With the national conventions wrapped up for both major political parties, a topic highlighted more than its usual share in our political conversation are the choices for the vice president of the United States. It seems odd to me the second-highest position in the executive branch, a heartbeat away from the presidency, receives so little attention for the four years in between elections.
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence for the job, and Democrat Hillary Clinton chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine to join her in their bid for the White House. Historically, vice presidents have acted as a way to balance the ticket. Picking a vice president these days is all about strategy. The campaigns ponder every option: “What states are we trailing in?” or “Where can we strengthen our support?” Many a presidential candidate has bet his campaign on the hopes the vice-president choice could deliver that one crucial swing state from where that person hails from.
But it shouldn’t be that way. How much does anyone remember about our last few vice presidents? Maybe a presidential run, some news stories? What is lacking is a knowledge of what they personally stand for. Lost is the discussion of the vice presidential candidates’ beliefs. This is vitally important because of the sobering but quite possible reality that if something were to happen to the president, the vice president would become president. And it’s not unprecedented; the vice president has succeeded to the office of president of the United States nine times. Out of 44 total presidents, that’s a 1 in 5 chance.
So if there’s a very likely chance that a vice president of the United States could become president, it makes sense we should know as much about them as we do the president. The process we use today, however, doesn’t make it easy. The candidates for vice president, while maintaining whatever presence is required of him or her by the presidential candidates, seem always to be in the background. Any policy positions the vice-presidential choices make on the campaign trail are carefully coordinated with the main campaign. Appearances are synchronized with the hopeful presidential nominee, and any dissension from the main line is discouraged, so how are we supposed to know what the vice-president candidates are really thinking?
The reality is we have to do the research ourselves, as after the media frenzy over vice-president picks dies down, we will be back to the majority of attacks being directed against the presidential candidates. An interesting option is also the vice-presidential debate. While the prospective presidents have four debates scheduled, there is but one debate for the No. 2 spots on the ticket. This debate will be important because it will serve as one of the only times we get to see the vice-presidential candidates in an unscripted appearance before the voters.
The vice president is often forgotten in our day-to-day politics, but the Founding Fathers wouldn’t have created such a position if it didn’t serve such a vital purpose. The national security of the United States demands the presence of a commander-in-chief at all times, and the vice president is the first to get the job in the event of a disaster. Also remember once a president and vice president are elected, there is no election for them again for four years. The ninth president of the United States, William Henry Harrison, died only 32 days in the office. The country was then run by Vice President John Tyler for the rest of Harrison’s four-year term.
The vice president is a vital part of our nation’s government, however powerless they may seem to be at the moment. With the election just a few months away, I hope we can see this presidential campaign as a race not just between two people. The vice-president candidates should warrant much more attention than they currently receive. Their ideas and policies will be considered by the president, and more importantly, if something were to happen, this would be the new policy platform for the country as a whole. It’s important we know who we are dealing with. There are going to be four potential presidents on the ballot this year, so we should take a good look at each of them.
Connor Kockler is a Sauk Rapids-Rice High School student. He enjoys writing, politics and news, among other interests.
