Laying the Groundwork
When American Senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly just 11 days ago, the state of South Carolina rushed to appoint his sister to complete his term in office, leaving his seat vacant just three days. The lack of process and the urgency with which it was carried out is hard to interpret as anything other than the conditioning of the American people for hereditary office.
The Senator’s body had not even cooled yet when his sister was sworn in. The funeral won’t take place for another week. And she is already announcing her intention, with Donald Trump’s backing, to run in the general election to keep the post.
Widow’s succession is not without precedent in the United States, but it is extremely rare. In normal times it might signal continuity, the completion of the work of a politician’s mandate. There may be an element of that here, though one wonders which aspect of Lindsey Graham’s work they wish to continue.
In this case, the next-of-kin succession should be taken as a message in its own right. The President’s health is obviously frail. He has annual checkups that last days every few months. He has had multiple cognitive tests, suggesting that his cognitive decline is being actively monitored. His end, in short, is coming.
JD Vance may be the heir apparent to the presidency through the Constitution, but we already know that the Constitution does not mean much to the Trump administration. Vance is not politically saleable, making jokes that fall flat, getting booed, and generally not being the obvious charismatic successor that the MAGA movement will need to retain power.
It is unlikely that he will be left in the position of vice president long enough to take over the role of president. The oligarchs bankrolling the MAGA movement need someone in place who can pick up the torch and carry it forward, who can continue the anger and deception that is allowing them to rob the American people of their futures without losing their support.
The vice president, though, cannot be simply fired. He needs to go of his own volition or be impeached and forcibly removed from office. With Vance being the face of the Iran peace deal which was dead before the ink dried, it appears that he is being set up for failure. When they need him to be gone, they will make it untenable for him to stay.
Meanwhile, Senator Mitch McConnell has been in hospital for a month without any verifiable confirmation of life. A photo of him sitting up in a hospital bed in non-hospital clothes holding the day’s Washington Post in his hand along with a statement was issued a few days ago, however he has not said a word publicly since — or in his own voice — due to his continuing ailment. However if he was in good enough shape to get dressed and sit up in bed, even the most basic video appearance should be possible.
It has been pointed out that if he holds onto his seat until August 3rd, Kentucky’s Demoratic governor can be prevented from holding a special election for his seat prior to this year’s mid-terms, in which he was already not planning to run.
The American population is being tested to find the limits of their tolerance. If Donald Trump dies or becomes fully incapacitated, how long will it take for the administration to acknowledge the fact? And what have we learned from the state of Vance’s vice presidency, the record of McConnell’s health, and Graham’s succession?
It all opens the possibility that one of Trump’s own children, likely either Donald, Jr, or Eric, will eventually find themselves in a position to be suddenly appointed to a surprise last-minute vacancy in the vice presidency just as their father ceases to be able to hold the office.
And all the precedents to make it happen will have been established and tested.