Why are vice-presidents often bad guys in movies?

[Mister_Rik]

The position of “Second in Command” is often filled by a jerk in real life. Some years ago I came up with my “Assistant Manager Theory”, based on my observations at several different jobs:

The General Manager is in charge. He knows he’s in charge, and you know he’s in charge, and he knows that you know he’s in charge.

The Assistant Manager is in charge. He knows he’s in charge, and you know he’s in charge, but he’s worried that you don’t think he’s in charge.

Therefore, the General Manager is easier to work with / get along with, because there’s no misunderstanding about who’s in charge. Meanwhile, the Assistant Manager can come off as a jerk, because his doubts about whether you know he’s in charge compel him to constantly remind you that he’s in charge. So he will exercise his authority for no reason other than exercising it. For example, assigning trivial, non-essential tasks simply because he can - he’s telling you to do it because he can tell you to do it.

And really, from the average American’s perspective, the Vice President is the ultimate Assistant Manager.

[Two_Many_Cats]

@DMark

most people could take a pretty good stab at naming the last 15 Presidents or so, but I doubt many could tell you the names of even 4 of the last 15 Vice Presidents, if that.

In order, from reverse, without any looking up:

Joe Biden
Dick Cheney
Al Gore
Dan Quayle
George H.W. Bush
Walter Mondale
Nelson Rockerfeller
Gerald Ford
Spiro Agnew
Hubert Humphrey
Lyndon Johnson
Richard Nixon
Alban Barkley
Harry Truman
Henry(?) Wallace
Aaand before that it starts to get hazy.

So, yeah, I can do the fifteen.

[Two_Many_Cats]

@Two_Many_Cats

Alban Barkley
Harry Truman
Henry(?) Wallace
Aaand before that it starts to get hazy.

So, yeah, I can do the fifteen.

So having checked up on myself, Alban Barkley should’ve been Alben Barkley, but yes indeed, Roosevelt’s second to last vice president was named Henry.

Not bad at all.

[Bryan_Ekers]

@DrFidelius

Well, really, what else does a Veep have to do with his (her) time other than hatch nefarious plots?

Well, he has to protect the space-time continuum.
It’s in the constitution.

[cmyk]

@Bryan_Ekers

Well, he has to protect the space-time continuum.
It’s in the constitution.

And all this time, I thought he merely kept out a watchful eye.

I learn something new here every day.

[outlierrn]

In 2012 he was the Chief of Staff, not veep. In addition to what’s been posted I’ll add the *danger from an unexpected source *(the butler did it), trope.

[Krav_Manga]

@Mister_Rik

The position of “Second in Command” is often filled by a jerk in real life. Some years ago I came up with my “Assistant Manager Theory”, based on my observations at several different jobs:

That’s the “Assistant to the Manager Theory”

[alphaboi867]

@Bosstone

Nailed it. The trusted right-hand man secretly scheming to knock the good and wise ruler off and take his place on the throne is an old, old story.

It doesn’t help that if the VP can depose the President (at least temporaliy) if he can gets a majority of cabinet secretaries to go along with him.

[mbh]

@Mister_Rik

The position of “Second in Command” is often filled by a jerk in real life. Some years ago I came up with my “Assistant Manager Theory”, based on my observations at several different jobs:

Where I’ve worked, the General Manager always got to play “good cop”, while the Assistant Manager always had to play “bad cop”. The GM would hand out raises and bonuses, while the AM would be the one to tell people to quit goofing off.