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A few facts about the job
20/08/2008 07:25 - (SA)
It may at times seem the least
consequential high office, but the US vice president is only
a heartbeat away from one of the toughest jobs in the world.
While the spotlight is on presidential candidates Barack
Obama and John McCain, speculation is rife over who they will
select as running mates in the coming days.
Here are a few facts about the job:
Under the US Constitution, the vice president has only
two responsibilities. He is the presiding officer of the US
Senate, but only votes if there is a tie. More importantly, he
takes over if the president leaves office for any reason before
his term ends. If that happens, the new president nominates a
candidate for vice president who must be approved by Congress.
For most of US history, the vice president did very
little. Formal functions and state funerals were near the top
of the list. John Nance Garner, a crusty Texan who served as
vice president under President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s,
famously said the job was not worth a bucket of warm spit.
But in the last quarter of the 20th century, vice
presidents started having more input and played bigger roles in
their administrations. Democrat Al Gore and Republican Dick
Cheney are considered two of the most powerful vice presidents
in history.
Presidential candidates pick their running mates for a
variety of reasons. Sometimes a liberal candidate will pick
someone more conservative to gain ideological balance. Other
times a candidate might pick someone to ensure the support of a
specific state or region, as John Kennedy of Massachusetts did
when he selected Texan Lyndon Johnson in 1960.
An older candidate could choose a younger running mate to
offset worries about age. Candidates who come from outside
Washington often pick a Washington insider. A less experienced
politician might select a more seasoned running mate, or the
choice could be based on something as simple as the two
candidates getting along and trusting each other.
Nine vice presidents have risen to the top job because of
death or resignation. Only two - Martin Van Buren in 1836 and
George HW Bush in 1988 - were elected directly from the
office to the presidency.
The vice president originally was supposed to be the
person who finished second in the Electoral College
state-by-state vote for president. That was changed after
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in 1800.
While Gore and Cheney put a brighter spotlight on the
job, and Obama and McCain are sure to make a big show of their
selections this year, there is little evidence that who runs
for vice president has a big impact on voters' choices.
Overwhelmingly, they vote for the presidential candidate, not
the vice presidential one.
- Reuters
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US Elections Special Report
