The Importance of the Vice President

The Importance of the Vice President “The most insignificant officer that ever the invention of man contrived” – first Vice President, John Adams “The vice president has two duties. One is to inquire daily as to the health of the president, and the other is to attend the funerals of Third World dictators. And neither of those do I find an enjoyable exercise.” –Presidential candidate John McCain in 2000 “I have no interest in it. Might very well turn it down, indeed, and probably would.” –Al Gore, before becoming Clinton’s running mate in 1992 “You’re not going to take it are you?” “I suppose I’ll have to” – Conversation between Grace Coolidge and her husband after he was nominated for VP in 1920 “The vice presidency is not only a meaningless but a hopeless office.” –Arthur Schlesinger Jnr “I never had a boss. I don’t know how I’d handle it.” –Joe Biden, before he became Obama’s running mate “I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than vice president.” –Theodore Roosevelt “I do not propose to be buried until I am dead.” –Daniel Webster, turning down the vice presidency in 1839

Enquiry Question: How important is the vice-president?

Learning Objectives • To explain the significance of the vice president • To analyse the extent of changes to the role of vice president during the tenures of Cheney and Biden • To evaluate the reasons for and consequences of this

Constitutional Analysis Read Article 2, Section 1 (Role of VP) In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.

Thinking Points • What do you think this article actually says? • What does it refer to when it says “the same shall devolve upon the Vice President”? • Does it mean the responsibilities of the President, or the presidency itself? • Does the Vice President remain Vice President, or become Acting President if the President is still alive? The fact that John Tyler in 1841 took over the actual role of President from W H Harrison may have set a precedent, but didn’t really establish the Vice President’s official position any more strongly.

Roles of the Vice President “Still not much else…” • The problem is quite simple…The Constitution says very little about what the actual role of the Vice President would be if he did not actually take over that of the President. • Article 1 Section 3 tells us: • Casting vote as ‘president of senate’ (rare and usually done by president pro-tem) • Presiding over counting of presidential election votes

Roles of the Vice President “Still not much else…” • The Constitution only gives the Vice President two duties besides becoming President if the President is removed from office: 1) to preside over the Senate, and 2) to help decide the question of presidential disability. • If the office of Vice President becomes vacant, the President nominates a new Vice President subject to the approval of Congress. • Today, the Vice President often performs diplomatic and political chores for the President.

Constitutional Analysis The Evolution of the Vice-Presidency Read the following parts of the constitution; • 12th Amendment 1804 • 25th Amendment 1967 How do you think the vice-presidency has evolved?

Presidential Disability What happens? • Sections 3 and 4 of the 25th Amendment provide procedures to follow when the President is disabled. • The Vice President is to become acting President if (1) the President informs Congress, in writing, “that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” or (2) the Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is thus incapacitated.

Examples: 25th Amendment in Action http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/acting_presidents.php

Pause For Thought Making the leap between VP & P • Only 4 VPs have announced their own victories after presiding over the electoral college vote – Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren and Bush Sr. • We may infer from this that the vice presidency doesn’t seem to be the best possible direct route to being elected president. • Only 14 VPs have gone on to the presidency, including those who were forced to take over because of death or resignation of the president during a term o foffice.

Vice Presidents who have become Presidents

The Constitution and Succession • Presidential succession is the plan by which a presidential vacancy is filled. • The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, made it clear that the Vice President will become President if the President is removed from office. • The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 set the order of succession following the Vice President.

Vice Presidents who have succeeded to the Presidency

Pause For Thought The only two VPs to resign from office – John C Calhoun and Spiro Agnew. Calhoun resigned in 1832 to join the Senate after falling out with President Jackson. Agnew was forced to resign in 1973 after being investigated for fraud.

Quick Quiz Have you been listening? • 47 • John Adams • Article 2 Section 1 • Amendment 12 • That the vice president has the casting vote as president of the senate • George H W Bush in 1989 • John C Calhoun and Spiro Agnew • Lyndon B Johnson • How many vice presidents have there been including Joe Biden? • Who was the first? • Where in the constitution does it say that the vice president takes over should the President not be able to continue in office? • Which amendment said that there had to be a separate vote to elect the vice president? • Article 1 Section 3 says what about the vice president in relation to the Senate? • Who was the latest vice president to directly succeed the previous president? • Name the two vice presidents who have resigned from office? • Which vice president succeeded Kennedy on the latter’s death?

The Modern Vice Presidency Article: How the vice president became a powerful and influential White House player “What are the principal reasons why the vice presidency has become more important since the second half of the 20th century?”

Balloon Debate Preparation YOUR TASK: • You will be required to work in groups of 4. • You will take on the role of moderator, or one of the three most recent vice presidents; Cheney, Biden and Pence. • You will be provided with 4 articles, but you can supplement this with additional research if you wish. • You need to prepare your roles for a balloon debate, where only the most powerful VP will survive. Article: The Role of the Modern Vice-President Article: How Dick Cheney became the most powerful VP Article: Could Pence be the most powerful man in America? Article: Why Joe Biden was an unusual VP

Balloon Debate How does it work? YOUR TASK: • You are in a hot air balloon which is losing height rapidly and will soon crash because it is overweight; therefore you have to get rid of some of the passengers! Who would you choose? • The passengers are Dick Cheney, Joe Biden and Mike Pence. • The moderator will organise the debate and ask questions of the contestants. • The first round will be based around a 2 minute speech about the strengths of the different VPs – you need to persuade the moderator! • The second round, after one VP has been thrown overboard, will be based around a 1 minute speech about the weaknesses of the other VP – again you need to persuade the moderator.

Who was the most powerful Vice-President?

Vice Presidential Case Studies What were the similarities and differences between Cheney and Biden?

Quick Quiz Have you been listening? • The Old Naval Observatory, Washington • Al Gore and Dick Cheney • The Dream Ticket • Geraldine Ferraro • Sarah Palin • Joe Biden • Where is the vice president’s official residence? • Who were Bush’s and Obama’s vice presidents? • What name do we give to the careful choice of running mate that complements the skills of the presidential candidate? • Who was the first woman vice presidential nominee for a major party? • Who was the second? • Whom did Trump choose as his running mate in 2016?

How important is the role of the Vice-President?

How important is the role of the Vice-President? Among the ways the role of the vice-president may be seen to be important are: • ‘balancing the ticket’ in elections providing experience or expertise • taking responsibility for specific areas of policy • acting as a congressional liaison • ‘attack dog’ – criticising opponents more forcefully than the president is able to • standing in for the president • cheerleader – taking the lead on potentially unpopular policies Arguably, the role of vice president reached a new level of importance during the tenure of Dick Cheney, principally because of President Bush’s relative inexperience in a number of key areas; Joe Biden has assumed an increasingly high-profile role as vice-president, but is unlikely to match the extent of Cheney’s influence.

Homework Application Task: How important is the role of the Vice President?(15) OR Assess the factors that affect the role of the Vice-President. (15) Flipped Learning Preparation Task: The Federal Bureaucracy (Bennett p239-248) Stretch & Challenge Task Increasing the Power: The Role of the Vice Presidency Before and After Dick Cheney

The Importance of the Vice President