POL 401 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Millard Fillmore, Lyndon B. Johnson, Calvin Coolidge
10 Dec 2016
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Vice presidents: readings: uscinski smith and jones go to washington . Vp"s most notable constitutional function=succession: if the president unexpectedly leaves office, the vp ecomes president. The process of selecting vice-presidential running mates has fallen into fewer hands over time: originally chosen by electorate after 1800, party bosses and delegates since 1940"s, a single person, the presidential candidate. Media predicts which party can gain an advantage by choosing which potential running mate. Despite the attention given to its selection, after the general election, vice presidents tend to slip into obscurity and receive public and media attention only in regard to gaffes, controversy, and scandal. In case of the president"s death, incapacitation, resignation, or removal, the vice president is expected to, regardless of not having entered the office through election, wield the same power and title as an elected president. Unexpected succession is not a trivial occurrence: nine us presidents, or one fifth, ascended acciden- tally from the vice presidency.
