EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS: VICE PRESIDENTIAL INFLUENCE IN THE MODERN ERA By RICHARD M. YON A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2017 © 2017 Richard M. Yon To Rachel, Reagan, Linda and Ricky ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people and organizations that made this dissertation possible. Without their support and guidance, none of this would have materialized. First, I would like to thank the Department of Political Science’s faculty for their mentorship and guidance over the course of my graduate education at the University of Florida. I would also like to thank Suzanne Lawless-Yanchisin for ensuring I met deadlines and successfully maneuvering me through administrative obstacles. A special thank you to my committee (Beth Rosenson, Larry Dodd, Sharon Austin, Robert Watson, and Elizabeth Dale) for standing by me through this long and arduous process. I’d specifically, like to single out my committee chair, Beth Rosenson, who helped me salvage a project when the prospect of finishing seemed elusive, was a voice of reason at a time when all seemed unreasonable, and restored my confidence in my work and helped me put together a plan to successfully achieve all I worked so hard for. I am forever grateful for the countless hours spent reviewing drafts and providing me with unvarnished critiques that only produced a better product. This project would not have been conceived without the journal article I co-authored with Robert Watson on vice presidential selection. He has been a pillar of strength and support since my days as a graduate student at Florida Atlantic University. Thank you to the amazing archivists at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, the Minnesota State Historical Society, and the Rockefeller Archive Center for opening your records to me and assisting me in my quest to uncover documents pertaining to the vice presidency. Special thanks go to the more than seventy individuals that I interviewed for this dissertation. Their willingness to spend time with me to advance my research and provide depth and context to my theory on the vice presidency will never be 4 forgotten. A special thanks goes to Vice Presidents Mondale, Quayle, Cheney, and Biden. They were so generous with their time and showed great interest in the work I was undertaking. All served as an inspiration to me to continue to push through, even when things seemed so uncertain. I also would like to thank two former students, Michael Ferro and Hope Landsem, for spending countless hours listening to the interview recordings in order to transcribe the material. Thank you to Rachel Yon and Loretta Schoen for pitching in to assist in this monumental effort as well. Lastly, I would like to thank my family for always believing in me and being so supportive. My wife, Rachel, is my rock who paved the way by completing her dissertation first. Watching her soldier through inspired me to do the same. My daughter, Reagan, is the light of my life, and she helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thoughts of her helped me get through every moment of doubt. I did this for you, as much as I did it for me. Thank you to Linda and Ricky, the most wonderful, supportive, and selfless parents anyone could ever hope for. They have always been my biggest champions and for that I am grateful. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................9 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................12 Overview of the Presidency ....................................................................................................12 The Vice Presidency ...............................................................................................................12 Constitutional Approach to Studying the Presidency .............................................................15 The Behavioral Approach to Studying the Presidency ...........................................................16 Institutional Approach to Studying the Presidency ................................................................18 Purpose of Study .....................................................................................................................20 Influence .................................................................................................................................21 Theory .....................................................................................................................................23 Why Study the Vice Presidency? ...........................................................................................24 Scope of Study ........................................................................................................................27 Hypotheses ..............................................................................................................................30 Layout of Dissertation ............................................................................................................33 2 HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THE VICE PRESIDENCY ........................................................36 Creation of the Vice Presidency .............................................................................................36 Opposition to the Office of Vice President .............................................................................39 Composition of the Opposition .......................................................................................43 Abolishing the Vice Presidency ......................................................................................45 Reforming the Office ..............................................................................................................50 Evolution of the Vice Presidency ...........................................................................................58 Traditional-Era Vice Presidents ..............................................................................................58 Transitional-Era Vice Presidents ............................................................................................60 3 DEFINING INFLUENCE, AND THE FOUR DYNAMICS THAT SHAPE IT ...................70 Changes in the Vice Presidency .............................................................................................71 Understanding Vice Presidential Influence ............................................................................76 Factors in the Evolution of the Vice Presidency ....................................................................76 Influence vs. Power ................................................................................................................79 Interconnectedness of Influence and Power ....................................................................80 Influence and Power: Distinct Concepts .........................................................................81 Vice Presidential Influence ..............................................................................................85 Definition of Influence ....................................................................................................90 6 Vice Presidential Influence .....................................................................................................91 Interpersonal Dynamics ..........................................................................................................97 Situational Dynamics ............................................................................................................102 Institutional Dynamics ..........................................................................................................105 Electoral Dynamics ...............................................................................................................112 4 NELSON ROCKEFELLER: A CASE OF MARGINALIZED INFLUENCE ....................117 Nelson Rockefeller’s Selection as Vice President ................................................................118 Strengths and Weaknesses – Rockefeller and Ford ..............................................................123 Role of Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President ......................................................................131 CIA Commission ..................................................................................................................139 Commission on the Organization of the Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy “Murphy Commission” .....................................................................................................143 Congressional Relations .......................................................................................................145 Domestic Council and Energy Independence Authority ......................................................153