The American Vice Presidency

From the Shadow to the Spotlight

Jody C Baumgartner, Thomas F. Crumblin

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781442228900
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

It is quite possible that no elected office has been more historically maligned than the vice presidency of the United States. From the beginning of American politics the office has been the object of ridicule by scholars, pundits, humorists, citizens, and even vice presidents themselves. The perception among many is that institution and its occupants are at best irrelevant. Recent history would suggest otherwise, but as it stands no book exists that takes a detailed look at the new, impactful vice presidency that's been forged since Clinton/Gore took office. The American Vice Presidency fills an important hole in the literature available to those interested in the modern vice presidency. Concise yet comprehensive, this book is the fullest and most accurate examination of the office to date, covering the origins and constitutional roots of the institution, its history, and the slow transformation of the office starting in the mid-twentieth century. Jody C Baumgartner and Thomas F. Crumblin highlight major changes in vice presidential selection as well as the new and various roles that vice presidents are being asked to play in their administrations. The book emphasizes the increasingly substantive Vice Presidencies of Gore, Cheney, and Biden and both informs and spurs the debate surrounding what form and role the Vice Presidency will take on moving forward.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction: The Vice Presidency
• Chapter 2: Origins: The Constitutional Convention and Pre-Twelfth Amendment Vice Presidents
• Chapter 3: The Traditional Era: Nineteenth-Century Vice Presidents
• Chapter 4: Setting the Stage: Transitional-Era Vice Presidents
• Chapter 5: The Rise of the Modern Vice Presidency
• Chapter 6: Vice Presidents in the Modern Age
• Chapter 7: Al Gore and the Gore–Clinton Partnership
• Chapter 8: Dick Cheney: George W. Bush’s Loyal Lieutenant
• Chapter 9: Joe Biden: Barack Obama’s Handyman
• Chapter 10: Making Sense of It All: The Future of the Vice Presidency
• About the Authors