In 1976 Bob Dole was asked why he wanted to be Gerald Ford’s Vice President. He replied “inside job with no heavy lifting.” Which was poignant because Mr. Dole didn’t have use of his right arm due to his WWII injuries.
Great post. I learned a lot. I've never agreed with the "warm spit" or "warm piss" idea. Almost no one says that a Senator's job is nothing. But the VP is more powerful, at least in Senate votes, than any Senator.
The vice presidency has become more important in recent years. In 1965, Tom Lehrer could sing "Whatever Became of Hubert? // Has anyone heard a thing?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3sEZ7M4h0. ("Second fiddle's a hard part, I know // When they won't even give you a bow.") Jimmy Carter really changed the office by giving Walter Mondale some actual responsibilities.
I could have added another anecdote here. When Grover Cleveland secretly had a large chunk of his cancerous jaw removed during the Panic of 1893, they kept the news from Vice President Adlai Stevenson, who might well have assumed the reins of power under the somewhat vague constitutional provisions that existed before the 25th Amendment. They went so far as to send him the West Coast to prevent him from learning what was happening.
As a Illinois resident, I'm somewhat embarrassed that I had no idea of the lineage of Adlai Stevenson went back that far.
Adlai II was immortalized by his apocryphal comment on the electorate (“Every thinking person in America will be voting for you.” "But I need a majority."), and Adlai III was still a player in Illinois politics into the 1980s, but didn't know the family went back that far.
I think all subsequent Adlais (no clue as to the plural form) have since gone on to find more respectable lines of work.
Funny apocryphal quote by Adlai, and it leads to an interesting Place. Stevenson was (is?) regarded as the ultimate intellectual-as-nominee. But That is actually a stretch. He was perceived as an egghead because, well, his high hairline made him look like a literal egghead, because he had a haughty air about him, and because he was, indeed, quite witty. But it has been noted in later years that he wasn't particularly well-read; the iconic story is that after he died suddenly in the streets of London, the only book found in his nightstand was the Social Register. Just a list of rich and stuffy people, and nothing to stretch the mind.
Thank you for, once again, allowing us to benefit from your encyclopedic knowledge. Especially enjoyed learning the background of several popular sayings.
This goes under fascinating. I thought I knew American history but not this well. H.L. Mencken once wrote an essay on various VP's showing they were not such nonentities as people thought.
The context of the "good five cent cigar" quip finally shows the wit. It is often presented as an example of complacent elitism. Thanks!
In 1976 Bob Dole was asked why he wanted to be Gerald Ford’s Vice President. He replied “inside job with no heavy lifting.” Which was poignant because Mr. Dole didn’t have use of his right arm due to his WWII injuries.
Great post. I learned a lot. I've never agreed with the "warm spit" or "warm piss" idea. Almost no one says that a Senator's job is nothing. But the VP is more powerful, at least in Senate votes, than any Senator.
The vice presidency has become more important in recent years. In 1965, Tom Lehrer could sing "Whatever Became of Hubert? // Has anyone heard a thing?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3sEZ7M4h0. ("Second fiddle's a hard part, I know // When they won't even give you a bow.") Jimmy Carter really changed the office by giving Walter Mondale some actual responsibilities.
I could have added another anecdote here. When Grover Cleveland secretly had a large chunk of his cancerous jaw removed during the Panic of 1893, they kept the news from Vice President Adlai Stevenson, who might well have assumed the reins of power under the somewhat vague constitutional provisions that existed before the 25th Amendment. They went so far as to send him the West Coast to prevent him from learning what was happening.
As a Illinois resident, I'm somewhat embarrassed that I had no idea of the lineage of Adlai Stevenson went back that far.
Adlai II was immortalized by his apocryphal comment on the electorate (“Every thinking person in America will be voting for you.” "But I need a majority."), and Adlai III was still a player in Illinois politics into the 1980s, but didn't know the family went back that far.
I think all subsequent Adlais (no clue as to the plural form) have since gone on to find more respectable lines of work.
Funny apocryphal quote by Adlai, and it leads to an interesting Place. Stevenson was (is?) regarded as the ultimate intellectual-as-nominee. But That is actually a stretch. He was perceived as an egghead because, well, his high hairline made him look like a literal egghead, because he had a haughty air about him, and because he was, indeed, quite witty. But it has been noted in later years that he wasn't particularly well-read; the iconic story is that after he died suddenly in the streets of London, the only book found in his nightstand was the Social Register. Just a list of rich and stuffy people, and nothing to stretch the mind.
Thank you for, once again, allowing us to benefit from your encyclopedic knowledge. Especially enjoyed learning the background of several popular sayings.
This goes under fascinating. I thought I knew American history but not this well. H.L. Mencken once wrote an essay on various VP's showing they were not such nonentities as people thought.
History at its delightful best...
A great essay for a Saturday with some great insight. It will be interesting to see how things turn out!