Questions tagged [united-states]
Questions relating to the government or the politics of the United States of America
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Can a President be impeached after leaving office?
Suppose for the sake of the question that:
hypothetical U.S. President Liam Duke begins to be formally impeached on Jan 19, the day before the next President is sworn in.
President Duke is in fact ...
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Can a United States President issue a self-pardon?
In the event a President is accused or found guilty of a serious crime while in office, can they pardon themselves for it?
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Why is communism considered as evil (like fascism and nazism) in the United States?
In this question, a person asks why it's so easy to ban Nazi symbols and so hard to ban communist symbols: Why is banning communism symbols so hard to achieve as opposed to banning of Nazi symbols?
...
user17993
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What is the most someone can lose the popular vote by but still win the electoral college?
As the 2016 election results continue to come in, it looks pretty clear that Hillary Clinton will win the popular vote but will lose the electoral college. I know this has happened before and usually ...
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What happens if a US presidential candidate drops out of the race after being nominated but before election day?
If a presidential candidate in the USA drops out of the race before (or during) election day, but after early voting has begun, what happens to that party's ticket?
For example, if Donald Trump or ...
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In the US, why is there such a long time between the elections and inauguration?
In the United States, the elections were on 6 November 2012, but inauguration only on 20 January 2013, more than two months later.
In France, the presidential elections were on 22 April, and the ...
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What makes "Voter ID laws" so controversial in the US?
As a European, I am always baffled by the concept that requiring an ID to vote is so controversial in the US, for me is one of the most "natural" things.
I hear that it is because obtaining an ID in ...
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Is there precedent or are there procedures for a US president refusing to concede to an electoral defeat?
I am wondering what would happen if an incumbent US President were to lose a presidential election, but refuse to accept the result and to concede defeat (even after any legitimate challenges and ...
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What is Donald Trump's plan surrounding the US-Mexico border wall?
Has Donald Trump laid out a plan for the Mexico border wall or ever talked about it with more detail to clarify what his ultimate plan and goal may be to build a wall?
Can anyone think of any reason ...
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Does the Electoral College system really favor low population areas?
I was reading some questions on this site, and I stumbled up this comment. I'll transcribe the relevant parts of it here in case it ever goes away:
You could throw in something about how Hillary ...
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In the US, what is the role of and relationship between federal law and state law?
(This is an attempt at a canonical question about an important distinction in US law and politics that is different than many other countries. It was suggested by this comment on another question. I'm ...
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May the US president launch a nuclear bomb without any oversight on any target?
According to Article II, Section 2, Clause I of the Constitution, the President of the United States is commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces.
Source: Wikipedia
How does launching a ...
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Let's say the impeachment procedure reaches the Senate. What next?
Let's assume for a second that the House votes to impeach Trump. This only takes a simple majority, something that they might be able to achieve, depending on how serious the Ukraine allegations turn ...
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Is there a way to block an elected President from entering office?
Given the recent results on the national election at the US, I have seen several protests here at Berkeley and the Oakland area. I am wondering whether there exists any legal option to prevent him ...
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Is the US unusually prone to walking away from signed treaties/accords?
For example, the Iran proliferation Deal. Letting aside considerations about where or not it was a good agreement, this is still the US agreeing to something and then not carrying it out.
Other ...
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Can the U.S. Senate hold an impeachment trial if the House "passes" articles of impeachment but does not "transmit" them to the Senate?
After passing articles of impeachment against the President, Speaker Pelosi has announced she will not immediately send the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.
What does this actually ...
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In the Electoral College, why can electors vote in contrast to their pledge ('faithless')?
The United States uses an Electoral College system, where electors pledge to cast their vote in a particular way. However, these electors have the ability to vote in a manner that directly contradicts ...
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How do I know that my vote was counted?
Can American citizens verify that their vote was tallied correctly in the public/published results that determine an election?
More generally, do there exist any systems that can simultaneously ...
user6374
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In the US, why do libertarians tend to side with the Republican party rather than the Democratic party?
A generic way to define a libertarian in the US could be 'fiscally conservative, socially liberal'.
Given that the two major parties (Republican and Democratic) tend to (again, speaking generically) ...
user1530
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What would happen if vote tallies were discovered to be changed?
On Monday, the directors of the FBI and National Security Agency testified before the House Intelligence Committee.
During the hearing, the House Intelligence Chairman asked Mike Rogers if votes ...
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What caused the racial shift of America's parties?
Until the 1960's, African Americans were overwhelmingly Republicans (except for some members of the New Deal coalition) and Southern whites were overwhelmingly Democrats. Then, after the passage of ...
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How did the US bring down federal debt ratio after World War II?
I saw this infographic about the ballooning US Federal Debt-to-GDP ratio and how it might exceed WWII levels:
https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-debt-and-deficit-projections-hit-records/
But I ...
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Is the Republican Party forced to support whoever wins the presidential primary?
Is the Republican Party forced to support the winner of the presidential primary, or can they choose to support another candidate, for example because that candidate is more in line with the party's ...
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What would be required for states to split off and become their own nation?
What would need to happen for a state such as California or Texas to split off and form its own independent nation? Who would need to agree and what would need passing (bills etc.)?
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Does the US require a House vote to begin an impeachment inquiry?
Does the US require a House vote to begin an impeachment inquiry?
