It was just a good idea whose time had come. Other than portions of the Twentieth Amendment, no other amendment came into the Constitution so much on its own intellectual merits. How did it happen, then? There were three important factors. First, on presidential disability, the impetus for change came from the White House. In Congress, hundreds of representatives and senators each consider hundreds of issues and balance the interests of hundreds of clamoring interest groups.
By contrast, when President Eisenhower suffered his serious health issues, he was just one man presented with one very stark reality: if he ever got really sick, the Constitution would not handle it well. This was particularly problematic in the middle of the Cold War. Second, the shocking assassination of President Kennedy in November created a brief window of opportunity, during which the nation was more inclined than usual to look at issues outside of the usual interest-group politics.
Third, and probably most important, was the extraordinary leadership of Senator Birch Bayh. The subcommittee had already been considering these issues, but Bayh committed energy and political capital to making the project a high congressional priority.
Unusually, he did this despite the lack of an obvious, immediate political payoff. Although the Twenty-Fifth Amendment had all of these things going for it, other factors caused it to be less-than-perfect; the Amendment has several errors and omissions in it. These imperfections show some of the pitfalls of enacting technical amendments. Perhaps the most surprising error in the amendment is an actual typo. Besides, the leaders figured that everyone would know what they really meant.
A very different sort of imperfection is incompleteness. The framers of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment made a conscious choice to leave some things unaddressed. One is vice-presidential disability. Section 2 only provides for filling vice-presidential vacancies; it does nothing about a situation in which a Vice President is only incapacitated. Also, in Section 4, nothing can be done to transfer power away from a disabled President if the Vice President is disabled too, or if the vice presidency is vacant.
If Congress only took final action on provisions that were complete and perfect, it would never act. Perhaps the most problematic imperfection in the Twenty-Fifth Amendment is a poorly drafted part of Section 4. Several commentators reading this provision have casually assumed that the President would retake power immediately, and would be sidelined again if the Vice President and Cabinet re-declared that he is disabled within four days. That reading is wrong. The Vice President continues as Acting President during the four-day waiting period, and the President does not take power back until it is over.
But in the heat of a power struggle between an allegedly disabled President and his Vice President, a defiant President would have every incentive to read Section 4 as giving him back his power immediately, and little reason to research the legislative history. He might even purport to fire his disloyal Cabinet, to prevent them from re-declaring his disability, and name loyalists as acting Cabinet members. First Ladies are the hostesses of the White House, serve as advisors to the president, and are often involved in social issues.
Over the course of American history, the role of the First Lady has changed and evolved. Its virtual First Ladies interactive tour provides a visual experience of the First Ladies' gowns and other artifacts. The United States has had 45 former U. Visit presidential libraries and museums in person or online to learn about former presidents, see important historical documents, and explore interactive exhibits.
The Honorable William J. When sending letters to former presidents, the proper form for addressing the envelope is: The Honorable president's name. Contact the White House to request a presidential greeting. You will soon be able to purchase official portraits of the president online. If you would like to extend an invitation to, have questions for, or would like information about the president, the White House, or the status of a request, contact the White House.
Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They'll get you the answer or let you know where to find it. American Flag Branches of the U. Government Budget of the U. Government Data and Statistics About the U. However, the vice presidency itself has traditionally been a relatively insignificant position, though the office has become more influential in recent years.
The role of vice president is only mentioned in the US Constitution a handful of times. The beginning of Article II, Section 1 explains how vice presidents are elected, which was later revised by the 12th Amendment. So, other than staying out of trouble to avoid impeachment and waiting around for the president to need a replacement , vice presidents are really obligated only to occasionally cast a tie-breaking vote.
This means that the great majority of the time, vice presidents have no real job to do. Coolidge later became the first vice president in history to attend Cabinet meetings on a regular basis. In , Harding died of a likely heart attack , and Coolidge succeeded him as president.
Franklin D. Fact check: Fake Trump quote about ending up in prison if Biden wins had its origin in satire. Our rating: Partly false. It's true that Harris would assume the role of president, but she'd pick a new vice president. Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Click here , for more.
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