US Vice Presidential Election: Just “A Heartbeat Away” From The President-BBC News

The US presidential elections are approaching. Aside from the dispute between Trump and Biden, there is another confrontation that has not received as much attention, but which may have a profound impact on American politics.

In addition to Biden and Trump, two other names will appear on the presidential ballots.

That’s current Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris (also translated as He Jinli).

The two will begin a vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City, Utah, at 9 pm EST on October 7 (1 am GMT on October 8).

To avoid the new crown, the two will debate through a Plexiglass table and keep a distance of at least 12 feet (3.6 meters).

President Trump and many of his aides were infected with the new corona virus, yet recent virus tests of the two vice presidential candidates were negative.

Trump confirmed he was infected with the new crown last Friday and was hospitalized for many days. Concerns about his health have prompted the outside world to pay attention to the unprecedented “second in command” Pence. If the president cannot fulfill his functions, the 25th Amendment to the Constitution allows the transfer of power to the vice president.

In the past three years under Trump, many aides have resigned or been fired, and officials have shifted like a marquee. However, Pence appears to have a strong position and the president is quite confident.

On the other hand, the Democratic Party announced at a high profile that Harris was the vice presidential candidate. If elected, she will become the first minority woman to be in the White House and a hot candidate for Biden’s successor.

The vice president is the second highest official in the United States government, second only to the president of the United States, and can be described as “less than one person, more than 10,000.”

However, how important is the vice president of the United States in matters of government? When the health of Biden and Trump is a cause for concern, what role does the vice presidential candidate play in the general election?

Joel Goldstein, a professor of the US Constitution at St. Louis University, said that in successive US administrations, the vice president is often the president’s top adviser and “problem solver.”

Gostein has studied the Vice President of the United States for many years and is the author of the book “Vice President of the White House.”

In this year’s general elections, the vice presidential candidate has received special attention.

Both Biden and Trump are in their 70s and the outside world is very concerned about their health. Furthermore, Biden has not publicly expressed his willingness to run for re-election, and the vice president partner is a hot candidate for successor, which means “prince prince.”

The Constitution of the United States stipulates that once the president dies, resigns or is removed from office, the vice president will immediately succeed him.

Thus, the vice president is often accused of being “just a heart beat” from the president.

In the history of the United States, a total of 9 vice presidents have succeeded due to the death or resignation of the president.

The best known examples are the resignation of President Nixon in 1974 due to the “Watergate incident” and the succession of Vice President Ford, and the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, and Congressman Johnson was sworn in as President two hours later.

Of the 45 presidents in US history, 14 have served as vice presidents. No vice president has been successful due to the removal of the president.

“During the campaign, the vice presidential candidate has the right to speak after the president,” Gostein said.

Candidates for the vice presidency typically assist party presidential candidates in counting votes and discussing policy with opponents.

In this general election, the backgrounds of the two vice presidential candidates are very different. Pence is a conservative white man from the Midwest, and Harris is a minority woman, representing California, who has a political lean to the left.

After Harris’s vice presidential nomination was made public, Trump criticized that “the vice presidential nominee is not important and people only vote for the president.”

Gostein said: “The vast majority of the people vote for the presidential candidate, but the vice presidential candidate also sends an important signal that reflects the presidential candidate’s values ​​and decisions.”

In general, the vice presidential candidate is believed to have little influence on the final outcome of the general election. However, Gostein noted: “Several elections are decided by a very small gap.”

He told BBC Chinese that the most critical consideration in selecting a vice president is the political and personal compatibility of the president and his deputy.

In the process of selecting a candidate partner, the president has the last word. Biden’s team is reported to have selected four candidates for their understudy, with Biden making the final decision.

After being elected, the vice president will play a key role in helping the president form a government cabinet. For example, the current Vice President Pence is the head of the White House transition team in 2016.

For the past four years, Pence has been a very capable deputy to US President Trump, not only leading the team and making important appointments to the executive branch, but also as a vice president who communicates seamlessly with the media. In most cases, he avoided coming forward, though his recent role at the helm of the White House anti-coronavirus task force has attracted more attention.

Pence’s trip to the White House began in July 2016, when he met Trump at his home in Indianapolis and was invited to participate in the election campaign. Their union is not surprising. As a former governor of Indiana, Pence is a favorite of conservative social elites in Washington.

Before being named vice president, Pence publicly criticized some of Trump’s policies, such as describing Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States as “offensive and unconstitutional.”

But now he is regarded as the second loyalist and rarely criticizes the president.

Generally speaking, the vice presidential candidate has three “highlights” in the general election process: when the presidential candidate announces his partner, when the vice presidential candidate accepts the nomination in the party’s congress, and the pre-election debate for the vice presidency .

The vice-presidential debate broadcast nationwide was first held in 1976. Unlike the presidential debate, there are three vice-presidential debates. There is usually only one vice presidential debate. The topic focuses on the presidential candidates and their policies.

Ratings for vice-presidential debates are usually not as good as presidential debates, however, in 2008, Biden faced the wicked Republican Palin and his ratings surpassed those of the presidential debates of the year.

Gostein hopes that the current vice presidential debate will also be quite interesting.

Senator Harris is known for being tough when asking questions during Congressional hearings and also caused a sensation in the party’s primary election debates. “You need to present yourself to voters across the country in the debate,” Gostein said.

Current Vice President Pence performed well in the debate four years ago, he has also served as a political commentator previously, and his eloquence has been proven. “They are both masters of political communication,” Gostein said. “This confrontation will be very interesting.”

After the vice presidential debate, Trump and Biden will hold the second and third presidential debates on October 15 and 22.

As Trump is infected with the new corona virus, it is unclear whether he will change the format of the debate.