President and VP acting as effective Co-Presidents?

[andym]

In 1980, Ronald Reagan considered former President Ford as a potential effective co-President-- at one point the GOP convention entertained the idea of a VP who would be more like a President (Reagan/Ford).
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/25085/reagan-and-ford-considered-co-presidency-1980
[I edited this post correcting the history]

The idea originally comes from the corporate world. For example, https://www.fastcompany.com/3068272/are-co-ceos-a-great-ideaA-or-a-total-disaster

If the Democratic convention does not have a first ballot nominee this year, should the possibility of having the Democratic nominee and VP act as co-Presidents if elected to win the election and placate various wings/party interests? Of course such a scenario would have to be carefully planned as to which duties belonged to whom, and one person would still technically be the President.

Understand that technically one person would be President and the other the Vice-President, it would just be that the Vice-Presdient's role would be expanded and the President's role decreased by mutual agreement. At any time the actual President could end such a deal technically.

[rzemanfl]

1. Huh? Whut?

[Poeraria]

2. No.

Unconstitutional then, and now.

[nsd]

3. Terrible idea.

It was terrible in 1976 and it's still terrible.

Any president who needs a co-equal vice-president isn't fit for the job.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. I'm sitting in NJ

I'm heading west on I-78 . . . but my cart is all the way out in Ohio.

I.E. Way to early to even put an idea like this out there.

Can you let us vote in NJ first? Do we not get a say? Are we not reliably blue for national elections?

That's June 2nd. We should have our interests considered too. We pay the most into fed gov and get the least back per each tax dollar.

We deserve to have our say without schemes and backroom deals.

ETA - That's 107 delegates assigned based on the Primary Winner.
Another 14 to party leaders and allocated officials.
Another 23 at large delegates

If this race is as close as everyone thinks - then those could really count for something in the race.

[relayerbob]

5. Interesting idea

More like a corporate structure. Would have to be handled carefully, but if a coalition leadership, of any size, could be created, I'd be for it.

[Moderateguy]

6. Would this even be constitutional?

[andym]

11. Yes because one person would actually be President

and the other VP. The actual President could terminate the deal and he/she would be President.

[Moderateguy]

12. That's not Co-Presidents

[nobuddy]

13. Well, Cheney was the real president

Bush was just the spokesman.

[NurseJackie]

7. That's not how it works...

[Dem4Life1102]

8. That was a ruse by Reagan

Ford was only floated to get the hard liners in the party to agree to a moderate as VP. Once they did he flipped in Bush.

[TwilightZone]

9. Horrible idea.

If you want to give everyone the impression that the Democratic nominee isn't up for the job, this would be a great way to do that.

[malchickiwick]

10. I think your confusing our Republic with that of Ancient Rome.

They had co-consuls, but only served 1-year terms.

[andym]

14. Actually it's a solution used in the corporate world

which is where it probably came from in the first place.
https://www.fastcompany.com/3068272/are-co-ceos-a-great-ideaA-or-a-total-disaster

[unblock]

15. there's no such thing really, so it's mainly just a rhetoric to appeal to the veep's supporters

that said, al gore was given quite a lot of responsibility for a vice-president, and cheney of course was able to steamroll over shrub, particularly during his first term.

but in the end, the office of the vice-president isn't worth a bucket of warm piss, as a former occupant of that office once said....