Is it “the most insignificant office” or is there more to it than that? The vice president is the second-highest ranking officer in American government, the next in line to the presidency, often a close presidential advisor, and almost always in the room when the most important policy decisions are being made in the White House. But what else is there to know about the position itself, its structure, and what the vice president’s job actually entails? Listen here to find out!
Today’s Civics short is designed for middle schoolers but like all sugary cereals it’s also fun for adults.
VP Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
VP Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.
Speaker1:
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Hannah McCarthy:
Hi there, I'm Hannah McCarthy.
Nick Capodice:
Nick Capodice here.
Hannah McCarthy:
And this is Civics 101. Today's latest installment of Civics Shorts is about the vice president of the United States.
Nick Capodice:
This short is created with middle schoolers in mind, but it's also for anyone who wants a quick refresher. All right, Mitch and Jacqui, take it away.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar:
"To administer the oath to our first African-American, our first Asian-American, and our first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, it is my great...."
Mitch Scacchi:
History was made on January 20th, 2021, in Washington, D.C..
Justice Sonia Sotomayor and VP Kamala Harris:
"I Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear. I Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear. That I will support...."
Jacqui Fulton:
Kamala Harris became the first female, the first African-American, and the first Asian-American vice president of the United States.
Mitch Scacchi:
Her inauguration marked a significant moment in the long history of the vice presidency.
Jacqui Fulton:
But what do we know about the vice president and the office itself? Hi, I'm Jacqui.
Mitch Scacchi:
And I'm Mitch. Today on Civics Shorts, we're talking about the vice president of the United States, the office that John Nance Garner, the 32nd VP, said was not worth a bucket of warm spit.
Jacqui Fulton:
Gross! So what does the VP do and why do we have one? Let's find out.
VP John Adams:
"I am vice president. Yes. And in this, I am nothing. But I may be everything"
Mitch Scacchi:
That was John Adams, our nation's first vice president, from the HBO miniseries "John Adams." He found the office a little tricky to navigate.
Jacqui Fulton:
And it's no wonder why the vice president was an afterthought for the framers of the Constitution. In fact, the Constitution doesn't say much at all about the vice president.
Mitch Scacchi:
Under Article one, section three, the vice president serves as the president of the U.S. Senate, also known as the presiding officer. Despite the lofty title, the vice president can only cast a vote when there's a tie.
Jacqui Fulton:
Most of the time, the vice president isn't sitting in on Senate sessions. The VP usually only presides on ceremonial occasions or when a tie-breaking vote is likely. Recently, these tie-breaking votes have been very important.
VP Mike Pence:
"On this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the nomination is confirmed."
Mitch Scacchi:
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The vice president has a job in the legislative branch?
Jacqui Fulton:
That's right. With roles in both the legislative and executive branches of government, the Constitution doesn't clearly assign the vice president to a specific branch.
Sergeant at Arms of the House Paul Irving:
"Madam Speaker! The vice president and the United States Senate!"
Mitch Scacchi:
The vice president's most important job in the executive branch is to be prepared.
Jacqui Fulton:
That's because the vice president is first in line to become the president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office.
Mitch Scacchi:
This has happened nine times in American history, with eight presidents dying in office and one resigning.
Jacqui Fulton:
Originally, the framers of the Constitution wrote vaguely that "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President."
Mitch Scacchi:
But the framers never clarified what they meant. They dropped the mic and walked out.
Jacqui Fulton:
So when William Henry Harrison became the first president to die in office, Vice President John Tyler quickly took the presidential oath of office and became president. This was the example that seven other vice presidents would later follow. The whole thing was officially cleared up by the 25th Amendment in 1967, which specified the line of succession to the presidency.
Mitch Scacchi:
This amendment also solved another issue: what to do when the vice presidency is vacant.
Jacqui Fulton:
That's right. The second section of the amendment says if there's no vice president, the president gets to nominate someone to fill the position, but they have to first be confirmed by a majority of both houses of Congress.
Mitch Scacchi:
This is how both Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller became vice president.
President Richard Nixon:
"The man whose name I will submit to the Congress of the United States for confirmation as the vice president of the United States, Congressman Gerald Ford of Michigan."
Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidency is often seen as a stepping stone to the presidency. In fact, a total of 15 VPs actually became president from their own election or succession. The vice president's final constitutional duty is to receive the electoral ballots cast for president and vice president from the states and to open the certificates, quote, "in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives" for the total votes to be counted.
Mitch Scacchi:
In her role, the VP announces to Congress the winners of the Electoral College.
