Academia, Bizarre, Media, Politics

Harvard Professor: Hillary Clinton Could Still Be President

Hillary_Clinton_Testimony_to_House_Select_Committee_on_BenghaziLawrence Lessig, the Roy L. Furman professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School, offered hope recently for those still in denial over the 2017 presidential election.  Lessig, seriously, argued in Newsweek that it is not too late.  Hillary Clinton could still be president if things break in the right way. It would only require the removal of both Trump and Pence as well as a cooperation and resignation of a President Speaker Paul Ryan.  That is all it would take to make for those who believe that there is no price too great to get the Clintons back into power.  Even Lessig’s Rube Goldberg machine of presidential succession.

The scenario laid out by Lessig is that (1) Trump is impeached or takes a Nixonian dive; (2) then Pence is implicated and either resigns or is impeached; (3) then Ryan is made president and appoints Clinton as Vice President; and finally (4) Ryan resigns because it is the only decent thing to do.  That would take as many as two additional presidencies (President Pence and President Ryan would leave office) to bring about a President Clinton.

Lessig insists that “This is one way that it could happen.” Presumably, the other way is that everyone but Clinton dies in an apocalyptic meteor strike.

Under these circumstances, Lessig insists “The answer seems unavoidable: Ryan should nominate the person defeated by the treason of his own party, and then step aside, and let her become the President.”

In fairness to Lessig, law professors love to play out fanciful or fun scenarios. However, Newsweek advanced this suggestion as a serious possibility.

What is curious is the Lessig would view Clinton as the Democrat to be elevated given the recent disclosures of how the DNC and Democratic establishment effectively rigged the primary against her opponents. Shouldn’t Lessig add an extra step for Clinton to step side for “the person defeated by the treason of his own party” and bring in the Administration of President Bernie Sanders?

There are a couple problems here. First, there is absolutely no evidence of treason and the allegations against Trump are well removed from any responsible definition of that crime.  Second, Lessig ignores that the election appears to turn more on people voting against Clinton than for Trump.  Both Clinton and Trump were the most unpopular candidates in the history of American politics.  The DNC and establishment lost this election by pushing through a candidate who had record lows for trustworthiness.  Even after all of the Trump controversies and Clinton’s post-election speaking tour campaign , he remains more popular than Clinton.

We have previously noted that polls have shown Trump would still beat Clinton in a head-to-head election (and here).  While Trump is also facing declining polls, he is at the same level or even higher than Clinton. Clinton posted the lowest polling numbers yet with only 36% popularity and an unfavorable rating of 61%. Polls are showing Trump at 38 percent.  While a new poll shows that half of people feel Trump should resign, it is clear that they want Clinton even less — the very same position held by many in the campaign.  Before the establishment all but anointed Clinton as their candidate in the primary, polls clearly showed that the voters did not want an establishment figure so the DNC worked to guarantee the nomination to the ultimate establishment figure. However, it clearly goes deeper than that.  Even against one of the most unpopular figures in history (Trump was even worse at 63 percent unfavorable), Clinton could not even maintain a majority of women with favorability ratings. Against a candidate who was intensely opposed by many, Clinton could not even get above 50 percent and finished 48 to 46 percent — with the electoral votes going to Trump. Had the DNC and establishment not engineered the nomination, another Democrat would likely have had a walk away victory.

Finally, there would be no compelling reason for either Pence or Ryan to resign.  If Trump were to resign or be removed, there is no expectation of mass resignations to facilitate the swearing in of the losing candidate from the last election.  That has certainly not been the case with past controversies like the Nixon resignation (despite the role of the “dirty tricks” team operating out of the White House).

The suggested path to a Clinton presidency through this chain impeachments and resignations smacks of a certain denial bordering on delusion.

 

399 thoughts on “Harvard Professor: Hillary Clinton Could Still Be President”

  1. Newsweek is a rag. The reason for articles like this is to generate clicks to increase revenue. I am waiting for other click bait titles to arise. Maddona says will marry Godzilla.

  3. Not likely if she’s under investigation and indictment but then you don’t count the military invoking their particular duty of defending the Constitution which only they have a right and duty to do and the circumstrance of Hillary as President for the combat arms of the nation would be a bit toooooo much.

  4. Of course there is this problem:

    “All hell is breaking loose in Washington D.C. tonight after a four-page memo detailing extensive FISA court abuse was made available to the entire House of Representatives Thursday. The contents of the memo are so explosive, says Journalist Sara Carter, that it could lead to the removal of senior officials in the FBI and the Department of Justice and the end of Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation….
    Lawmakers who have seen the memo are calling for its immediate release, while the phrases “explosive,” “shocking,” “troubling,” and “alarming” have all been used in all sincerity. One congressman even likened the report’s details to KGB activity in Russia. “It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox News. “It’s troubling. It is shocking,” North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said. “Part of me wishes that I didn’t read it because I don’t want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.”

    https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-18/explosive-shocking-and-alarming-fisa-memo-set-rock-dc-end-mueller-investigation

    1. Nothing new there it isn’t news and it’s no big secret. except the congressioinals playing deer in the headlights.

      1. Michael,

        Since you’ve read the memo, please share it here! How else do you know what’s in it?

        1. Option A: The memo reveals information that if made public would lead to increased protections of our rights. Option B: I trust the government without reservations. No need to make their job more difficult by informing the public about matters of national security.

          I’m going with Option A.

      1. “You think about, ‘is this happening in America or is this the KGB?’ That’s how alarming it is,” Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry said to Fox.

      2. anonymous,

        It really is well past time. The thing is, this memo could be read into the public record right now. No one has the courage to do that. Maybe it will be released through a vote by members of the house but my guess is Trump will not approve its release. They are pretty much all in on it.

