Talk:Glen Allen Walken

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Contents 1 Return to Congress 2 Gingrich 3 Hastert? 4 Very Fictional 5 Reply/Clarification of Above

[edit] Return to Congress

Walken had to leave the House in order to assume the Presidency. He could have run again in the midterms during the sixth season, but by no means would have automatically become Speaker again. Therefore, it is unclear whether he ran for Congress again. As he stated, "I was gonna have to run again next year anyway." - Scm83x 07:24, 16 October 2005 (UTC)

Why would he have to wait until the midterms as he could have run in the resulting special election. He was only acting President for a couple of days which means that it is still plenty of time for him to campaign to return to Congress in the special election. --The Shadow Treasurer (talk) 13:05, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Gingrich

I wrote that Walken was based on Gingrich as I always thought Walken was modeled after Newt Gingrich - a tubby, conservative Republican Speaker of the House with colorful language, a southern accent - Goodman himself is a New Orleanian - and is an opponent to a Democratic president. --Blue387 05:54, 26 March 2006 (UTC) Just throwing this out there, but generally you can't just write something as fact because it's what you've always thought. C wane 22:59, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hastert?

Walken is loosely based on Hastert? How so? Walken is dynamic and an ideologue; Hastert is a docile bureaucrat on his best day. They are really not comparable figures.

[edit] Very Fictional

It should be noted in this article, that in 'reality' Walken couldn't have become acting president (only a vice president can). Futher more, if Walkin could have become acting president, the presidential oath of office wouldn't been administered (the acting president doesn't take the oath). see the 25the Amendment to the US Constitution. GoodDay 14:18, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reply/Clarification of Above

The episode in which Walken ascends to the presidency is titled "Twenty Five," in reference to the 25th Amendment. It is arguable, however, that the 25th Amendment doesn't appy to Walken's circumstances. As the writer above points out, only the Vice President may serve as acting president under the terms of the 25th Amendment; the amendment makes no provision for any other officer in the statutory line of succession to assume office and then surrender it. Stickler for the letter of the law that Walken was, he could have pointed out to Bartlet that once Walken became president, there was no law that obligated Walken to ever give the job back to Bartlet.

Another thing, the bit about Walken writing a formal letter of resignation of his House seat - totally exposition for the benefit of the audience. The way the order of succession is set up in law, a successor's resignation from any government job is automatic when he takes the oath of office as president.

Walken doesn't ascend to the presidency, he becomes the tempororay acting president. The President temporary yielded the Presidency to him, which often occurs when a President is unable to hold power. For example, Dick Cheney has occassionaly acted as a temporary president when George W. Bush had to undergo a medicial procedure that would make him unconscious. --ShannonED 00:44, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

I'd like to clear up inaccurate assertions made here, about the conditions under which the Speaker discharges presidential duties, with the facts, using the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 (including my capitalization):

If there is no qualified President or Vice President, "then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall, UPON HIS RESIGNATION as Speaker and as Representative in Congress, act as President" (3USC19(a)(1) [1]).

The resigned Speaker, "if his discharge of the powers and duties of the office is founded in whole or in part on the inability of the President or Vice President, then he shall act ONLY UNTIL THE REMOVAL OF THE DISABILITY of one of such individuals" (3USC19(c)(2) [2]).

Moreover, the section makes provision if "the Speaker fails to qualify as ACTING PRESIDENT" (3USC19(b) [3]), which means the nomenclature of "Acting President" is applicable to the resigned Speaker who is discharging presidential duties.

Regardless, in a fictional universe in which presidential election years are offset by two (2002, 2006, etc.) real presidential succession provisions may be irrelevant 72.75.72.96 09:23, 4 June 2007 (UTC)