The Quandary of Being Vice President

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Introduction

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Overview

The vice presidency's quadrennial season in the spotlight has arrived. For much of the time from now until the Republican and Democratic national conventions later this summer, political discussions are likely to focus on the two parties' choices for the nation's second-highest office. With their own presidential nominations firmly in hand. Vice President George Bush and Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis will be able to devote a major part of their attention to the selection of running mates. Campaign staffers and political pundits will endlessly debate which of the two lengthy lists of potential vice presidential nominees will bring the most electoral strength to their tickets. Because most observers predict an extremely close election, the final vice presidential choices will probably come down to sophisticated calculations of regional and ideological advantage.

The choices probably will not involve much consideration of what the running mate would actually do once he or she got elected. Throughout its history, the vice presidency has been better known as the target of jokes than as a significant position within the federal government. Other than the constitutional roles of presiding over the Senate and succeeding to the presidency in the event of the death, incapacity or ouster of the incumbent, the vice president has few obligatory duties and little real power other than what the chief executive chooses to give him.