How a Romney – Biden White House Is a Real Possibility

If you read the title of this article really fast it may seem normal. Now think about it for a second. Mitt Romney's Vice Presidential running mate is Paul Ryan, and Joe Biden is the running mate to Barack Obama. So this must be some sort of scam, right? Actually it's not, and it is a real possibility that Mitt Romney could be our next President, and have Joe Biden as his Vice President. Here's how...

First, you are probably wondering why the guy who has claimed to be the least political man in the U.S. during this whole election process i writing a political article. Well, it's a simple answer really. I like drama. How boring would November 7th be if one of the candidates pulls away and wins easy? It's like a football game, the good ones are always the close ones.

Now here is how this whole political nightmare could happen...If both candidates get fewer than 270 Electoral College votes, including the case of a 269-269 tie, all hell breaks loose.

First there will be an attempt to find and sway electors who might be willing to change their votes, since any one elector’s vote could determine the winner. A small-d democrat, for example, might feel it was his duty to vote for the winner of the popular vote even if he had originally committed to the opponent. It’s also possible that a state legislature could try to replace one or several “controversial” electors: the Florida legislature briefly toyed with the idea in 2000, and states are explicitly allowed to do so until Dec. 11. If no candidate has the support of 270 electors when the college meets and casts votes Dec. 17, the decision goes to the newly elected House, which follows a 225-year-old formula for picking the next President. In a meeting on Jan. 6, each state gets one vote, determined by a vote of the members of its delegation, and a majority of states (26) is required. The House stays in session until a winner is picked.

As things stand, such a vote would likely go to Romney, though it’s pretty hard to game out, since the vote of a state with evenly divided delegations doesn’t count. (New Hampshire could have one D and one R in the new House, for example.) If it must go this way, there is one consolation: under the Constitution, the House would pick the President, but the Senate, which looks likely to stay Democratic, would select the Vice President. That would mean a Romney-Biden White House.

There are a number of plausible scenarios which could result in a 269-269 electoral tie.

Here’s just one: Obama wins OH, WI, NH. Romney wins FL, VA, NC, IA, CO, NV (and all other states go as expected).

Result: a 269-269 tie.

I am not saying this is likely to happen. But it is far from impossible.

Can you smell a new reality TV show?

Filed Under: Election 2012