Presidential Succession

Presidential SuccessionWHAT: • Is the plan by which a vacancy in the office of

President gets filled

25th Amendment (1967)• Established that the Vice President takes over if the

President is removed, dies or resigns from office

New President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in aboard Air Force One, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Presidential Succession• Congress fixed the order of succession if the VP is

unable to serve

1.Vice President 2.Speaker of the House3.President pro tempore of the Senate4.Secretary of the Sate5.Secretary of the Treasury

Then each of the other heads of the Cabinetdepartments (p. 359)

What happens if the President becomes disabled ? (i.e., unable to perform his duties)

The 25th Amendment outlines what to do

…The VP becomes acting President if the President tells the Congress he can’t do his job

or

if the VP and a majority of the Cabinet tell the Congress that the President is disabled

Two Presidents have used the disability provision:

• R. Reagan transferred power to George H.W. Bush for 8 hours while having surgery

• George W. Bush transferred his power to Dick Cheney for 2 hours during a medical procedure

Vice President

“I am the Vice President. In this

I am nothing, but I may be everything”

- John Adams, the first VP

• 46 men have served as VP• 14 of these men later became

President

The VP’s houseOfficial residence for the VP since 1974

The Vice President’s Duties

A. Presides over the Senate“The Vice President of the United States shall be

President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided”

B. Breaks a tie in the Senate (John Adams cast 29 tie-breaking votes)

C. Helps decide the question of Presidential disability

“Balance the ticket”

WHAT: •The VP is selected to help the

presidential candidate appeal to a broader range of voters • It strengthen his chances to win • They look at his racial, ethnic, gender,

ideological characteristics

VP Succession

The VP has been vacant 18 times, 9 times by succession to Presidency and 7 times by death, twice due to resignation

The 25th Amendment outlines what to do:• The President nominates a candidate

who must be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses

• First implemented in 1973

The role of the VP has changed in recent years … WHY? HOW?

• The media has made the office more important• VP is always in the news• VP is held accountable for the decisions and results of the

executive branch

• Is a platform to the Presidency • Better qualified candidates

• Bill Clinton and G.W. Bush have given their VP’s more power than other Presidents

Recent VP’s – Dick Cheney Current: Joe Biden