Aug 20 2008
Running Mate Announcements: Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing
The nation is waiting with baited breath as Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain deliberate on running mates. In a lot of countries, being the prime minister–the head of government–is preferable to being the president–the head of state. There are fewer formal dinners to attend and more nuts-and-bolts political work to do. In the U.S., however, one man is both the head of state and the head of government. Which is why, in theory, the president represents all Americans in the same way Queen Elizabeth represents all Britons. However, George W. Bush never did–and never could–represent all Americans politically. No other U.S. president has done garnered such loyalty either. Neither can U.K. prime minister Gordon Brown but at least he doesn’t have to try.
Under the Constitution, the vice president is head of the Senate. He holds the gavel and keeps the floor sessions going. He votes in the case of a tie. Otherwise, he does whatever the president wants him to do. For more of two centuries, presidents haven’t wanted the men who replace them anywhere near them. Think about it. Do you want to be reminded that, if you die, there’s someone waiting like a vulture for your job? History says there’s about a 25 percent chance the president will die in office, through assassination or otherwise. A clear line of succession is necessary, lest there be anarchy. Many historic empires have collapsed when one leader without naming a successor who could hold disparate forces together. Still, a constant reminder of one’s mortality can’t be fun. That’s why people hate hospitals.
Presidents Clinton and G.W. Bush included their vice presidents much more than their predecessors did. By all accounts, the new tradition would be maintained by either an Obama or a McCain administration. Rumor is Obama will choose this weekend, as the Olympics would be nearly over except for the closing ceremony. McCain is apparently going to announce his pick next Friday. I heard that for months. It’s the day after Obama makes his acceptance speech. If the Illinois senator can do one thing, it’s give a great set speech. The “bounce”–or gain in the polls–would be muted by McCain declaring his vice president since that news would be fresher than rehashing Obama’s speech from the previous evening.
The vice-presidential candidates will debate in October. For their sake, let’s hope one doesn’t face the fate of then-Sen. Dan Quayle, who walked into the famous line, “You’re no Jack Kennedy,” by his opponent, then-Sen. Lloyd Bentsen. Let’s hope no one mutters, “Why am I here?” like Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate, Admiral James Stockdale, did. Beyond a blunder, there isn’t much the running mates will do. They’re supposed to be the “bad cop” to their prospective boss’s “good cop.” The truth is Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise and Usain Bolt have much higher name recognition than anyone on a VP short list.
Great post. You are right on with the ” good cop ‘ and ” bad cop “
We’ll know something soon and be able to talk about it for a while. Then, we’ll forget about it and start paying attention to the start of (U.S.) football season. I know the EPL season began last week.
lol, i was thinking britany spears would be a good vp for mc mcain, she has her act together now!
She’s doing fine now but give her another month or two. Let her prove she’s a better parent than K-Fed before she tries to show she’s a better VP candidate than Joe Biden.