Vice Presidents are so frustrating. They can't or dont

[Laura PourMeADrink]

speak their minds. And they recoil at anything that could be controversial Seems like such a waste of opinion and talent. All across the board, Rs and D's....what a thankless, horrible place it must be?

[Ocelot II]

1. Which *Democratic* vice presidents are you referring to

who can't or don't speak their minds and recoil at anything that could be controversial?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. Have any?

[Just_Vote_Dem]

3. Well, you brought it up n/t

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Ok.. I'll research Vice Presidents. Just watched Harris's

CNN interview and thought about it.

[Ocelot II]

5. You made the claim; just asking you to back it up,

keeping in mind that vice presidents have exactly zero constitutional power other than to act as understudy for an incapacitated or dead president. IIRC, all the Democratic VPs in recent times have been very active and influential, so which ones do you think were not?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Wow such a confrontational tone. Jeez

[Ocelot II]

10. I'm not being confrontational. You implied that Democratic VPs

weren't doing anything and I just asked for names because I don't think it's true.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

45. Absurd conclusion sorry

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. Is this an American thing? Or do other countries

Have "vice" leaders?

[Ocelot II]

9. They all have arrangements for someone to step in if the head of government dies or can't serve.

In most parliamentary systems it's the deputy prime minister. In the UK the Queen would appoint an acting PM until someone could be elected.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

27. I'm referring to toeing the Prez's line?

[Effete Snob]

33. Well there's a lot to the job...

[Atticus]

7. FDR's VP, Mr. Garner, described his job as "not worth a bucket of warm piss". Another VP, whose

name eludes me, characterized the position as "inside work with no heavy lifting".

[Ocelot II]

11. That has changed significantly since Clinton assigned a lot of duties to Al Gore.

Now VPs have a lot of work to do besides attend state funerals. Obama kept Biden very busy.

[Atticus]

16. I agree regarding Democratic VPs, but Pence was in the "bucket of warm piss" category. nt

[Beautiful Disaster]

51. It actually changed with Carter/Mondale.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

22. Interesting. Think I would hate it having to temper every thought.

Guess you just assume the opinions and positions of your prez and relegate your own and carry on. Seems kind of crazy since many VPs go on to run for Prez themselves. Then...they are caught in a dilemma... Express their own if different? or diss their own Prez..

[2naSalit]

39. I don't think it's quite like that.

In these current times it has become necessary for the VP to be visible yet support the agenda of the president. And that is what we will see from VP Harris in public.

That is her job and she knew it when she agreed to do it, but that's the visible side of the job.

What you don't see, partly because the news does not cover it, is the work she does behind the scenes.

She's not there to be the star of the show, she's there to support the president and his agenda AND offer advice which is when she offers her opinion, to the president, in the Oval Office, after briefings. And that, too, is her job.

In more common layman's terms you might think of her job description, in the private sector, as executive administrative assistant; executive envoy/liaison internationally. Which is quite a handful along with her duties in the Senate and tasks I can't think of at the moment.

She just isn't on the teevee very often and she shouldn't have to be.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

42. All true. Guess you have to just hope you have a prez who

will unequivocally stand up for you once it's all said and done? And the degree of enthusiasm in that endorsement is a direct clue as to why you picked that person to begin with?

[Xavier Breath]

12. Happens on occasion. I would argue Joe spoke his mind

that one time about same sex marriage and it seemed to catch the WH a bit off guard.

[Demsrule86]

14. Joe spoke his mind and on occasion...Obama was pissed too.

[SoCalDavidS]

13. Cheney Was A De Facto President For 8 Years nt

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. Yes!!!!

[mcar]

15. Which VP are you referring to?

Please, be specific.

[speak easy]

17. You mean like VP Biden taking a stand on marriage equality on national TV?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

25. You are saying Obama was against marriage equality?

Or Biden just spoke first on a national platform?

[Rhiannon12866]

32. That's exactly what VP Biden did - forcing President Obama to change his thinking and take a stand

[Laura PourMeADrink]

43. Don't agree at all. It was a matter of timing and politics.

Obama, as president was much more politically aware than Biden. Which says good things about Joe. But to conclude that Biden caused Obama to change his mind ( other than timing of announcement). ... Not sold on that, sorry.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Al Gore, Walter Mondale, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris??

No Democrats that I can remember were prevented from speaking out. Same with Dick Cheney, yikes! It's only been true for Mike Pence - till now.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. Prevented from speaking out 100% different than speaking out. But maybe

they just agree?? Cheney definitely an anomaly. But he had an affable yet very dim prez. He probably quickly realized he could take charge and manipulate the prez

[Rhiannon12866]

30. Jimmy Carter changed the status of the U.S. VP

Vice President Mondale had an office right near the POTUS, in the middle of the action, and had his own independent responsibilities. And that's been the case ever since.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

34. Perhaps this importance of a VP has been grossly underplayed?

In my mind, they have to toe the line, in general, with perhaps an exception or two. Seems like a constricted thankless job... But then your reward is that you get to be the heir apparent. Guess it totally works if you agree all the time.

[Rhiannon12866]

35. VP Biden led the fight for marriage equality causing President Obama to change his mind

And take a stand.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

44. Perhaps the timing of taking a stand, not sold on changing mind.

[Scrivener7]

20. Yes. I imagine it must be an infinitely frustrating job.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

24. Yup.. extremely careful dance you have to play

[TwilightZone]

21. Did you miss the Clinton and Obama presidencies?

Gore and Biden were heavily involved in their respective administrations and were quite vocal.

As for Rs, as others noted, Cheney was the de-facto president for eight years.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

28. Yes was in a coma

[Effete Snob]

31. Lol

The VP’s Constitutional role is really minor. Yes there have been varying degrees of “giving them stuff to do”, but it varies.

Nixon played up the importance of his role in the Eisenhower administration.

This is what Eisenhower had to say.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

36. Wow. Impressed you dug that up!!! Think it would be really

interesting to know exactly why people picked a particular VP. Probably unlikely there'd be an honest comment tho. My guess would be that "thinks just like me" might be below other criteria? Guess you can tell based on how big and sincere their praise & recognition is?

[Effete Snob]

38. Winning the election

Does this pick help me among voters in some area where I’m weak?

The president can choose a cabinet and seek advice from whomever he or she wants. If the VP is also worth consulting, great, but you have to win the election.

Joe Biden might be one counterexample, since electoral considerations didn’t seem to favor him as a pick.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

40. If I could guess, it would be youth and inexperience coupled

with tenure and wisdom.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

41. And of course the obvious, that he is white. But what

About Hillary? Why did she pick her VP? Tim Kaine? For VA?

[JI7]

26. All across the board ? This hasn't been the case since Gore became

VP. It's only Pence who has been useless but those were unusual circumstances where even the so called president was useless.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

37. Perfect example! He was picked to appease the religious wingnuts

Not because he's simpatico with the criminal murderer FG. Guess we will see .. how far FG goes to support him if it comes to that. Although gleefully watching as people chant to hang him is a very low bar

[JI7]

46. Trump didn't need to appease the religious right. They were Trump's base

He picked Pence because he wanted someone that would not overshadow him and would do as he told him to which he did up until the end.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

47. Both. He picked him primarily to attract Evangelicals plus

He was a calm yes man.

[JI7]

48. He didn't need to attract evangelicals. Evangelicals voted for Trump in the Primary

They were his biggest supporters .

[Laura PourMeADrink]

54. Evidently he and his advisors disagree.

[Patton French]

53. There's some truth to that

I suppose they don’t want to contradict or get out ahead of the President, which I can see.