Editing 2875: 2024

This [[:Category:New Year|New Year comic]] starts off almost like a "[[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|doesn't time fly?]]" scene, the unstoppable progression of the calendar is observed, as [[Ponytail]] points out that it's now 2024. This, though, is the only reference to [[#Trivia|New Year]] in the comic, and serves only as a pretext for [[Cueball]] to note that they are now in an election year, in this context a {{w|President of the United States#Election|US ''Presidential'' election}} year, which occurs every four years and has (in one form or other) since 1788. Ponytail then replies in some form of exasperated tone that they "keep on happening", which is true but (normally) unsurprising, even/especially with other major elections happening every two years, presumably not compared to how [https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/youre-joking-not-another-one/ some other democracies] might be less predictable/more frequent.

On top of this, Ponytail seems to have not been aware (or maybe has chosen to forget) the passing of two whole election cycles (and two newer incumbents) as the discussion focuses upon {{w|Barack Obama}}, the ''former'' US President, before Presidents Biden and Trump. Ponytail seems to be quite behind the times as she asks if Obama is still president (he left office January 20th, 2017, which was 7 (!) years ago, a fact that Cueball cannot quite believe Ponytail is ignorant of). Ponytail states that she liked him, and wonders if he'll be up for taking on the position again. But Cueball states that he ''can't'' be made President again, having already served two terms, which Ponytail confirms by checking for herself the details of the {{w|Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution}}.

In the second half of the comic Cueball and Ponytail discuss whether Obama is even the same person seven years after he was last president. Like the mythical {{w|Ship of Theseus}}, mentioned by Ponytail, which gradually had all of its parts replaced over many years, most of Obama's constituent cells have been replaced since he was last president. Ponytail is thus looking into the possibility of Obama's re-election based upon philosophical/biological technicalities (as applied to the Constitution's words), rather than as legal/political convention might normally suggest.  

Cueball questions if the cell replacement isn't a myth, and at least some cells may remain the same, especially those making up the enamel in the teeth, which he believes has a half-life of over 30 years, meaning that even after 30 years only half of the cells in your enamel have been replaced.  

But even when Ponytail's approach is seen to be wanting, requiring a wait significantly exceeding 30 years, Ponytail suggests negating that issue by having all of Obama's teeth removed and replaced with false teeth.

In order to facilitate the latter goal, Ponytail announces her intention to consult both a dentist (presumably for getting the teeth replaced) and a lawyer (perhaps to establish that Obama could thus run for president again, hopefully in advance). Although, in Ponytail's frame of mind, it could also be to consult with the dentist to clear up the currently theoretical issues about tooth-biology, and the lawyer might be asked to serve an enforcement notice to force Obama to undergo the 'treatment'. Her peculiar chain of logic might well also lead to one or other {{tvtropes|ThePlan|plan}} that is itself a total curveball and/or riddled with flaws.

Seeing where her current misplaced, and {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect|less than informed}}, zeal might be leading her, Cueball appears to be about to suggest that the {{w|Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court }} is about to pre-emptively block her plan, but instead turns out, in a play on the word 'block', to be saying that they will be unanimous in blocking her phone number so that she cannot contact them again, suggesting that this just the latest in a string of ridiculous proposals she has attempted to bring before them, and they have finally lost patience. The Supreme Court being unanimous on any issue is now a [https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/07/as-unanimity-declines-conservative-majoritys-power-runs-deeper-than-the-blockbuster-cases/ comparatively rare event].<!-- I looked for a decent post-2021 summary, but could not find one, perhaps someone else could check and replace/rephrase if they can establish better search engine skills-->

 

 

The title text combines two {{w|George Washington}} references.  The first part of the sentence is the beginning of the mundane but true claim that "It wasn't originally constitutionally required, but presidents who have served two terms have traditionally followed George Washington's example and not sought a third term."  However, the title text veers off-course to the subject of {{w|George Washington's teeth|George Washington's (in)famous 'false teeth'}}. Washington's dentures are often falsely claimed to be made of wood; in truth they were ''real'' teeth procured from other sources. Regardless, this would have likely resolved the rather specific philosophical/legal problems established in the comic, were they real.  However, since Washington only ran for president twice, even if the 22nd amendment had been in effect, it would have been unnecessary!

:[Ponytail and Cueball stop walking and Cueball has turned to face Ponytail.]

:[Ponytail and Cueball standing.]

:[Zoom in on the upper part of Ponytail who checks her smartphone held up in one hand. The text she is reading on her phone is shown in a square speech bubble above her head, with a jagged thin snip from the speech bubble extending from it down to above her smartphone.]

:[Ponytail has raised her hand palm up towards Cueball.]

:[Zoom in on the upper part of Cueball.]

:[Ponytail has turned around and walks away from Cueball with a finger raised high.]