The Vice-Presidency

President Gerald Ford passed away on December 26 at the age of 93. He was the longest-lived president in history. His passing brought forth a flurry of tributes and reflections on his presidency, and, in general, praised him for bringing peace to a nation caught in the upheaval of Vietnam and Watergate. Of course, what he did to allow the nation to move on was to pardon President Nixon for any crimes committed during the Watergate coverup. This move was widely and vocally criticized at the time, and probably cost Ford the presidency in his own right in the 1976 campaign against eventual president Jimmy Carter. Now, after three decades of hindsight, most observers have declared Ford’s decision to be wise, if at the time it was unpopular.

Gerald Ford was serving capably as House Minority leader, representing Grand Rapids, MI, when Spiro Agnew resigned from the Vice Presidency. Under the terms of the 25th amendment, ratified in 1967, only a few years prior, the President (Richard Nixon) was empowered to nominate a new vice president, who would then assume the office upon approval of both houses of Congress. Congressman Ford was his uncontroversial selection. Of course, when Nixon resigned the presidency in August of 1974 under threat of impeachment during the Watergate affair, Gerald Ford became the first president of our country who had never been elected to the office of either president or vice-president.

The vice-presidency can be a very critical office, or it can be a meaningless one. The first vice-president, John Adams, tried to act in the constitutional capacity as president of the Senate, who had the responsibility of casting the deciding ballot in the event of a tie. His first act was to insist that the Senate decide with what title to address the president. This ensuing debate lasted an entire month, and gave Adams the reputation of having “monarchist leanings.” After Adams and the Federalists lost power, the vice-president never again carried out his duties as “president of the Senate” in such an active manner. President Franklin Roosevelt’s first vice president, John Nance Garner, is said to have compared the office to a bucket of “warm spit” (metaphor edited for Christian schools). However, 14 of our country’s presidents have been vice-president first, making it about a one in three chance of being much more than what it was, in Garner’s estimation.

Under the terms of the 12th amendment, the procedure for election of President and Vice-President was changed. Previously, the person who won the second-most electoral votes was awarded the vice-presidency. Because of the political maneuverings of folks like Alexander Hamilton, who considered John Adams a rival and who viewed Aaron Burr as dangerous and unstable, the constitution was changed to allow for separate ballots for the two offices. From then on, there would be no further situations where the President was of one party and his vice-president of the opposing political group.

Now that Hillary Clinton has declared that she is running for president in 2008, the question was posed the other day as to whether her husband could be elected as vice-president. Under the terms of the 12th amendment, no one who is ineligible for the office of president is eligible for the vice-presidency; and, because the 22nd amendment limited the presidency to two terms, Bill Clinton is ineligible for both the presidency and for the vice-presidency. Celebrate or mourn, depending on your point of view.

President Ford’s experience illustrates how important the office of vice-president—a heartbeat away from the presidency—can be. One wonders if the public’s skepticism over the qualifications of Dan Quayle contributed to the defeat of George H. W. Bush in 1992.