The vice presidency has been one of the most constant stories in the news over the last several years. First, Mike Pence was mocked for his relentless subservience and groveling to Donald Trump. Then, Kamala Harris has been criticized for the last two years for getting everything wrong. A few weeks ago, the vice presidency sweepstakes reignited when Senator Elizabeth Warren gave a
I was Vice President my senior year of college in student government and it was the best job ever, mostly because I didn’t have to get into the weeds of the budget. 😀
Great info as always. Are there better ways to choose a backup/emergency replacement? Should that backup be a permanent replacement for that term? Or, should there be a temp with a special election? I can’t say what we do now makes the most sense to me. Alternatives?
Excellent piece! I didn’t see a mention of John Tyler, but wasn’t his accession to the Presidency very controversial at the time? Because if I remember correctly, the Constitution mentions that in the event of the President’s death, the Vice President shall *act* as President, but a lot of people in the 1840s didn’t buy that that meant the same thing as the VP *actually becoming” President.
Tyler basically created the precedent by maintaining that he was indeed the actual President in light of William Henry Harrison’s death--it wasn’t formally institutionalized (or rather, constitutionalized) until the 25th Amendment. Is that correct?
Great article. I agree that in today's world, the Vice President needs to take on some of the tasks of the President as assigned by the President.
Having held various positions in various organizations, I believe the Vice President should not participate in the Senate debates but remain neutral unless the vote is a tie. Just keep the debate within the operating rules. which I think need to change!
Jefferson's rules of order encourage waste. fraud. and abuse in our congress. Amendments should apply to the main motion only. This may slow down the action in Congress, but it would save tons of money.
I look forward to your book on Adams. My boss and fellow amateur historian is an Adams fan
Hubert Humphrey had similar problems with LBJ. He and Nixon had comparable experience in the Executive Branch - as did Gore and Hillary - as little good as it did the three Democrats !
Anyway, here's a Comment I wrote for the NYT about criticism of Kamala:
Chevy | South Hadley, MA
"I agree. Get off her case. The job of the Vice President is to do or not to do exactly what the President wishes. The Constitutional function of the Vice President is to succeed the President in the event of his or her incapacity and to preside over and break ties in the Senate. It's that simple. If Biden wants to choose another running mate in 2024 - assuming he is the nominee - then he is completely within his right to do so."
To which I might add that Kamala is free to run for President if she desires to speak clearly in her own voice.
Great piece and I hate to take the bait and kind of bash the current VP, but here it goes. With the very notable exception of Dan Quayle, we had a string of somewhat relatively influential VPs; Bush, Gore, Cheney and Biden left their mark. Pence is fascinating because while he spent 3 years and 11 months as the President’s fluffer* he inadvertently, arguably became the most consequential by helping save the Republic. Harris is just bad, and it doesn’t have anything to do with her gender. She is given admittedly impossible assignments and responds by doing basically nothing at all. She appears to not have a full grasp of some the issues and as opposed to more gifted politicians can’t bs her way through it when cornered. Let’s be honest, this is why she got the job. Her presidential campaign showed her not ready for prime time and it was apparent she would not and could not outshine her boss. This also helps explain the inexplicable selection of Tim Kaine four years previous. I confess that I originally supported the pick of Harris thinking she would grow in office, I am not so sure anymore.
*apologies but I couldn’t find a better way to describe him.
I would have liked to have seen you include Joe Biden in your analysis as I understand he was a successful vice president, and how (if) his experience as VP impacts the work Harris is doing.
I was Vice President my senior year of college in student government and it was the best job ever, mostly because I didn’t have to get into the weeds of the budget. 😀
Great info as always. Are there better ways to choose a backup/emergency replacement? Should that backup be a permanent replacement for that term? Or, should there be a temp with a special election? I can’t say what we do now makes the most sense to me. Alternatives?
Excellent piece! I didn’t see a mention of John Tyler, but wasn’t his accession to the Presidency very controversial at the time? Because if I remember correctly, the Constitution mentions that in the event of the President’s death, the Vice President shall *act* as President, but a lot of people in the 1840s didn’t buy that that meant the same thing as the VP *actually becoming” President.
Tyler basically created the precedent by maintaining that he was indeed the actual President in light of William Henry Harrison’s death--it wasn’t formally institutionalized (or rather, constitutionalized) until the 25th Amendment. Is that correct?
Thanks again!
Great article. I agree that in today's world, the Vice President needs to take on some of the tasks of the President as assigned by the President.
Having held various positions in various organizations, I believe the Vice President should not participate in the Senate debates but remain neutral unless the vote is a tie. Just keep the debate within the operating rules. which I think need to change!
Jefferson's rules of order encourage waste. fraud. and abuse in our congress. Amendments should apply to the main motion only. This may slow down the action in Congress, but it would save tons of money.
I look forward to your book on Adams. My boss and fellow amateur historian is an Adams fan
A new book on Adams? Wow. Do tell a little if you would. This is exciting news.
This was great, thanks!
Hubert Humphrey had similar problems with LBJ. He and Nixon had comparable experience in the Executive Branch - as did Gore and Hillary - as little good as it did the three Democrats !
Anyway, here's a Comment I wrote for the NYT about criticism of Kamala:
Chevy | South Hadley, MA
"I agree. Get off her case. The job of the Vice President is to do or not to do exactly what the President wishes. The Constitutional function of the Vice President is to succeed the President in the event of his or her incapacity and to preside over and break ties in the Senate. It's that simple. If Biden wants to choose another running mate in 2024 - assuming he is the nominee - then he is completely within his right to do so."
To which I might add that Kamala is free to run for President if she desires to speak clearly in her own voice.
Great piece and I hate to take the bait and kind of bash the current VP, but here it goes. With the very notable exception of Dan Quayle, we had a string of somewhat relatively influential VPs; Bush, Gore, Cheney and Biden left their mark. Pence is fascinating because while he spent 3 years and 11 months as the President’s fluffer* he inadvertently, arguably became the most consequential by helping save the Republic. Harris is just bad, and it doesn’t have anything to do with her gender. She is given admittedly impossible assignments and responds by doing basically nothing at all. She appears to not have a full grasp of some the issues and as opposed to more gifted politicians can’t bs her way through it when cornered. Let’s be honest, this is why she got the job. Her presidential campaign showed her not ready for prime time and it was apparent she would not and could not outshine her boss. This also helps explain the inexplicable selection of Tim Kaine four years previous. I confess that I originally supported the pick of Harris thinking she would grow in office, I am not so sure anymore.
*apologies but I couldn’t find a better way to describe him.
I would have liked to have seen you include Joe Biden in your analysis as I understand he was a successful vice president, and how (if) his experience as VP impacts the work Harris is doing.