Veeps on trial, Veeps on travel, new Veeps, old Veeps, and sometimes no Veeps!
Veeply Roundup
There’s always more VP news than Down the Hall can cover, and the past few weeks have been overwhelming between teaching, consulting, and the intense cycle of Jewish holidays.
So for this Veepy Roundup, we’re going to check on a few ongoing Veep stories. We’ll start with Vance, but there are VP stories all over the world.
Bad Week for Vance
The vice president is having a lousy week. At home he’s trying to hand-wave away some Nazi bullshit. Normally a trip abroad would be a respite, but Vance was sent to Israel to try to keep the Israeli government on board for Trump’s peace plan, which can’t possibly be much fun.
Bibi-Sitting
In Israel Vance is trying to get PM Netanyahu to not renew his war on Hamas. I wish him well.1
Vance gave away the game when he said:
It’s not about monitoring in the sense of, you know, you monitor a toddler. It’s about monitoring in the sense that there’s a lot of work, a lot of good people who are doing that work, and it’s important for the principals in the administration to keep on ensuring that our people are doing what we need them to do.
So in fact, they are in fact monitoring Israel as you would a toddler.
Turning the ceasefire Trump forced on Israel into some sort of durable peace is a priority for Trump, who covets the Nobel Peace Prize.
A central challenge of keeping the ceasefire is that elements on both sides have no interest in peace. Hamas figures who want to keep things going know that anything they do is likely to provoke an Israeli response, which will derail the very fragile process.2
The U.S. has some leverage over Israel, they really don’t have any leverage over Hamas. Trump’s threats to disarm Hamas are hollow. What can the U.S. possibly do to Hamas beyond what Israel has done over the past two years? Total defeat isn’t happening. Hamas will continue to provoke, and the administration will need to pressure Israel to limit its response.
It’s a lousy job, but it’s what the president wants so the VP has to do it. Both domestically and internationally VPs have performed useful roles reinforcing the president’s message. At least Vance isn’t alone on this mission—Rubio is headed to Israel shortly. Bibi-sitting is a full-time job!
But this tough mission at least brings some international stature and is a break from probably better than Vance’s domestic duties.
On the Home Front
Vance has been on point for defending the Young Republicans of New York who are really, really, really into the Nazis. The obvious thing is to just disavow them, but Nazi-curious young (and often not so young) men are a key part of the GOP base. So instead Vance has to lamely state:
The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys. They tell edgy, offensive jokes. That’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke – telling a very offensive, stupid joke – is cause to ruin their lives.
This argument might be a bit stronger if Young Republicans were actually young. Many participants in the exposed group chat were well into their 30s.
VPs often have to make awkward arguments on behalf of the president. In the 1980 primaries, VP Mondale (as Carter’s surrogate) had to explain to Iowa farmers why the U.S. wasn’t selling grain to the Soviet Union. Gore had to publicly support Clinton through the impeachment. But it’s worse when you’re VP to Trump—ask Mike Pence.
Also Vance was at the ceremony for the 250th anniversary of the Marines at Camp Pendleton in which ammo was fired over the I-5 in southern California. Californians are really, really into their highways. People more knowledgeable about military affairs tell me that there are extensive military training exercises in southern California all the time and that if the VP weren’t there, this is a minor incident that wouldn’t have received coverage, but well, Vance was there.
The story of the Trump administration shelling a blue state doesn’t seem like a great story, or maybe, considering the attitudes of the administration, it fits their overall narrative perfectly…
Veeps Around the World
There is news of vice presidents in Latin America. Bolivia has a new vice president who is… a lot. Peru is in an ongoing Constitutional crisis and doesn’t have a Veep (not that it matters. Finally, in Sudan the displaced 1st Vice President is now on trial for treason.
But why? Why do we care about vice presidents in Latin America (or anywhere really?)
First, it is good to know something about the world, especially given the increasing complexity of our interconnected globe. Latin American countries in financial trouble may increasingly enter China’s orbit, for example. The vice president provides insight into how a country’s politics work, what institutions and people are most critical and what the trends are.
There’s another, darker reason for studying the Veeps of less stable democracies, particularly those of Latin America. As much of the democratic world appears to be backsliding into illiberal democracy or competitive authoritarianism looking at Latin America, where democracy has long been troubled, can provide a picture of where we may be heading.