News sources such as this CNN article seem to show a disagreement between the White House saying that a House vote is required, while ...
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Why does DC want to become a new state rather than merging into Maryland?
According to the list of US states and territories by area, DC is 22 times smaller than the smallest state (Rhode Island). Despite this fact, there is currently a push to turn DC into an independent ...
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Is there any recourse to remove a dissatisfactory president even if he hasn't broken the law?
So, lets say a certain wig-wearing candidate were elected president, and he decided to (contrary to certain campaign promises) not commit several violations of the constitution into law; Lets say he ...
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What happens when a presidential candidate dies before being inaugurated...?
If the candidate wins the election but is never sworn in and dies, who is chosen and how?
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Why were pre-election polls and forecast models inconsistent with the election of Donald Trump?
As it's obvious now, pre-election polling and forecast models were inconsistent with the vote count in this election cycle as not many predicted a Trump victory.
Is there any particular reason why ...
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Why is it that Bernie Sanders is always called a "socialist"?
As a German I really don't get calling Bernie Sanders a socialist. In every country in Europe he would be a social democrat at best, but somehow in the USA he's a "socialist" and "communist" you ...
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How does a shutdown end if an agreement is never reached?
The US government is shut down, due to disagreements between President and Congress on border security funding.
Both sides are in an apparent stalemate.
So my question is simply, what happens if ...
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Can Trump undo the UN climate change agreement (Paris Agreement)?
Trump has just won the elections. Can he somehow stop the US from participating in the UN COP21 climate change agreement (which was already signed formally by the US)?
Also I've read here that
To ...
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Could a US President abuse their pardon powers to unilaterally make laws?
For instance, if I really hate littering, and I somehow become President of the United States, could I effectively make littering a capital offense by promising to immediately pardon anyone who kills ...
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Are the US President's phone calls recorded?
Apparently the official phone calls of the US President are recorded and transcripts are made. This process has apparently resulted in multiple phone conversations being revealed to the public by ...
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If a president is impeached and removed from power, do they lose all benefits usually afforded to presidents when they leave office?
It is my understanding that there are a number of benefits bestowed to presidents when they leave office. These include a lucrative pension, $1 million travel budget per year, personal protection etc....
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Why isn't there a serious attempt at creating a third mass-appeal party in the US?
Most people in the US do not identify themselves as either Republican or Democrat (see Gallup data).
There seems to be four possible explanations.
These independent-leaning Americans prefer more ...
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Why run for president if you have no chance to be elected?
Jim Gilmore and George Pataki are currently running for president but have virtually no chance of winning the primary. I doubt most voters would even be able to pick them in a lineup.
They are not ...
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Why does the US government not enforce federal laws against Colorado's legalization of marijuana?
As far as I know, possession and trade of marijuana is illegal in the United States according to federal law. However, the state of Colorado (as well as some others) recently legalized marijuana for ...
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What happens if President Trump has been found to be colluding with Russia?
What happens if it is proven that President Trump has been colluding with Russia during his campaign? Does he go to trial or get impeached? Or does nothing happen?
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Is there an officially stated reason why Trump's ban includes Iran and Iraq, but not Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, or Pakistan?
According to BBC News:
A 90-day suspension on anyone arriving from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, except certain visa categories such as diplomats.
Is there any objective ...
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In the U.S., are people with more education more likely to vote liberal?
In the U.S., are people with more education more likely to vote liberal and progressive, or is this merely a perception? If yes, is this true in general, or only for certain disciplines? Are there any ...
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Result if a sitting president was found ineligible by surprise discovery of origin
What happens if, after a few years, a sitting President was found in a surprise revelation, and through no fault of their own, to have been utterly ineligible for that office because of both where ...
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What evidence did the Bush administration have that Iraq stored WMD in 2002?
The U.S. and its allies have justified the Iraq war, among other things, by citing the danger of weapons of mass destruction. According to wikipedia (emphasis mine)
the U.S. stated that the intent ...
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Can I recall my US Senator or Representatives in Congress?
I live in Texas, is there an effective proceedure to recall my senator or representatives in Congress?
Has an online petition ever been effective at recalling a Senator or Congressman?
user1858
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What requirements are there for becoming a supreme court justice?
Can the president appoint anyone as a supreme court justice?
What requirements are there for becoming a supreme court justice? Do you need to be a lawyer or not?
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What procedures are in place to stop a U.S. Vice President from ignoring electors?
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and President Donald Trump's defeated electors appear to be suing Vice President Mike Pence in a Federal Court in Texas. Gohmert and a handful of the electors sued Pence ...
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Can a bill that has passed the US Senate or House expire?
The Senate passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 in 2013; however, the house has still not acted on it. Is it possible for the bill to expire? ...
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What has Donald Trump accomplished as a president (objectively)? [closed]
I define an accomplishment as a well-defined stated goal that has been successfully met. The goal may have been stated by Trump directly, at some point in his political career, or it may be a goal ...
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Did the Senate break their own rules by invoking the nuclear option?
Senate Democrats modified the rules of the Senate, invoking the nuclear option
The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to invoke the so-called “nuclear option,” making it possible for Congress to confirm ...
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What share of federal taxes do the rich pay?
It is a commonly held belief that upper-income people pay too little in federal taxes, or that they pay no income taxes at all. An AP story noted a Pew Research poll that found:
A majority of ...
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