U.S. Govt Department Management Turnover and Misbehavior Is Frequent – The Well being Care Weblog

By MIKE MAGEE

This has been two weeks of blended messages relating to the very best workplaces of the land. Simply two weeks in the past on July 1, 2024, a majority of the  Supreme Courtroom determined to develop Presidential immunity for legal malfeasance whereas within the workplace that former President Trump had so severely tarnished on January 6, 2021.

The Supreme Courtroom’s meddling occurred simply three days after President Biden was pressured to acknowledge that he had badly flubbed the First Presidential debate, which led to a sequence of restoration strikes (the ABC Stephanopoulos interview on July 6; the dwell Press Convention in D.C. on July 11; and the full-energy “Don’t You Give up” rally in Detroit, Michigan on July 12) to attempt to show he wasn’t too previous or infirm to do the job.

Within the meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris remained loyal and succesful within the wings, whereas Trump went silent, cagily delaying his resolution on his personal operating mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was operating towards.

And at some point later, a 20-year previous registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the previous President with an automated sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply advantageous for civilian circulation by Republicans.

All of this may lead you to consider, relating to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we’ve entered uncommon instances. However, as historical past properly illustrates, nothing could possibly be farther from the reality.

In our temporary historical past as a functioning Democracy, eight of our Presidents have died in workplace and one has resigned. 4 sitting Presidents had been killed by gunshot (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK) and three have survived makes an attempt on their lives (Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and now Donald Trump). As for his or her #2’s, seven VP’s have died in workplace and two have resigned in workplace. And that doesn’t even start to cowl the various circumstances the place these high elected officers have managed to take care of their positions by hiding and covering-up a variety of debilitating bodily and psychological diseases whereas in workplace.

The Founder Fathers had little curiosity in insulating their high leaders from authorized oversight. However after we declared our independence in 1776, it took one other decade or so earlier than the Constitutional Conference settled on a system of high management and succession. They’d already established that the workplace of the Vice President could be created, and that the President and the Vice President could be elected by the Electoral Faculty.  However final energy lay with the Congress. In the event that they noticed match for any motive to take away each the President and the Vice President, and put anyone in his place till the subsequent election, they’d the ability to take action.

It took 5 extra years for the physique to resolve on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president had been to grow to be disabled or eliminated on the identical time. They determined that the subsequent high two individuals within the Federal Authorities who had really been elected by the individuals could be the President professional tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Home of Representatives. That was the road of succession as of 1792.

This was the established regulation for an additional half century, till 1841, when William Henry Harrison died of typhoid.  He had solely served for 31 days and, because it was specified by the Structure, the Vice President assumed his workplace, however the extent of his powers and the titling related along with his assumption of energy had been unclear. Was the Vice President only a substitute till the subsequent election or was he really now president? John Tyler just about resolved that query with a very Trumpian transfer.  He contacted the primary native choose he may discover, and had himself sworn in as President, not as “Performing President.” This created an enormous stir. John Quincy Adams went loopy over this concern, however a precedent had been set. From then on, if a President died, the Vice President turned President.

Now, as we’ve seen, presidential and vice‑-presidential turnover is just not unusual. So this deal with succession is just not a theoretical train. It’s an actual concern for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly stunning in lots of ways in which it’s been left as unfastened because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this concern has been queued up. Legislative options have largely been reactive.

For instance, in 1886, there was the assassination of James Garfield.  He was shot on July 2nd, 1881, however he lived for an additional 80 days, unable to operate as President throughout that time period. It’s notable that over all of these 80 days, he by no means had a dialogue with Chester Arthur, the vice chairman, about assuming the presidency or what could be the priorities. In reality, Chester Arthur was completely remoted, each by Garfield and by the individuals who serve Garfield.

Arthur did set up a committee to look at problems with succession, however they did little to right the core drawback of amassing a lot energy in just a few people with out ample checks and balances. Now, it took just a few years extra to show {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the foundations and limits Congress felt they’d established. Working example: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you’ll be able to discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.

So what have we realized prior to now two weeks?

1. In our brief American historical past, traumatic damage and lack of life have been a relentless menace to our President and Vice-President in workplace.
2. As soon as in workplace, Presidents have a tendency to attenuate their psychological and bodily disabilities, and are aided of their conspiracies by members of the family and political loyalists and allies.
3. Peaceable switch of energy within the Govt department has been acknowledged as “the weakest hyperlink” by the Founding Fathers who spent a number of a long time making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
4. The energetic debate inside the Democratic occasion on their “remaining” 2024 ticket is in step with different incumbent candidates who’ve struggled and managed to carry onto energy with various outcomes.
5. Extending additional protections from legal responsibility to the now wounded and newly heroic former President Trump, a convicted felon who brazenly declares his intent to increase the ability of the Govt properly past the fears of the unique Founding Fathers, would recommend that this Supreme Courtroom has, intentionally or mistakenly, wandered into new and uncharted territory.

U.S. Govt Department Management Turnover and Misbehavior Is Frequent.

Mike Magee M.D.

This has been two weeks of blended messages relating to the very best workplaces of the land. Simply two weeks in the past on July 1, 2024, a majority of the  Supreme Courtroom determined to develop Presidential immunity for legal malfeasance whereas within the workplace that former President Trump had so severely tarnished on January 6, 2021.

