So in episode 421 “Life on Mars” the Vice President hands in his resignation. The events happened rather quickly especially for the west wing but I have a theory about what I think is going to happen next season.
Even though they said they were going to get creamed Sam will win the California 47th and there you have it. oooo very dramatic.
Anyone got a better idea?
No inside knowledge here, no idea where Sorkin wants to go with this… but it will make for an interesting few months.
Remember, in Sorkin’s TV world, Bartlett is a liberal Democrat President facing a Republican Congress. Since there’s no Vice President, the current (presumably) Republican Speaker of the House is next in line to be President… so maybe the GOP won’t be eager to confirm whoever Bartlett selects as the new Veep. “The West Wing” may turn into “The Contender” for a while.
The “safe” pick for Veep might be Admiral Fitzwallace (John Amos), whose name was floated as a possible replacement for Hoynes during the last campaign.
Still… I’m inclined to think that Aaron Sorkin wants to shake up his lineup and get some more interesting characters in the mix. So, while John Amos would work, I suspect Sorkin is going to try for a new, unknown VP nominee, one who’ll be a more important part of the cast than Tim Matheson ever was.
I agree with astorian. Remember, in the West Wing universe we’ve only met a handful of the Senators, Representatives, Governors and other public figures from which Bartlett would choose a new vice-president.
I disagree on the the other point, though, since I remember the last time a (real) vice-president resigned while the president was going through a scandal and facing an opposition Congress. Debate over the choice, yes, but it won’t be a long story arc.
I don’t believe an appointed VP needs to be confirmed, astorian, but I could be wrong.
What does that have to do with the new VP?
Yes, actually, he does. The last time this happened in real life was 1974, when Spiro Agnew was forced to resign, and Richard Nixon’s Presidency was on shaky ground.
At that point, Nixon had to appoint a new Vice President, one who could actually get approved by an overwhelmingly Democratic Congress. That’s a big part of the reason he picked Gerald Ford. Ford had been in Congress for 25 years, and was generally on good terms with the Congressional Democratic leadership. Another nominee might not have been confirmed… and House Speaker Carl Albert might well have become PResident, when Nixon was finally ousted.