James Madison |
The delegates, in their inexperience (particularly Madison who had never even visited Europe and seen, for example, the British Parliament, whereas he had too much experience with small-minded individuals in the Virginia legislature), failed to realize that national political parties would inevitably develop and that they would provide notable, national candidates.
Absent this key realization, how could they design the system so as to always generate notable candidates? They came up with a fairly ingenious solution. Each elector for president would have not one vote, but two, and, significantly, one of the votes had to be given to a candidate from outside the elector's state. This would work, it was presumed, because in choosing the out-of-state candidate an elector would naturally choose someone he knew or had at least heard of, someone far more likely to be a national figure.
Well and good, problem apparently solved, except, someone realized, what about the candidates not elected? The election will have identified them as pretty popular national notables. Is there no role for such a person to play? Especially in the case of second place finisher, the almost president. In this way the Vice President was born.
But now that they had a Vice President, what should he do? The question was acute as the convention was running out of time. Certainly, he could succeed the president in case of untimely death, but that is not exactly a job. Someone realized that the Senate, having two representatives from every state, would normally constitute an even number, and thus had the potential for tied votes. Might not the Vice President break such ties? In this way he got the job of presiding over the Senate, and along with it presiding over any impeachment trials the Senate conducts, except when the subject was the President.
Note the glitch. If the Vice President himself is tried, this means he presides over his own trial. Did I mention that the convention had run out of time? Judge Wilson and others complained at the time that the Vice President position needed more discussion, but in the end it had to be left as it was. Let's hope no Vice President is ever impeached; meanwhile there really should be an amendment for this possibility. The fix should be fairly simply – just have the Chief Justice preside as he does in case of the President.
John Adams |
George Washington |
But that was not quite the end of the story. From March 21 to June 4, 1791, two years after his election, President Washington decided to take a trip into the Deep South, emphasizing national unity, familiarizing himself with its political sentiments, and learning about its geography and economic production. It was a the bookend to a trip through New England he had made two years earlier. He asked that Vice President Adams, during this 10-week period, conduct Cabinet meetings and discuss any necessary decisions during his absence (The Great Divide: The Conflict between Washington and Jefferson that Defined a Nation by Thomas Fleming, p. 109).
Washington's words, in a circular letter he sent to the Secretaries of State, Treasury, and War, from Mount Vernon April 4, 1791, were "Presuming that the Vice-President will have left the seat of government for Boston, I have not requested his opinion to be taken on the supposed emergency; should it be otherwise, I wish him also to be consulted."
Six days later, April 10, Jefferson wrote to Washington that he had sent a copy of the letter to the Vice-President; and, "as Colo. Hamilton has asked a consultation on a letter of Mr. Short, we shall have a meeting with the Vice-President tomorrow. I will then ask their advice also on the communication to Colo. Beckwith relative to the supplies to the Indians".
Jefferson's protege, William Short, the U.S. charge d'affaires in France, had requested Washington's approval of the opening of a second loan at Amsterdam. Colonel George Beckwith was the confidential agent of Great Britain.
On the 11th the Cabinet met, including Sec. State Thomas Jefferson, Sec. Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Sec. War Henry Knox, and and Vice President John Adams. They approved the question of the second loan unanimously.
In other business, Sec. Knox proposed a mission to the Six Nations, which they also approved. Finally, Jefferson suggested a communication to Beckwith and they approved that as well.
Years later, February 4, 1818, Jefferson provided some additional color to this meeting.
Some occasion for consultation arising, I invited those gentlemen ... to dine with me, in order to confer on the subject. After the cloth was removed, and our question agreed and dismissed, conversation began on other matters, and by some circumstance, was led to the British constitution, on which Mr. Adams observed, "purge that constitution of its corruption, and give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would be the most perfect constitution ever devised by the wit of man". Hamilton paused and said, "purge it of its corruption, and give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would become an impracticable government: as it stands at present, with all its supposed defects, it is the most perfect government which ever existed ".Notice the difference, despite their both being conservatives, between Adams and Hamilton.
As far as we know, this is the only Cabinet meeting attended by Vice President Adams. No doubt he was proud that it had been such a successful one.
After Adams became president, he invited Vice President Jefferson to become sort of a co-president. At first Jefferson was tempted, but Madison, never a friend to Adams, talked him out of it. Jefferson therefore refused with the excuse that the Vice President's role was in the legislature, writing "I consider my office as constitutionally confined to legislative functions, and that I could not take any part whatever in executive consultations, even were it proposed" and consequently never attended any Cabinet meetings or acted for the president,
Having established this position, of course Jefferson could not really invite his Vice Presidents to join the Cabinet, and naturally his proteges Madison and Monroe followed his lead. As a consequence the Vice President's role became for a long time firmly set in the legislature.
Thus, for reasons having to do mostly with current situations the Vice President's role in the executive became nearly nil. But it could well have been otherwise. Indeed, in the constitutions of some countries that follow the presidential model, the vice president is also allowed to take a portfolio and become a full-fledged cabinet member. It's likely this would have been a more useful way of designing this office and reminds us that James Wilson was unhappy, at the end of the constitutional convention because this office had not been thought out thoroughly enough.
That it did not consigned most future Vice Presidents to boring terms in a job Vice President John Nance Garner called "not worth a bucket of warm spit". But that possibility that Adams had to do something is the reason why in the game the President can delegate an Issue to the Vice President if he wishes. Presidents in the game often do this when they owe the Vice President player a favor or when the Vice President is in the same faction. When the President is to retire soon, increasing the Vice President's popularity can be quite helpful. The President shares in any popularity gains or losses the Vice President achieves, so it is important that the two be in agreement. This move can be exciting when the President dares to delegate an Issue before seeing it.
Created: 27 October 2016