Presidential Resignation?

[??????????]

Could anything stop a US president from running for a Congressional or Senate seat winning and then stepping down from POTUS? Outside of sheer unpopularity could anyone stop a president from doing this?

[Senator Ben]

Not that I know of, no.  Vice Presidents can do it; so I assume Presidents can as well.

[??????????]

Not that I know of, no.  Vice Presidents can do it; so I assume Presidents can as well.

I can only imagine what the sheer uproar would be.

[Senator Ben]

Not that I know of, no.  Vice Presidents can do it; so I assume Presidents can as well.

I can only imagine what the sheer uproar would be.

Oh, it would raise hell, but there's nothing to prohibit it.

[Χahar]

I've always wondered what would happen if a President appointed himself CJ.

[Erc]

I've always wondered what would happen if a President appointed himself CJ.

Tempting if a vacancy came up in the final months of one's administration.

Likely the Senate wouldn't approve of the shenanigans (unless, perhaps, Taft tried to pull that off).

[dunn]

[(unless, perhaps, Taft tried to pull that off).

Taft was appointed mor then 8 years after his presidency. Anad was approved 60-4 in  the Senate

[J. J.]

I've always wondered what would happen if a President appointed himself CJ.

He's never get confirmed. 

Serously, depending on the circumstances, I could understand a President running for Congress.

[WillK]

Could anything stop a US president from running for a Congressional or Senate seat winning and then stepping down from POTUS? Outside of sheer unpopularity could anyone stop a president from doing this?

There are two presidents who served in congress after having been president.  But both waited until after their term was done before doing so.

But would a sitting president meet the state residency requirements to be a congressperson?

 

[Χahar]

Could anything stop a US president from running for a Congressional or Senate seat winning and then stepping down from POTUS? Outside of sheer unpopularity could anyone stop a president from doing this?

There are two presidents who served in congress after having been president.  But both waited until after their term was done before doing so.

But would a sitting president meet the state residency requirements to be a congressperson?

Yes. They vote in their home states, for instance.

[Erc]

[(unless, perhaps, Taft tried to pull that off).

Taft was appointed mor then 8 years after his presidency. Anad was approved 60-4 in  the Senate

Sorry, meant if Taft (being actually qualified for the position) had tried to pull that off in early 1913 with the outgoing Republican (I believe) Senate.

[WillK]

Could anything stop a US president from running for a Congressional or Senate seat winning and then stepping down from POTUS? Outside of sheer unpopularity could anyone stop a president from doing this?

There are two presidents who served in congress after having been president.  But both waited until after their term was done before doing so.

But would a sitting president meet the state residency requirements to be a congressperson?

Yes. They vote in their home states, for instance.

True.  I feel like an idiot for forgetting that. 

[Vasall des Midas]

At the end of their term... why the hell not?

In a midterm though... now that would be fun!

[© Tweed the Younger]

This is a great question, especially because what the hell is Obama going to do after he is no longer president. He is only 47. Even serving two terms he will be 55. He could go right back to the Senate.

Clinton was younger...

Obama will probably do what they all do; make millions on a lecture tour and write a bad book or two.

[Senator Ben]

Obama will probably do what they all do; make millions on a lecture tour and write a bad book or two.

Hasn't he already done that?

[Purple State]

Obama will probably do what they all do; make millions on a lecture tour and write a bad book or two.

Hasn't he already done that?

Was going to say that. He has nothing else to do, nowhere to go.

[© Tweed the Younger]

Obama will probably do what they all do; make millions on a lecture tour and write a bad book or two.

Hasn't he already done that?

Was going to say that. He has nothing else to do, nowhere to go.

just because he has already written a few books does not mean that he will find no profit in the writing of a post-presidential memoir.  more money is always good.

he could also whore himself out to a bunch of universities and make $1M an appearance.

[True Federalist]

The what to do with an ex-President issue.  Personally, I would favor amending the Constitution so that former elected Presidents would have a lifetime Senate seat once their Presidential term had ended.  Might have made things interesting if both Clintons had been in the Senate.

[Χahar]

The what to do with an ex-President issue.  Personally, I would favor amending the Constitution so that former elected Presidents would have a lifetime Senate seat once their Presidential term had ended.  Might have made things interesting if both Clintons had been in the Senate.

But that has its own problems, since the Senate is a fairly small body and a few extra Senators could make a huge difference.

[Vasall des Midas]

The what to do with an ex-President issue.  Personally, I would favor amending the Constitution so that former elected Presidents would have a lifetime Senate seat once their Presidential term had ended.  Might have made things interesting if both Clintons had been in the Senate.

But that has its own problems, since the Senate is a fairly small body and a few extra Senators could make a huge difference.

Make them take their state's junior senator's seat.
Although lifetime is a very bad idea, as viz. Ronald Reagan's retirement. Up to age 70 or something would do.

[True Federalist]

The what to do with an ex-President issue.  Personally, I would favor amending the Constitution so that former elected Presidents would have a lifetime Senate seat once their Presidential term had ended.  Might have made things interesting if both Clintons had been in the Senate.

But that has its own problems, since the Senate is a fairly small body and a few extra Senators could make a huge difference.

Make them take their state's junior senator's seat.
Although lifetime is a very bad idea, as viz. Ronald Reagan's retirement. Up to age 70 or something would do.

I dare say that Reagan would not have been either the first or last senile Senator we had.  Besides, a mandatory age 70 retirement provision would gut about one-fifth of the Senate.  I'm certain that the GOP wouldn't mind an age 80 retirement provision, as that would currently mean 4 Democrats would have to go  (Byrd, Lautenberg, Inouye, and Akaka).

[Vasall des Midas]

The what to do with an ex-President issue.  Personally, I would favor amending the Constitution so that former elected Presidents would have a lifetime Senate seat once their Presidential term had ended.  Might have made things interesting if both Clintons had been in the Senate.

But that has its own problems, since the Senate is a fairly small body and a few extra Senators could make a huge difference.

Make them take their state's junior senator's seat.
Although lifetime is a very bad idea, as viz. Ronald Reagan's retirement. Up to age 70 or something would do.

I dare say that Reagan would not have been either the first or last senile Senator we had.  Besides, a mandatory age 70 retirement provision would gut about one-fifth of the Senate.  I'm certain that the GOP wouldn't mind an age 80 retirement provision, as that would currently mean 4 Democrats would have to go  (Byrd, Lautenberg, Inouye, and Akaka).

No, I meant only for the ex-Presidents. Who, unlike the Senators, do not need to face reelection.

[Senator Ben]

Something I thought of for when a Vice President wins: the day after the election, the President should resign, so the Vice President can take office a few months early.

[True Federalist]

Supposedly in 1916 Wilson gave some thought to appointing Hughes as Secretary of State if Hughes won and then having himself and and VP Marshall resign so as to avoid having a lengthy lame duck period while the Great War was raging in Europe.  (Under the Presidential succession law then in place, the Speaker and the PPT of the Senate were not in succession.)  Might have made an interesting precedent.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Obama will probably do what they all do; make millions on a lecture tour and write a bad book or two.

Hasn't he already done that?

Was going to say that. He has nothing else to do, nowhere to go.

I think he would be interested to serve at the Supreme Court. He was after all a constitutional law proffesor.
Wouldn't he become the first one to serve at the highest level of all three branches of government?
(President, U.S. Senator, Supreme Court Justice)