Comments on: Our Scandalous Vice Presidents

By: Texas Pride

Texas Pride — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Very interesting article- I had no idea we had such crazy VPs.

One mistake though: Section 6 states that John Tyler “annexed the Republic of Texas” but this is not true. Texas was an independent nation and so is the only state to enter the United States under a TREATY, and not annexation.

By: Kati

Kati — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:12:00 +0000

Great article! Some VPs are craaaazy. I’m related to John Nance Garner (something silly like 5th cousins, 8 times removed), FDR’s first VP. I know little about him except he was a “mean whisky-drinking Texas politician” and, in high school, he was quoted in my government textbook as saying, “The vice presidency isn’t worth a warm jar of spit.” Later, I learned through Wikipedia that he actually said “piss”, not “spit”.

By: Dr. E

Dr. E — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:38:00 +0000

AndrewJohnson was impeached for violating the Tenureof Office Act. This was a law that was passed by the Radical Republican Congress that forbade the President from Dismissing any member of The Cabinet. Johnson, rightly so, declared the law unconstitutional, and fired E.M. Stanton, the Secretary of War who had been appointed by Lincoln as who was a darling of the Radicals.
It has been reported in many areas, including a story in J.F. K.’s Profiles in Courage, that the margin that kept Johnson from being convicted after his impeachment of one vote was made more to uphold the Office of The President of the United States than anything else

By: Lew

Lew — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:43:43 +0000

Hey, you forgot Thomas R. Marshall, veep for Woodrow Wilson. What America needs is a good 5 cent cigar…and many other quotables.

By: Jennings

Jennings — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:51:47 +0000

I’d like to think that after he leaves office, Cheney might be included. He can join Burr on the short list of VPs that have shot somebody while in the office.

By: Em

Em — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 10:54:06 +0000

um…bedhead…have you *seen* our current VP lately?

By: David H.

David H. — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 20:19:35 +0000

I wouldn’t think of TR as scandalous. He never came close to a scandal. Now Cheney? Maybe he’ll be added to the list some day.

By: eliana

eliana — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:35:16 +0000

What criteria to do they use to pick the VP?

Some considerations include geographic balance, ideological balance, as with Reagan choosing George H.W. Bush, or ideological reinforcement, as with Clinton/Gore or Bush/Cheney.

So if it’s balance, that would mean Obama selecting someone white, and McCain selecting someone that’s not a crazy old hothead.

Balance doesn’t have to mean skin color, but for McCain, yes, you’re right.

More here: http://www.236.com/news/2008/06/05/faq_the_vice_presidency_6712.php

By: James

James — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:37:16 +0000

Interesting to hear that Nelson Rockefeller “refused” to run as Gerald Ford’s Vice President in 1976.

I had always heard it that Ford kickecd Rocky off the ticket in favor of the more conservitive and more acceptly Republican Bob Dole.

As for Nelson Rockefeller, nothing in his life became him – or made him more notorious – than his leaving it — allegedly in the arms – and the bed – of a young mistress / staffer

By: Julia

Julia — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:59:06 +0000

Yeah, I was sad that Teddy wasn’t on the list either, but I guess he gets included for lots of other things, so you have to give the other guys a shot.

Daniel, Johnson definitely bungled Reconstruction (puts it mildly). For example, he tried (and in many ways succeeded) in rolling back the push for civil rights for blacks at the end of the war. The amendments remained on the constitution, but it would be another century before meaningful civil rights would come to pass. Thanks, Andy.