The American Vice Presidency

Baumgartner and Crumblin provide a detailed account of the history and development of the American vice presidents.  The authors do a good job of surveying the early period from the Constitutional Convention to the late 19th century, and also provide an assessment of the transition of the position into the modern era.  The particular benefit of the book, however, is the authors’ coverage of the most recent vice presidents: Al Gore, Dick Cheney, and Joe Biden.  Their assessment of Cheney—easily one of the most controversial vice presidents—covers his influence over national security policy to his role in George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign, and is thorough and fair.  A similar treatment is given of Biden, who, like Cheney and Gore before him, is a key presidential adviser. Baumgartner and Crumblin do well in showing that the office of the vice president is no longer ‘a resting place for mediocrities’ as Arthur Schlesinger once opined.  Instead, it is an important position that attracts strong and forceful politicians. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and undergraduate students all levels. * CHOICE *
Jody C Baumgarter and Thomas F. Crumblin’s outstanding analysis of the historic evolution of the vice president into the “presidential alter-ego” is especially insightful for the three most recent vice presidents, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, and Joe Biden. This original and persuasive book shows how presidents use their vice presidents for policy and political advice and how they have become presidential surrogates both at home and abroad. -- James A. Thurber, Distinguished Professor, American University
No longer just an office that helps presidential candidates unify the party and win electoral votes, modern vice presidents share the burden of governing and have become major Washington players in their own right. Detailed case studies on Gore, Cheney, and Biden make it clear that recent vice presidents bear only a slight resemblance to their historic predecessors and make a compelling argument that future presidential candidates should carefully consider whom they choose to join them on the ticket. -- Joseph A. Pika, James R. Sole Professor, University of Delaware
As the authors of this book note, no other elected office has been more maligned than the vice presidency—but no other book will do more to correct that historical error than this one! Jody C Baumgartner and Thomas F. Crumblin have produced an informative and authoritative account of the least understood of all public offices, yet managed to make the book so accessible and engaging that it should be appreciated by a very wide audience. -- Robert P. Watson, Lynn University; author of Affairs of State, The Presidents’ Wives, and America’s First Crisis