        I am looking to wikileaks for its release. Evidently, it outlines massive illegality against the American people. I would like the proof of what this govt. did/is doing.

        1. It’s long, long overdue, Jill, as we both know.

          “I would like the proof of what this govt. did/is doing.”

          As would I.

      1. bettykath,

        I was wondering why you think Democrats who have compared Trump to Hitler, did go ahead an vote to renew FISA? How do you explain giving these massive surveillance powers over citizens to Hitler?

        1. Apart from greed and self-serving, I have no explanation for anything done by most members of Congress, Democrat or Republican.

  5. Pingback: Hillary Clinton Could Still Be President Says Harvard Law Professor | Lawyer Blog Network

  6. Clinton Denial Syndrome makes both Trump and Bush Derangement Syndrome seem almost normal.

  8. No, Hillary would only have a chance again at being President, if she were ten or fifteen years younger and ran for the Presidency again.

  9. While Professor Turley continues to promote “polling” as if it is still an actual credible thing.

    Some people just take longer to accept a new reality.

  10. Sure seems as though there’s a calculated effort to make sure the Clinton’s remain a topic on sites such as this. Regardless of it’s ridiculousness.

    1. It’s JT’s MO. Write about HRC to deflect, distract to the republiborg collective.

      2. When you have nothing to say that isn’t stupid look in the mirror describe your self and change the name .. Radical Reasoning Handbook. provided by the programmer of the Robo Clone Collective currently operating as Fishy ….

    2. I’m confident the Clinton’s own actions have ensured they will remain a topic of discussion on sites such as this…legal blog. That is of course while the rule of law still has a heartbeat.

      1. Olly, if this is truly a legal blog, I think JT would have a lot to write about Trump. The poor man would not be able to get a nights sleep.

        1. If you do a search in this blog for “Trump” you’ll find 183 posted articles going back to the election. I’m not sure what number you consider a lot, but you may want to ask JT how well he’s been sleeping.

      2. “That is of course while the rule of law still has a heartbeat.” -Olly

        The rule of law? It’s “a dangerous myth.”

        1. The rule of law? It’s “a dangerous myth.”

          Myth? Sorry to burst your bubble but the rule of law is a foundational principle. It’s actually a thing. Not adhering to that principle doesn’t make it a myth either; that’s a reflection on our unchanging human nature. Believing human nature changes, now that’s a myth.

          1. The way things stand now, it’s a dangerous myth. It shouldn’t be the case, but it is.

            “Sorry to burst your bubble,” Olly.

            1. I understand the point you are trying to make but your myth idea is linked to the wrong object. The myth is angels are governing men or self-government (security of rights) is probable with a civically ignorant, apathetic and dependent electorate.

              1. “I understand the point you are trying to make but your myth idea is linked to the wrong object.”

                I don’t think you do.

    3. Just making sure justice is done and their crimes don’t get swept under the liberal rug since so many others are affected.

  12. Repealing Prohibition was such a longshot that Senator Morris Sheppard famously quipped it was more likely that, “a hummingbird will fly to Mars with the Washington Monument tied to its tail” than Prohibition will be repealed.

    Lessig is offering Trump haters hope, even if the odds seem to favor the hummingbird.

  13. I think the logical successor would be either Barron Trump or Bernie Sanders, the most popular politician in the country. I had come up with this similar scenario independently.

  14. Polls have been reduced to the level of ‘untrustworthy’ media. Number of Twitter and Facebook followers probably a better harbinger. The actual investment in a poll answer by the responder is zero, while following does require commitment, effort, and (some) brain cells.

  16. I think Prof. Lessig is not alone. Many of the “Impeach Trumpers” believe that after Trump is impeached Hillary Clinton would become President.

  17. Havard Law has seriously slipped in the hiring of its faculty. This is just sad.

    1. Lessig conveniently forgets President pro tem of the Senate, and the Cabinet heads. A lawyer who is confused about the Constitution….admittedly he’s not the only one in the US, but jeez. Wonder how much the Clinton Cabal paid him to write that fantasy piece. Newsweek is well-known as a libtard tabloid that will print all kinds of nonsense, but they’re really setting the bar low for 2018.

      2. CCS, if you check the link in Turley’s post, you’ll see that Lessig claims that “President Ryan” would supposedly nominate Clinton to be Vice President and then supposedly resign as an act of contrition, or “whatever,” for the election supposedly having been “stolen.” Why Lessig doesn’t have President Pence supposedly nominating Clinton for Vice President then resigning as an act of contrition, or “whatever,” is not immediately clear from reading the Newseek article to which Turley linked. Either way, Lessig is . . . FUBAR.
        .

          1. And I’m still a libtard. Or a Stalinist. Or a . . . Oh! Who cares what they say, anymore?

            1. The worse da name they call ya da better you are doin to bust up their T rump unity blog.

            2. No just a roboclone of The Collective machine of the Marxist Stalinist. You don’t rate as high as libtard.

        2. L4D, agreed re “Lessig is FUBAR”. Thank you for reading the crap article so I didn’t have to. Now I follow the tortured logic. Lessig should stick to his day job. Your 8:11 AM comment is the best.

  18. A general rule for all of those who think they are comedians: if your audience can’t tell if you are joking, it isn’t funny. I can’t tell if Lessig is serious or maybe I am missing the joke. I have the same problem sometimes with Monty Python. At least with Monty Python, I can always presume the effort is one at humor and assume I just didn’t get it.

  20. No she can’t. We are stuck with da porn boy that tells da girls they look like his daughter.

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