Bolivia’s Big New Vice President
The Bolivian election run-off was on October 19 and the victor was centrist Rodrigo Paz. Both candidates in the election had dynamic running mates. Rightist candidate Jorge “Tuto” Quiroga’s running mate was tech entrepreneur Juan Pablo Velasco who sponsored concerts and promised to “Make Bolivia Sexy Again.” Paz’s running mate Edmand Lara was a former police captain who became famous by posting TikToks revealing police corruption. Paz is a member of the traditional Bolivian elites (his father was president.)
Lara is a dynamic figure who added mass appeal to the ticket. But what will he do as vice president? To paraphrase former VP Kamala Harris, Bolivia’s new president will face 99 problems, particularly an economy in freefall. Unfortunately VP Lara may be one of them. During the campaign he stated that he’ll be the one keeping the president honest:
I’m the guarantee. If Rodrigo Paz goes astray, I’ll set him straight. If he refuses, other measures will have to be taken.
As my go-to for all things Latin American, James Bosworth observed, President-VP splits are all too common in Latin America. But a VP threatening the president ever before the election spells big trouble.3
Veepless in Peru
Meanwhile, neighboring Peru doesn’t even have a VP! The last VP became president when the latter was removed from office, and then was removed from office herself. The president of Peru is the president of the legislature.
In theory Peru has two vice presidents. I have no idea why, in 1860, the Constitution was modified to have two VPs instead of one—a research project for the future. But right now they have none. The first VP became president and the 2nd VP’s election was invalidated, so both offices are vacant.
Twice in the last decade, before the recent removal of Dina Boluarte the President was removed from office and replaced by the VP. Another president resigned to avoid removal.
So now the president is the former president of Congress. It is unlikely he’ll have any more luck resolving Peru’s intractable economic and social problems than his predecessors. But Peru’s political path may be unique in the region. James Bosworth (Boz is his nom de plume) writes:
Analysts should start asking whether the system that is being built in Peru is one that is best defined by not focusing on the presidency and requires a different framework to understand it than its neighbors. Peru could become Latin America’s first parliamentary oligarchy, an outlier in a region defined by executive power and presidential overreach.
The Treasonous Veep?
In South Sudan, the former first Vice President Riek Machar is on trial for treason. Consolidating power, the president of South Sudan swapped his long-standing first vice president for a close political ally. As we’ve discussed before South Sudan’s VP’s are a bit of Constitutional veneer over a tribal power-sharing arrangement. Analysts worry that this foreshadows renewed civil war for the long-suffering nation.
Presidents using the courts to go after political rivals and consolidate power? That wouldn’t happen in a well-established liberal democracy…
Coming Up
There are so many things to write about in Veepworld!
I still haven’t decided what to post for Throwback Thursday tomorrow, but Friday or Monday I’ll talk about games and gaming, their role in the classroom and their role in decision-making.
Later on I’ll write about the late Richard Moe, who played a significant role in the establishment of the modern vice presidency as a staffer to Walter Mondale.
I really want to do a deep dive into Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist who is running for governor, but also oversaw a number of substantive issues as Lt. Governor.
Finally, I’m watching The Diplomat a Netflix drama on foreign policy that has a lot of VP actions—too bad they didn’t consult one of the world’s top experts on the position? I’ll share my thoughts for free (although it’d be great if you became a paid subscriber!)
I wish I’d come up with the term Bibi-sitting, but it wasn’t me. It’s also a reference to a Netanyahu campaign ad several years ago that’s pretty funny (even if you absolutely HATE Netanyahu.) Also, whatever my thoughts on Trump, I’m pretty sincere that I hope this gambit works and if it gets him a Nobel Peace Prize—fine.
Not defending Israeli conduct, but Hamas is a vicious radical organization devoted to mass murder that readily sacrifices the Palestinian people in pursuit of its goals. Palestinian casualties undermine Israel’s international standing, so more dead Palestinians serves Hamas’ ends. Besides the human catastrophe, Israel was unwise in providing Hamas exactly what they wanted.
Paz will try to keep his VP at arm’s length. This is pretty standard in Latin America, but is even more likely when the VP is a rock-star in their own right—as we’ve seen in Colombia. There, Francia Marquez tried to remain loyal to President Petro—until doing so was no longer tenable. But Lara may be less likely to take on a low-key role. Paz is probably not as much of a paranoid headcase as Petro (a low bar), but Lara may be the headcase in this duo.