Wiston Papers

Choosing a Vice President

There is always speculation regarding who U.S. presidential contenders will choose as their running mate.  More often than not, however, the decision appears based more on political considerations--to balance the ticket--rather than on the vice president’s actual qualifications for the job.  But then again the job doesn’t require much.   

Let’s look at the list of Vice Presidents during my lifetime.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose John Nance Garner as his running mate.  But Mr. Garner eventually  split with FDR over some New Deal policies and Roosevelt’s efforts to increase the number of Supreme Court justices.

Iowa-born Henry Wallace succeeded Garner, but Wallace’s somewhat odd religious dabblings and lack of people skills eroded his political support.  He is remembered as a better agriculturist than politician.

Harry Truman succeeded FDR upon his death and generally is held in high regard by historians despite his prickly personality during his presidency.  

Alben Barkley, Truman’s VP, by most accounts was an effective member of Congress and loyal supporter of FDR and later Harry Truman.  He’s the one who told the joke about a mother who had two sons: one went off to the war; the other became Vice President.  Neither was ever heard of again.

Richard Nixon was President Eisenhower’s vice president. He was embroiled in the so-called “Checker’s” Scandal while VP and would become a target of hatred and accusations of shady dealings.  The nickname “Tricky Dick”  would dog him his entire career and follow him into his forced resignation from the presidency.

Lyndon Johnson served under John Fitzgerald Kenney and ascended to the presidency upon JFK’s assassination.  An extraordinarily successful Congressman before becoming VP, he is credited with pushing through Congress much of Kennedy’s unfinished domestic agenda as well as achieving passage of his own Great Society proposals.

Hubert “The Happy Warrior” Humphrey was LBJ’s vice president.  He was well liked by Republicans and Democrats alike because of his infectious, optimistic personality.  But he was stained by his association with the unpopularity of the Vietnam War, which eroded President Johnson’s support and paved the way for the election of Richard Nixon.

Spiro Agnew joined Mr.  Nixon on the Republican presidential ticket in 1968  but was forced to resign amidst allegations of tax evasion and kickbacks dating back to his time as Governor of Maryland.

Gerald Ford was appointed to succeed Agnew then became president when Nixon himself resigned.  Mr. Ford was the only U.S. president and vice president never to have been elected to either office.   He was perhaps the most naturally gifted athletic president to occupy the White House but was generally regarded as an intellectual lightweight.

Nelson Rockefeller would be a “full partner” President Ford promised when naming Mr. Rockefeller vice president.  But he never was and his political acumen, energy and stature were wasted in the office.

Jimmy Carter selected Walter Mondale to be on the Democratic ticket.  Mondale was perhaps the most active vice president of modern times.  Unlike his predecessors he had an office in the White House and he was consulted frequently by President Carter on all matters of state.  But Mr. Carter’s ineptitude doomed any Mondale presidential aspirations.

George Bush was Ronald Reagan’s choice as vice president and succeeded Mr. Regan as president.  Despite Mr. Bush’s expertise in international affairs, his efforts to stimulate a declining economy at home and curtail rising  deficit spending  were not persuasive and he failed to make a compelling case for reelection.

Dan Quayle is generally considered the least qualified Vice President in modern history.  Long on enthusiasm but short on intellect, Mr. Quayle’s term in office as Mr. Bush’s VP was marked by one gaffe after another whether it was misspelling potato or criticizing the television show “Murphy Brown.”  

Al Gore on paper was well prepared to succeed Bill Clinton as president.  But Mr. Clinton’s sexcapades had so alienated the American republic that Mr. Gore was tarnished in the wake.  

Dick Cheney was rewarded for his years of loyal service and counsel to both George Bush and George W. Bush with the vice presidency during George W’s eight years in office..  He was generally disliked and distrusted for his imperious attitude and his propensity for secrecy.

President Barack Obama chose Senator Joe Biden to be his number two man.  Mr. Biden is considered to be an expert on international relations.  However, he is prone to a gaffe a day and even fabricated his own biography during an unsuccessful presidential bid decades ago--confusing his own life with that of British politician Neal Kinnock.

Now Governor Mitt Romney has named Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan as running mate.  Considered the architect of the Republican Party’s proposals on the economy and deficit spending his political star appears to be ascending regardless of November’s election.

The perception of the Vice Presidency as a thankless job is generally accurate.  The occupant’s only official responsible is to preside over the Senate and cast a vote in the case of a tie.  Otherwise, he spends countless hours attending ceremonial events and waiting for the president to die.

Given the history of some American Vice Presidents, it’s just as well that we have not given them anything important to do.

Steve Coon

August 15, 2012