"Presidents cast long shadows. Vice presidents are usually doomed to live in those shadows. If presidents are stars on the stage of world history, vice presidents are nervous understudies hidden away behind the scenes. They live in interminable limbo, on call in case some catastrophe (a scandal, death, assassination) requires their elevation. As such transfers of power are not the norm, vice presidents can usually be found in unglamorous busy work, at best breaking tie votes in the Senate and at worst serving as White House gofers."
"The pathos of being a veep pervades Kamala Harris's campaign memoir 107 Days. Reflecting on her messy succession, she tells the story of how she ended up taking over the Democratic presidential nomination from Joe Biden last year and eventually losing to Donald Trump. Harris quotes the familiar gibe of John Nance Garner, Franklin Roosevelt's first running mate, that the job of vice president is not "worth a bucket of warm piss.""
Vice presidents typically occupy subordinate, unglamorous roles and stand ready to assume power only in rare catastrophes. They often perform administrative tasks, break tie votes in the Senate, or serve as White House aides. Popular culture has emphasized the awkwardness and ignominy of the office. Kamala Harris experienced a messy succession, took over the Democratic presidential nomination from Joe Biden, and ultimately lost to Donald Trump. Past vice presidents have publicly expressed resentment about being sidelined; Richard Nixon documented grievances about being undermined, and John Nance Garner and Dwight D. Eisenhower traded derisive remarks about the office’s value.
Read at The Nation
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