The Supreme Courtroom’s meddling occurred simply three days after President Biden was pressured to acknowledge that he had badly flubbed the First Presidential debate, which led to a sequence of restoration strikes (the ABC Stephanopoulos interview on July 6; the dwell Press Convention in D.C. on July 11; and the full-energy “Don’t You Give up” rally in Detroit, Michigan on July 12) to attempt to show he wasn’t too previous or infirm to do the job.

Within the meantime, Vice President Kamala Harris remained loyal and succesful within the wings, whereas Trump went silent, cagily delaying his resolution on his personal operating mate till he had better readability on who precisely he was operating towards.

And at some point later, a 20-year previous registered Republican, got here inside inches of efficiently assassinating the previous President with an automated sniper rifle of the variability vigorously defended as simply advantageous for civilian circulation by Republicans.

All of this may lead you to consider, relating to the highest two positions in our Govt Department of presidency, that we’ve entered uncommon instances. However, as historical past properly illustrates, nothing could possibly be farther from the reality.

In our temporary historical past as a functioning Democracy, eight of our Presidents have died in workplace and one has resigned. 4 sitting Presidents had been killed by gunshot (Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, JFK) and three have survived makes an attempt on their lives (Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt, and now Donald Trump). As for his or her #2’s, seven VP’s have died in workplace and two have resigned in workplace. And that doesn’t even start to cowl the various circumstances the place these high elected officers have managed to take care of their positions by hiding and covering-up a variety of debilitating bodily and psychological diseases whereas in workplace.

The Founder Fathers had little curiosity in insulating their high leaders from authorized oversight. However after we declared our independence in 1776, it took one other decade or so earlier than the Constitutional Conference settled on a system of high management and succession. They’d already established that the workplace of the Vice President could be created, and that the President and the Vice President could be elected by the Electoral Faculty.  However final energy lay with the Congress. In the event that they noticed match for any motive to take away each the President and the Vice President, and put anyone in his place till the subsequent election, they’d the ability to take action.

It took 5 extra years for the physique to resolve on a plan who would lead the nation if each president and vice ‑president had been to grow to be disabled or eliminated on the identical time. They determined that the subsequent high two individuals within the Federal Authorities who had really been elected by the individuals could be the President professional tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Home of Representatives. That was the road of succession as of 1792.

This was the established regulation for an additional half century, till 1841, when William Henry Harrison died of typhoid.  He had solely served for 31 days and, because it was specified by the Structure, the Vice President assumed his workplace, however the extent of his powers and the titling related along with his assumption of energy had been unclear. Was the Vice President only a substitute till the subsequent election or was he really now president? John Tyler just about resolved that query with a very Trumpian transfer.  He contacted the primary native choose he may discover, and had himself sworn in as President, not as “Performing President.” This created an enormous stir. John Quincy Adams went loopy over this concern, however a precedent had been set. From then on, if a President died, the Vice President turned President.

Now, as we’ve seen, presidential and vice‑-presidential turnover is just not unusual. So this deal with succession is just not a theoretical train. It’s an actual concern for our consultant democracy. And it’s fairly stunning in lots of ways in which it’s been left as unfastened because it has been left in our Structure. Crises just like the one which concerned John Tyler are how this concern has been queued up. Legislative options have largely been reactive.

For instance, in 1886, there was the assassination of James Garfield.  He was shot on July 2nd, 1881, however he lived for an additional 80 days, unable to operate as President throughout that time period. It’s notable that over all of these 80 days, he by no means had a dialogue with Chester Arthur, the vice chairman, about assuming the presidency or what could be the priorities. In reality, Chester Arthur was completely remoted, each by Garfield and by the individuals who serve Garfield.

Arthur did set up a committee to look at problems with succession, however they did little to right the core drawback of amassing a lot energy in just a few people with out ample checks and balances. Now, it took just a few years extra to show {that a} President in energy, supported by political allies and household, was highly effective sufficient to skirt or ignore all the foundations and limits Congress felt they’d established. Working example: Woodrow Wilson. However that’s one other story you’ll be able to discover in better depth HERE if it pursuits you.

So what have we realized prior to now two weeks?

1. In our brief American historical past, traumatic damage and lack of life have been a relentless menace to our President and Vice-President in workplace.
2. As soon as in workplace, Presidents have a tendency to attenuate their psychological and bodily disabilities, and are aided of their conspiracies by members of the family and political loyalists and allies.
3. Peaceable switch of energy within the Govt department has been acknowledged as “the weakest hyperlink” by the Founding Fathers who spent a number of a long time making an attempt to handle this potential democracy-threatening legal responsibility.
4. The energetic debate inside the Democratic occasion on their “remaining” 2024 ticket is in step with different incumbent candidates who’ve struggled and managed to carry onto energy with various outcomes.
5. Extending additional protections from legal responsibility to the now wounded and newly heroic former President Trump, a convicted felon who brazenly declares his intent to increase the ability of the Govt properly past the fears of the unique Founding Fathers, would recommend that this Supreme Courtroom has, intentionally or mistakenly, wandered into new and uncharted territory.

Mike Magee MD is a Medical Historian and common THCB contributor. He’s the writer of CODE BLUE: Inside America’s Medical Industrial Advanced. (Grove/2020)