The Vice Presidency

WB63

The Vice-President has 2 constitutional duties:

• WB63 #7

• They are:– Preside over the Senate; and

– Help decide Presidential disability.

Stephanow

2006

Views of the Vice-Presidency

• “President-in-waiting”

• “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.”—John Adams

• “The vice presidency isn’t worth a warm pitcher of spit.”—John Nance Ganer

Views of the Vice-Presidency

Running Mates

• How are VP’s usually selected?– Originally, everyone just ran for President.– Whoever got the most votes=Pres.– Second highest vote getter=VP.– Could be from different parties.– 12th Amendment was made in 1804 to change

it.– Pres. & VP now run together as a “ticket.”

Running Mates

• #8:

• How are VP’s usually selected?– President’s select them.– National Convention delegates approve.

Running Mates

• What are some considerations that a presidential candidate uses when trying to decide whom to pick as a VP running mate?

Some considerations…• What can they bring to the ticket?

– Leadership & Compatibility (used more in modern times)--2004

• Bush/Cheney– Cheney provides foreign policy, military, and

federal experience, where Bush only had domestic experience as a state governor.

• Kerry/Edwards– Edwards had run himself, for President.

Some considerations…• What can they bring to the ticket?

– Leadership & Compatibility (used more in modern times)--2008

• Obama/Biden– Biden has foreign policy experience.

– Biden has a lot of national experience. In S since ’72.

– Biden himself ran for president in ’08.

• McCain/Palin– Palin has executive experience that McCain.

lacks.

– Palin brings out the “softer side” in McCain.

– Palin also viewed as a “Maverick” in the party.

Some considerations…• What can they bring to the ticket?

– Balance the Ticket--2004• Bush/Cheney

– Age--older. (Bush was only 54)

• Kerry/Edwards– Edwards was younger than Kerry.

– With Kerry seen as a “Northeastern Liberal,” Edwards was from the South (North Carolina).

Some considerations…• What can they bring to the ticket?

– Balance the Ticket--2008• Obama/Biden

– Biden is older than Obama. (65 to 47)

– Biden is seen as more moderate than Obama

• McCain/Palin– She brings in the women voters (disgruntled

Hillary voters.)

– Palin is younger (72 to 44)

– Palin is much more conservative than McCain. McCain was having problems being accepted by the Rep. base because of his more moderate stands.