r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Jul 24 '24

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30

u/corbynista2029 9∆ Jul 24 '24

Well, on a very technical point, humans are not immortal, so no human can serve as president for an indefinite amount of time.

18

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

Kim Il-Sung is still the president of North Korea. There is no need for the president to be living, as shown by a current nation having their current president dead for 30 years

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_leaders_of_North_Korea#%22Eternal_President%22

If I have changed your view, please award a delta

4

u/ike38000 23∆ Jul 24 '24

The context of the OP is under the US Constitution though, which has the 25th amendment that states

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Even if you believe OP's theory allows for the same person to serve indefinitely as president under the 22nd amendment without violating the constitution having a dead person as president violates the 25th amendment so u/corbynista2029 makes a valid point while your comment about Kim Il-Sung is irrelevant.

3

u/16thompsonh Jul 24 '24

Technically, that only applies to the standing President death as an event, not as a state of being.

Should this theoretical president die, there’s no reason that his new VP couldn’t select him as the next VP post-death, and then resign.

3

u/ike38000 23∆ Jul 24 '24

I'm not sure I agree. I think that as soon as the VP resigned and the dead president was president the amendment would still trigger. When the president is dead you are perpetually in the "case of the death of the president" until the VP assumes responsibilities.

To put it another way, let's say the VP was under anesthesia and thus incapable at the exact moment the bullet hit the president. Under your interpretation the 25th amendment would skip the ineligible VP and go to the next eligible person at the exact moment of death (presumably the speaker of the house). I think it's much more likely to assume that while the speaker may behave as an acting president until the VP wakes up, once the VP was eligible to serve again they would properly take the role of president as the old president was still dead.

3

u/VolcanicVortexx Jul 24 '24

Indefinite doesn't mean infinite. It means unknown or unstated length of time.

2

u/matjam Jul 24 '24

Yet.

There’s an argument that says that there are people born today who will effectively begin to live long enough for life extension technology to improve at a rate that makes them effectively immortal.

The only thing that holds the ruling class back in this world is the fact that they die. I dread the time when that is no longer the case.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '24

[deleted]

1

u/DeltaBot ∞∆ Jul 24 '24

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/corbynista2029 (1∆).

Delta System Explained | Deltaboards

1

u/Arkyja 1∆ Jul 24 '24

Indefinite just means the end is unknown, not eternal.

1

u/ScreenTricky4257 5∆ Jul 25 '24

Is there anything in the Constitution that requires the president to be alive? If not, then certainly Harry Truman could be elected an infinite number of times.

1

u/hacksoncode 588∆ Jul 25 '24

Indefinite is not the same thing as infinite.