Hatch is the ‘designated survivor’ during the address and will watch from afar,a tradition that goes back to the cold war when there were fears of sudden strikeIf a giant chasm opens under the Capitol on Tuesday night during the State of the Union and swallows the building whole, the next president will be Utah senator Orrin Hatch.
Hatch, and the president pro tempore of the Senate,is the “designated survivor” for this year’s State of the Union. This means while the nation’s political leadership gathers in the House chamber to listen to Barack Obama’s speech, Hatch will be far away. And, and whether unimaginable tragedy strikes,he will become president. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com