After the first two years of the JD Vance Vice Presidency, it is sad to report that he will go down as the second worst Vice President of modern times.
Ironically, it is the Republican Party which has had really horrible choices to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
This does not include Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, or George H. W. Bush, who served under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.
But all of the other Republican Vice Presidents have been disasters in one way or another, including:
Spiro Agnew under Richard Nixon
Dan Quayle under George H. W. Bush
Dick Cheney under George W. Bush
Mike Pence under Donald Trump (First Term)
JD Vance under Donald Trump (Second Term)
Mike Pence is easily the best of the five above, just by the fact that he did not allow Donald Trump to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden’s election in 2020, at the time of the US Capitol Insurrection. But otherwise, he did not come across as very effective, partially because of the dominance of Donald Trump.
Next best is Dick Cheney, who certainly was qualified, but was very confrontational and extreme in his views in many ways, and playing the role of almost a “Co President” in George W. Bush’s first term, and with far less impact in the second term.
Next would be Dan Quayle, who seemed totally harmless, but seemed not very bright, and made a fool of himself, causing many to pray for George H. W. Bush’s health when he had a health scare.
Then comes JD Vance, supposedly highly intelligent, but uttering the worst imaginable statements and views on all kinds of issues, making him very unpopular, and harming his chances of winning the Presidency, even the nomination of his party for 2028.
It is depressing to think of the next in line to the President being someone, who no intelligent, sane person would wish to be President.
Of course, Vance would succeed to the White House if Donald Trump were to pass away, or become totally incompetent which could occur, or is removed from office by the 25th Amendment or the Impeachment clause. But even if Vance did succeed, it is highly doubtful that he would able to win a full term in office.
Without any doubt or question, however, Spiro Agnew was easily the WORST Vice President of modern times, and possibly of all Vice Presidents.
He was coarse, nasty, crooked to an extreme, and was forced out of office, being replaced by a very decent man, Gerald Ford.
Thank goodness, Agnew was removed in 1973, before Richard Nixon was forced out of office, as it would have been a nightmare scenario had he become President.
But the fact that Agnew was worse than Vance is NOT a redeeming quality for JD Vance.
And when one compares Democratic Vice Presidents in recent times, there is clearly no comparison to the Republican Vice Presidents.
Lyndon B. Johnson–John F. Kennedy
Hubert Humphrey–Lyndon B. Johnson
Walter Mondale–Jimmy Carter
Al Gore–Bill Clinton
Joe Biden–Barack Obama
Kamala Harris–Joe Biden
All six ran for President, with Lyndon B. Johnson and Joe Biden becoming President, and with Al Gore denied the Presidency in the very controversial Presidential Election of 2000, decided by the US Supreme Court in Bush V Gore.
Also, particularly Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and Joe Biden, had distinguished careers in the US Senate.