Exploring the Role of the Vice President

The Vice Presidency in Fiction and Reality

Power Dynamics in the Vice Presidency

The Role of the Vice President in U.S. History

The Influence of Vice Presidents

What does it mean to be a Vice President in the modern political landscape? This bonus episode dives into the complex role of the Vice President with UCC's Clodagh Harrington.We touch on the often-overlooked influence of Vice Presidents throughout history, contrasting this with the satirical portrayal seen in the popular TV show Veep, and how it encapsulates the cynical and opportunistic nature of the role.Plus. Clodagh shares her best and worst Vice Presidential picks in US history....Special guest for this episode:<ul><li>Clodagh Harrington, a US politics lecturer from University College Cork, and host of the excellent podcast A Chicken in Every Pot. Her monograph, co-authored with Alex Waddan, entitled ‘Obama V Trump: the Politics of Presidential Legacy and Rollback is available now, and the follow-up, Trump V Biden is due for publication next year.</li></ul> ...Highlights from this episode:<ul><li> The Vice Presidency can be interpreted in vastly different ways</li><li>Fictional Veeps, from Selina Meyer to Christian Bale's Cheney</li><li> Historical context is crucial to understanding the evolving role of the Vice President</li><li> Cheney's role as Vice President brought unprecedented influence and power, unlike many predecessors. </li><li> Walter Mondale is praised for bringing seriousness to the Vice Presidency during his term. </li><li> The unpredictable nature of political power dynamics in the White House. </li></ul> ...Additional Resources:READ: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obama-v-Trump-Perspectives-Presidency-ebook/dp/B0C14XCR9B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZYKF12EI6ZJ4&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YvrV6MyWESMLnQHn_k43Oq5AeJv9H9szHBTv7ecMFMM.iWA7GfuXEK0n4Ywa6cCdE5mkfpogrWc-ylEpLdUk4kk&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=obama+v+trump+the+politics&amp;nsdOptOutParam=true&amp;qid=1735915509&amp;sprefix=obama+v+trump+the+politics%2Caps%2C177&amp;sr=8-1" target="_blank">Obama v. Trump: The Politics of Rollback </a>by Clodagh HarringtonREAD: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/07/16/nx-s1-5040514/vice-presidency-history-president" target="_blank">The vice presidency: From 'insignificant office' to political powerhouse : NPR</a>READ: <a href="https://www.history.com/news/american-vice-presidents-who-became-president" target="_blank">US Vice Presidents Who Went on to Become President | HISTORY</a> LISTEN: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6a1aK3LZiCioWylWRpEvy1?si=f94f9db706944ecc" target="_blank">A Chicken in Every Pot</a>...And if you like this episode, you might also love:<a href="https://pod.fo/e/2624b6" target="_blank">What Was the Constitutional Convention?</a><a href="https://pod.fo/e/25d563" target="_blank">Why Does the President Only Serve Two Terms?</a><a href="https://pod.fo/e/20637a" target="_blank">Is the President Above the Law?</a><a href="https://pod.fo/e/18b2e6" target="_blank">How Are Presidents Elected?</a><a href="https://pod.fo/e/1896e6" target="_blank">What is the US Constitution?</a>...Thank you for listening to our podcast. It's a labor of love by an American history nerd and some smarter folk. Making it does come at a small cost so if you'd like to help:<ul><li>Individuals - <a href="https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support" target="_blank">support the show with a one-off or monthly donation</a>: https://america-a-history.captivate.fm/support </li><li>Universities &amp; Colleges - </li></ul>

BONUS: What Does it Mean to be Vice President?