At the end of the day there are two types of vice presidents. In our lifetime we have seen clear examples of both, the power behind the scenes in the form of former Vice President Dick Cheney, and the faithful sidekick, in our current Vice President Joe Biden. Neither of these are inherently bad, the issues with these stereotypes arise when the voters ignore how close to the presidency the vice president is at any given time.The vice president is one awful moment away from leading the country, but that doesn’t make them the president. They are the president’s most senior advisor as well the president of the Senate. While modern vice presidents have shared the spotlight with their respective commander and chiefs, it is only recently that the vice president has had a consistently active role.
In some ways the vice president has to play a more concise balancing game than the president themselves. They need to be able to show they can be the president at any time, but also need to be careful not to overstep their bounds, living in a constant game of powerful but not too powerful. In the one and only vice presidential debate Mike Pence and Tim Kaine showed the American people that even while they appear comically similar, they are instead picture perfect portraits of the two kinds of vice presidents this country has experienced.
Pence has previously outlined that in many ways he will be taking care of Trump’s policy, another example of how little he trusts his running mate. He sat on a stage for 90 minutes and while he showed that he could be a competent candidate, he couldn’t defend his running mate at any impasse. With a more competent running mate, Pence may be a justifiable candidate for vice president, but in this election he is nothing more than the second coming of Dick Cheney.
Kaine may not be as polite or eloquent as his opponent, but he shows loyalty in spade. From first question to closing statement, he stayed on message and elevated his running mate in a way that Pence struggled to even attempt.
In the words of Frank Underwood, vice presidents come in two types: doormats and matadors, this is underestimating the quiet more supportive vice president. The overly ambitious vice president may have more power and elevate their own position, but they are more often an insult to the executive branch instead of a helpful addition.
At the end of the day each vote for a president is a vote for the vice president as well. A single heartbeat from one of the most powerful positions in the world. This position is more than just a seat filler, more than just a stepping stone to another position, it is a part of our political system in the same way the president themselves are.
Jesse Saunders is the president of the Democrats of Hofstra University.

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