.
Besides this way it gives the writers something for season 5 as the power starts to go to Michner's head and forces Chandler to rebel.
And the military, what there is of it, isn't going to go all "usurper!!! dictator!!" on Michner. The ones in charge still around and willing to fall in line in the first place are going to be rational enough to accept emergency powers until things are stabilized.
Besides this way it gives the writers something for season 5 as the power starts to go to Michner's head and forces Chandler to rebel.
I'm inclined to agree with sojourner on this mainly because the same Constitution Michener claims gives him his current authority requires something to elect a President that "other republics" and the Colonies in BSG didn't have: The Electoral College. The President of the United States is chosen by Electors chosen by the individual states. The number of electors the states are allowed are equal to their number of representatives in congress, and determining how many reps each state gets in the House of Representatives requires an accurate accounting of the population of each state.
So in order to have a constitutionally viable presidential election you at least need functioning state governments to choose electors, a functioning Congress to help determine the shape of the electoral college, certify the results or make the choice if the college fails to and in order to properly shape the House you need a post flu census taken nationwide. And you need to do all this before determining how eligible candidates can file, determining how to stage primaries and the main elections in November, etc...
Forget "drama." The entire political structure of the country has to be rebuilt just to get to the drama, and that's not going to happen in a year and change. Michener's going to have to stay president for at least the next full term whether anybody likes it or not, because unless you want to toss out the constitution completely, there's no way in hell you can properly elect a new president in 2016.
So in order to have a constitutionally viable presidential election you at least need functioning state governments to choose electors, a functioning Congress to help determine the shape of the electoral college, certify the results or make the choice if the college fails to and in order to properly shape the House you need a post flu census taken nationwide. And you need to do all this before determining how eligible candidates can file, determining how to stage primaries and the main elections in November, etc...
Forget "drama." The entire political structure of the country has to be rebuilt just to get to the drama, and that's not going to happen in a year and change. Michener's going to have to stay president for at least the next full term whether anybody likes it or not, because unless you want to toss out the constitution completely, there's no way in hell you can properly elect a new president in 2016.
But if you take the cure and eliminate the Americans that can spread it like Dr. ScottJesus you're back to selling it to the highest bidder. I can see a less peace-inclined nation or group having that as a motive.
Sell?
There's no money any more, stuff is everywhere, and extending boarders into unclaimed land is effortless.
The only real valuable commodities left are manpower and healthy babies.
There's no money any more, stuff is everywhere, and extending boarders into unclaimed land is effortless.
The only real valuable commodities left are manpower and healthy babies.
So? That just means currency is goods and services. Barter.
You still need troops to hold the your newly claimed lands. Manpower can user guns and babies can grew into cannon fodder.
This isn't the Revolution scenario yet although with the Immune Death Cult trying to infect you it can be seen like the Walking Dead. More like The Last Man on Earth at this point I would think. So we have the situation where the survivors go down to the nearest shopping mall, or if a gang holds that one then down to the next and have access to all the jewelry and personal items they can choke on. When a vehicle runs out of gas visit the local Mercedes dealer and pull the next one off of the lot. What are you holding on to except uninfected or immunized farmers able to produce a luxury item of fresh food?
Well, since you can't eat jewelry or Mercedes Benzes, I'd say the farmers would be in a pretty enviable position in that situation, especially if they're farmers who believe in the Second Amendment.