Is Vice President of the US a pointless job?
04 November 2008 à 20h01
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A former Vice-President of the United States used to tell the story of a mother who has two sons : “One goes to sea and the other becomes Vice-President of the United States. Neither is ever heard from again.“ This joke is not only a provocation. For a long time, the Vice-President considered his activity as a pleasant prelude to retirement.
His role is very limited. He has no executive function. The aim of the Vice-President is essentially to replace the President in case he dies, resigns or is removed. Many Vice-Presidents became President this way, like Harry Truman when Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945 or Lyndon Johnson after John F. Kennedy was murdered in 1963. Gerald Ford is another famous example : he replaced Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal in 1974.
Overall, 14 Vice-Presidents got into the Oval Office, nine of them because of the death or resignation of the head of state. Since the approval of the 25th amendement in 1967, the Vice-President can also lead the country in case the President is considered unable to do so (mostly for health reasons).
Furthermore, the Vice-President is the president of the Senate. This role is essentially procedural. He cannot intervene in the debates, but can cast his ballot in case of a tie.
For the last 20 years, the role of Vice-President has grown. Al Gore (1993-2001) in particular is often considered as one of the most active Vice-Presidents in American history. He is known for having driven important programs on the environment and new technologies and promoted free-trade with Mexico and Canada. Dick Cheney (2001-2009), the Vice-President of George W. Bush, also had a strong influence. He chose a lot of members of the government administration and was very involved in the American war in Iraq and the struggle against terrorism.
On August 23, Obama designated Joe Biden as his running mate. On August 29, John McCain surprised everybody by choosing the very Christian governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. A choice which revitalized the campaign and allowed McCain to equal his rival in the polls.The circumstances change, but Joe Biden or Sarah Palin will certainly not disappear into the sea…
His role is very limited. He has no executive function. The aim of the Vice-President is essentially to replace the President in case he dies, resigns or is removed. Many Vice-Presidents became President this way, like Harry Truman when Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945 or Lyndon Johnson after John F. Kennedy was murdered in 1963. Gerald Ford is another famous example : he replaced Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal in 1974.
Overall, 14 Vice-Presidents got into the Oval Office, nine of them because of the death or resignation of the head of state. Since the approval of the 25th amendement in 1967, the Vice-President can also lead the country in case the President is considered unable to do so (mostly for health reasons).
Furthermore, the Vice-President is the president of the Senate. This role is essentially procedural. He cannot intervene in the debates, but can cast his ballot in case of a tie.
For the last 20 years, the role of Vice-President has grown. Al Gore (1993-2001) in particular is often considered as one of the most active Vice-Presidents in American history. He is known for having driven important programs on the environment and new technologies and promoted free-trade with Mexico and Canada. Dick Cheney (2001-2009), the Vice-President of George W. Bush, also had a strong influence. He chose a lot of members of the government administration and was very involved in the American war in Iraq and the struggle against terrorism.
On August 23, Obama designated Joe Biden as his running mate. On August 29, John McCain surprised everybody by choosing the very Christian governor of Alaska Sarah Palin. A choice which revitalized the campaign and allowed McCain to equal his rival in the polls.The circumstances change, but Joe Biden or Sarah Palin will certainly not disappear into the sea…
