Real Estate and Intersectionality: A Veeply Medley
Veeply Roundup
There’s always lots of Veep News brewing. Later this week we’ll take a long look at the Vance Vice Presidency and his prospects looking ahead. Since we might be going to war with Venezuela, we’ll take a look at the Bolivarian Republic’s Vice President. With the 2025 elections, we have some new lieutenant governors, and NYC has a new deputy mayor (they’re sort of like VPs!)
But we haven’t had a Veeply Roundup in a bit and we’ve got some interesting bits of Veepology to explore. And also, some really fun pics!
Location, Location, Location
If Trump has his way, the Office of the Vice President (OVP)1 will get a makeover.
The vice president has an office in the West Wing and spends most of his or her time there. But most of the vice president’s staff—the Office of the Vice President—is across West Executive Avenue in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB).
Trump mused to Laura Ingraham that he wanted to paint the granite building white, because “gray is for funerals.”
It is an historic building, so of course there are lawsuits about this. We’ll get to that, but first a bit of history.
The building was commissioned by President Ulysses Grant in 1871 and was in the French Second Empire Style (also referred to as neo-Baroque or Beaux Arts). By the time it was finished 17 years later, neo-Baroque was out of fashion, and the building was considered gaudy. Mark Twain called it, “the ugliest building in America.”
It was built to house the Departments of State, War, and Navy and thus known as the SWAN Building. Imagine a time when so much of the U.S. government could fit in a single building. With the Treasury Department was on the other side of the White House, almost the entire executive branch was on a single block.
By the 1930s the building was mostly occupied by offices supporting the president. FDR (who had spent time in the building as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in World War I) vastly expanded the presidency. Congress established the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in 1939. The SWAN Building became the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB). In 1999 it was renamed for President Eisenhower (EEOB)—even though he hated the building and sought to demolish it.
The vice president moved to the OEOB in 1961, previous VPs had their offices in the Capitol.
Propinking and Power
The history of the EEOB illustrates the Ball Rule of Power: nothing propinks like propinquity.
The rule was coined by Undersecretary of State George Ball, but apparently originally came from the Ian Fleming novel Diamonds are Forever.
When Carter gave Mondale a West Wing office, Mondale spent all of his time there—rarely visiting his more ornate office across the street. He famously said, being in the OEOB, he might as well be in Baltimore. Mondale’s staff, the mini bureaucracy, that supported him was over in the OEOB. The vice president still has a ceremonial office in the OEOB. It used to be the office of the Secretary of the Navy and is very impressive. It is sometimes used for formal events with the VP.
In 1969 the New Executive Office Building (NEOB) across the street opened. The newer White House agencies, such as the Office of the National Cyber Director are there. Now this too highlights the hierarchy of importance. The West Wing cannot accommodate all of the important offices, but the higher status offices—are in the EEOB. Perhaps the best illustration is that the political appointees in the all-powerful Office of Management and Budget (OMB, the largest single component of the EOP) are in the EEOB. The federal employees who staff the agency are in the NEOB.
Back to Trump
Whether the EEOB would look better painted white is a matter of opinion. Trump has spent a lot of time on architectural matters: complaining about the U.S. Embassy in London, thwarting the FBI’s move in his first term, attacking the Federal Reserve’s renovation, and most recently to demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. He is a real estate mogul. Also, he isn’t alone. Jefferson was an architect. The history of the EEOB shows presidents engaged in real estate matters. FDR spent a lot of time on the design and construction of the Pentagon.
But you shouldn’t paint stone. It traps in moisture, which will lead to deterioration. If Trump gets his way, the building will be shiny white—for a while—before the cracks start to show.
Wife Lessons
My brilliant wife offered a different and invaluable perspective on VP Vance’s comments on his wife’s choice to not convert to Christianity.
Vance stated that as a Christian he hopes his wife will eventually choose Christianity but understands and accepts if she does not. This is in line with the Gospel. (I confess to not being particularly knowledgeable about the Gospel.) Vance stated that as a Christian he believes the Gospel is good for all people and hopes that all people will embrace it—but people have free will and it is their choice. He also praised his wife’s support of his own religious journey. This is all fine with me.
Many took umbrage with Vance’s statement, but they were people who already didn’t much like Vance. His base will have no problem with what he said.
My wife’s perspective was more personal. By making these statements Vance had placed his family in a difficult position. Now, SLOTUS may be faced with these questions and possibly Vance’s children will as well. They may have already discussed this and SLOTUS is a formidable person who will take care of herself with poise and dignity in nearly any situation.
Still, my wife was right. Being a political spouse can be a huge sacrifice and make a lot of demands on someone. Why would your spouse do things that could make it more difficult?
It took me a while to “get” what my wife was saying though and therein lies the real lesson.
The interesting point here is not the politics, but rather the different perspectives. As a wife and mother, my wife imagined herself in the position of Usha Vance. For my wife her privacy and the privacy and security of her children are always her very first thoughts. I’m a political analyst, so that’s the lens through which I understood the event. Neither of us is right nor wrong, this is about bringing different perspectives to an issue.
This is—dare I utter what is a curse word in some quarters—the strength of intersectionality and diversity. According to my in-house expert on these topics (my brilliant daughter), intersectionality is about understanding how each person’s combination of identities shapes their perspective on things. At its best, this approach helps us listen to and understand each other better. At its worst it becomes a competition as to who has suffered more and thus deserves more benefits. The latter is unfortunate and only inflames grievances and sets communities against one another. But the former approach of understanding and listening is the very cure for the social illnesses related to the latter.
Happy Birthday President Garfield
President Garfield, who is enjoying a moment of fame thanks to the Netflix series Death By Lightning, was born 194 years ago today. This reminder comes courtesy of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, which has a super engaging Facebook page!
He was assassinated in 1881, just two months shy of his 50th birthday and only 9 months into his presidency.
His vice president was Chester Alan Arthur. The Netflix series portrayed him as a drunk and thug. I’m not sure that’s true. He was a savvy political player, but more of a backroom figure, not an elected official. Arthur wasn’t particularly corrupt—for the time—as head of the New York Customs House. The patronage system may seem blatantly and impossibly corrupt to us now, but it was the basis of political power at the time.
Garfield had little interest in Arthur as vice president. Arthur sought to get presidential appointments for his friends, and Garfield wasn’t having it.
When Garfield was assassinated by a deranged office-seeker, Arthur saw the need for political change and became a champion of civil service reform. It is probably the first example in which an accidental vice president sought to carry forward his predecessor’s legacy rather than chart his own path.
There are a lot of acronyms coming your way—and nearly all of them have an O for Office. Welcome to Washington, DC.
Great photos, as usual. And very informative piece, including about DC (historical) real estate.