I’m glad to see that most of the stories about the former veep’s passing focused on how he changed the role instead of the alleged trouncing he received from St. Reagan in 1984. This is what I hope he will also be remembered for the most.
Although it wasn’t completely Mondale’s idea, Carter shared this vision of giving the vice president a larger role in the executive branch. Before Mondale, the person who got the nod was often just there to “balance” the ticket, meaning the prez candidate represented one section of the country or a party faction and the veep was a token for the others. The easiest example is the 2020 Biden and Harris ticket. Biden represents the East Coast and Harris the West Coast; the generation gap (Biden = Boomers, Harris = Gen X); Whites and Blacks yet they’re both ideologically NeoLiberal shitbags, leaving the Left in the cold as always.
Before Mondale, the veep was rarely included in cabinet meetings, important decisions regarding foreign policy and often was assigned to bullshit pet projects: Pence and Quayle. Darth Cheney had his own insidious agenda so he was fine with Spurious George playing cowboy and we now know Bush the Elder was much more involved with St. Reagan’s treasonous Iran-Contra operation. For others, it was a mess. Truman had no clue what FDR was planning on the post WWII world so it led to rockier relations with the Soviet Union. LBJ was already having confrontations with JFK’s people before the assassination. The only veep who benefited from this plausible denial/intentional ignorance would be Coolidge. The incredible corruption under Harding was pretty damning and Coolidge was very lucky to have nothing to do with the Teapot Dome scandal which let him govern without difficulty.
Thanks to Mondale, the US is more prepared for a smoother transition under the Democrats but I think the Republicans will catch on eventually. When Harrison died, Tyler’s term was a waste of four years and Andrew Johnson was nothing but turbulence, hundreds of wasted opportunities to heal the country and a cynical impeachment amongst all participants. Teddy Roosevelt is the only instance I can say, the Carter-Mondale plan wasn’t needed.
I also want to bring up the painful 1984 election. Yes, St. Reagan beat him pretty soundly if you go by the outdated Electoral College. Once it’s removed and you see the percentages, you can’t say it’s a landslide, aka the myth Republicans perpetuate with their god; at best it was 60-40 by popular vote. My Logic professor said, St. Reagan was really only elected with 25% of the vote too. Given how many Americans don’t bother, he was dead right and people will go with the devil they know over the devil they don’t. Incumbents are hard to defeat as well. Even though I knew who Mondale was at 16, I really wished the Democrats went with someone who had more charisma. It wasn’t meant to be since those candidates will only run if it’s a slam dunk so the Democrats were willing to sacrifice Mondale in the hopes 1984 was the dry run for Gary Hart’s victory lap in 1988…d’oh! See the movie, The Front Runner on how this plan fell apart.
Mondale did move the needle of progress further by nominating the first woman for veep. Geraldine Ferraro was a nobody member of Congress representing Archie Bunker types and in the end, she became a liability through her husband’s construction business. Many critics said Mondale did this as a cynical Hail Mary move to his foundering campaign. They may have been correct. In his defense, if he didn’t choose someone other than a White Male Protestant, when would anyone else? The Republicans didn’t come around to nominating a woman for another 24 years and they made the same mistake, Palin was ten times the embarrassment of riches Ferraro could ever be. The dispshit from Alaska probably harmed Senator McNasty’s campaign more than his gaffe over how many houses he owned.
The election did appear to be a waste of time and a formality to give a clueless old man another four years of destroying the world with nukes. Then the debates happened. Wow! Mondale whipped his ass. St. Reagan looked bad and he didn’t have Nancy to softball him answers as all he could do is say “there you go again.” Political cartoonist Pat Oliphant illustrated it accurately by showing Mondale at his lectern with a wheelbarrow of facts while St. Reagan was walking in wearing an Uncle Sam costume and a bible in hand. It didn’t matter, the debates rarely change the outcome unless it’s Tricky Dick’s flop sweat.
Thanks Fritz. You made the job worth something more than a bucket of spit and may you be remembered fondly.