Texan John Nance Garner, who served as Franklin Roosevelt’s Vice President from 1933 to 1941, described the job as being “not worth a bucket of warm piss” (changed in the media as “warm spit” due to Depression-era sensitivities). For most of our nation’s history, the federal government’s Executive Branch has been like a big, complicated machine with one essential part, without which the entire machine grinds to a halt – and the VP is the replacement for that part.
That explains why the Executive Branch isn’t working very well right now; neither the part nor the replacement is a good fit for what needs to be done.
The 2024 election, though, is a bit different. Should Donald Trump win the GOP nomination – which looks likely – and go on to win the general election – not at all unlikely – his VP pick will be uniquely situated. Trump would enter his second, non-consecutive term as a…