VP Al Gore:
"George W. Bush of the state of Texas has received for president of the United States two hundred and seventy one votes. Al Gore of the state of Tennessee has received two hundred and sixty six votes."
Jacqui Fulton:
So how do we elect vice presidents?
Mitch Scacchi:
At each political party's nominating convention? The presidential candidate chooses someone to join their ticket and run as their vice presidential candidate.
Jacqui Fulton:
Under the 12th Amendment, the qualifications to be VP are the same as president.
Mitch Scacchi:
This means the vice president must be a natural born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Jacqui Fulton:
The selection of a vice presidential candidate is closely watched and hotly contested. The candidate is often chosen to either balance the presidential ticket or provide the presidential candidate with experience or expertise, or sometimes both.
Mitch Scacchi:
Maybe the presidential candidate is from the Northeast, and it'd be useful to have a vice presidential candidate from the south or maybe the West to appeal to those voters.
Gov. Mike Pence:
"I accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States of America."
Jacqui Fulton:
On Election Day, the people vote for the presidential ticket of their choice.
Mitch Scacchi:
Based on the results from each state, the Electoral College meets and each elector casts two distinct ballots, one for president and one for vice president.
Jacqui Fulton:
This wasn't always the case. In the early years of the United States, each elector cast one ballot for president with two names on it. The candidate with the most votes became president and the candidate with the second most votes, a.k.a. the first loser, became vice president.
Mitch Scacchi:
If this system was still in place today, Donald Trump would be President Joe Biden's VP.
Jacqui Fulton:
But this system had some problems.
Mitch Scacchi:
In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson tied with Aaron Burr, who was supposed to be Jefferson's running mate. To prevent this from happening again, the 12th Amendment was ratified, which is why electors today cast two separate ballots, one for president and one for vice president.
Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidential candidate who wins a majority of electoral votes becomes VP.
Mitch Scacchi:
As a separately elected official, the president can't remove the vice president from office. Only impeachment can do that.
Jacqui Fulton:
Exactly. But if the president decides to run for reelection, they can always kick the vice president off their ticket if things didn't work out in the first term.
CNN Anchor:
"There is a bold new idea being floated calling for President Trump to ditch Vice President Mike Pence in 2020."
Mitch Scacchi:
Now, how has the vice presidency changed over time?
Jacqui Fulton:
Well, the history of the vice presidency is filled with people who absolutely hated their jobs.
VP Dick Cheney:
"As I say, I think he was proud of the fact that I got to be vice president, but he never passed up an opportunity to gig me on what a worthless assignment it was."
Mitch Scacchi:
John Adams called it "the most insignificant office."
Jacqui Fulton:
Daniel Webster turned down the opportunity to be VP, saying, "I do not propose to be buried until I am dead." Kinda dramatic, right?
Mitch Scacchi:
For much of its history, everyone made fun of the vice presidency, even vice presidents themselves. But that's changed with time.
Jacqui Fulton:
Today, thanks to several key figures, the modern vice presidency has become a much more influential position and is seen as an important part of a president's administration.
PBS NewsHour William Brangham :
"The outsider Carter relied on Mondale as his guide to Washington's political workings, and Mondale expanded the traditional role of vice president from figurehead to partner."
Mitch Scacchi:
Vice presidents have become close advisers to the president, governing partners, congressional liaisons, and representatives of the administration.
Jacqui Fulton:
They even have a seat on the National Security Council, where decisions are made about national security and foreign policy.
President George H. W. Bush:
"The vice presidency has evolved over the years as something important....it's not a power position per se. The only power you got is what the president says you should have, that's all."
Mitch Scacchi:
The vice president's role in the executive branch has expanded over time. Modern presidents have given their VPs more responsibility in their administrations.
Jacqui Fulton:
There's even an office of the vice president and an official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.
Mitch Scacchi:
So, yeah, the vice president is cool now.
Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidency has come a long way from its unique and limited constitutional structure to an office of great importance in the president's administration.
Mitch Scacchi:
And that's all for today. Thanks for tuning in.
Jacqui Fulton:
We hope you enjoyed learning about the V.P..
Nick Capodice:
This episode was produced by Mitchell Scacchi, with help from Jacqui Fulton, Christina Phillips, Hannah McCarthy, and Nick Capodice.
Hannah McCarthy:
Erica Janik is our Executive Producer. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.
Nick Capodice:
You can listen to more Civics 101 at Civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is a production of NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio.
Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.
Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.
Sonix has many features that you'd love including enterprise-grade admin tools, transcribe multiple languages, world-class support, automated transcription, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.