The vice-presidential debate on Thursday will inevitably lead to media commentary arguing it is of no consequence that one of the candidates lost the debate (or has been deemed by polls to have lost). After all, they will argue, voters vote for a president and not their running mate. Their running mates are simply campaign surrogates and attack dogs that have no bearing on a person’s vote.
Recommended Stories
But they are wrong. Or at least they should be. The vice president matters — now more than ever.
The vice president is more than an advisor in the White House. When watching the debate on Thursday, voters should be asking themselves: “Am I comfortable with this person taking over as President?”
Many think the chances are low that the vice president will have to assume power. However, eight presidents have died while in office — from William Henry Harrison to John F. Kennedy (that’s over 18% of the presidents in our young nation’s history). Meaning eight times a vice president has taken over as President.
But power has temporarily shifted to the vice president many more times. Whenever a president needs anesthesia, even for a brief routine procedure, the vice president assumes the power of the presidency. The same would be true if a president fell ill or was in a coma or an unconscious state for a period of time.
Read more at American Spectator
