CH. 13-2 PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION AND THE VICE PRESIDENCY

AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION—the scheme by which a presidential vacancy is filled

If the President dies, resigns, or is removed the Vice President succeeds to the office

Original Constitution did not provide for succession

“The powers and duties” of the office—not the office itself—were to transfer to the V-P

THE CONSTITUTION AND SUCCESSION

(Presidential succession chart p. 359) Presidential Succession Act of 1947 Set the order of succession A cabinet member is to serve only

until a Speaker or president pro tem is available and qualified

Serious gaps in the arrangement for presidential succession

For nearly 180 years, the country played with fate

President Eisenhower suffered 3 serious but temporary illnesses—heart attack(1955), ileitis(1956), mild stroke(1957)

Two other Presidents were disabled for longer periods of time

PRESIDENTIAL DISABILITY

James Garfield lingered for 80 days before dying from an assassin’s bullet

Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralytic stroke in 1919 and was an invalid for the rest of his term

He could not meet with the cabinet for seven months

Sections 3 & 4 of the XXVth Amendment address disability in detail.

Vice President becomes “acting” President if: 1) President informs Congress in writing that

he/she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.

2) the V-P and majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress in writing that the President is so incapacitated

In both cases the President can resume his duties by telling Congress that no inability exists

The V-P and Cabinet can challenge the President about his ability to lead. Congress has 21 days to decide the matter.

Two instances where power was transferred:

1) 1985—President Reagan transferred power to V-P George H. W. Bush for nearly 8 hours while surgeons removed a tumor from Reagan’s large intestine

2) President George W. Bush transferred power to V-P Dick Cheney for two hours, while Mr. Bush was anesthetized for a routine medical procedure

“I am Vice President. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything”—John Adams

2 formal duties—1) President of the Senate (vote to break a tie); 2) help decide the question of presidential disability

The V-P is literally one heartbeat away from the Presidency

Major parties responsible for the low status of the office of V-P

THE VICE PRESIDENCY

Each party hand-picks their presidential candidate

The candidate picks someone as their running mate to BALANCE THE TICKET

BALANCE THE TICKET—a person that strengthens the candidate’s chances of winning because of certain ideological, geographic, racial, ethnic, gender or other characteristics

THE VICE PRESIDENT TODAY (chart: V-P Succession p. 362) The office has been reinvented V-P Dick Chaney is seen as the most

influential V-P in US history He had a impressive resume (p. 363) No President has been willing to

make the V-P a true “Assistant President”

The major reason: only the V-P is not subject to the ultimate discipline of removal from office by the President

The Vice President CANNOT be fired by the President

VICE PRESIDENTIAL VACANCY V-P has been vacant 18 times—9 by

succession, twice by resignation, 7 times by death

XXVth Amendment deals with V-P vacancy President will nominate a person subject

confirmation by a majority vote in both houses of Congress

It was first used in 1973 when V-P Spiro Agnew resigned. President Nixon nominated Gerald R. Ford (MI)

It was used again in 1974 when President Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller when Nixon resigned and Ford became President

THE END