From Dick Cheney to Kamala Harris, meet 5 vice presidents who visited the Central Coast
Serving as the vice president of the United States is glorious agony.
Someone with a noteworthy career of leadership and accomplishments is now a heartbeat away from the most powerful office in the world. Their every word and action must be in concert with the boss or they risk political exile.
As vice president, John Adams once said, “I am nothing but I may be everything.”
Often a vice president has been selected because they offer a contrast in political styles to the president, balancing the ticket.
But that contrast can lead to friction.
Take earthy Texan Lyndon B. Johnson, who was paired with urbane New Englander John F. Kennedy.
How a vice president’s time in office is spent depends on the flexibility of the president to allow another voice, and the ability of the VP to navigate the rip currents of politics and their own ambitions.
Here are some recent vice presidential visits to the region. I covered the Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney and Harris events myself.
Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale, who served as vice president under Jimmy Carter, was campaigning against incumbent President Ronald Reagan when he stopped in San Luis Obispo on May 16, 1984.
Mothers for Peace had invited three candidates during the event at Mission Plaza, but Mondale was the only one to show up.
He spoke out out against opening Diablo Canyon Power Plant and mingled with average people, including those who didn’t like his policies.
Several hundred construction workers of the crowd of 3,000 had bused in to the event and were waving critical placards.
1984 was a one-sided presidential election. Mondale would only win electoral votes from his home state of Minnesota.
Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle was an up-and-coming Republican when he was paired with World War II veteran George H.W. Bush on the presidential ticket.
Quayle visited San Luis Obispo County on July 23, 1991.
The vice president came across as affable at a private fundraising dinner in Nipomo. Though the dinner was for donors, the press was invited.
It was a casual affair. There wasn’t a lectern adorned with the vice presidential seal, which the sitting vice president is entitled to.
The Republican audience applauded as Quayle criticized Democrats and endorsed local representatives running for office that year.
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney was less than 80 days away from becoming vice president elect when he came to the Central Coast on Aug. 24, 2000.
Some political analysts have thought Cheney was the organizing force in the George W. Bush presidency.
Tribune reporter Pat Pemberton quoted a local political candidate who summed up Cheney: “Having worked in Congress and the presidential cabinet under George W. Bush’s father, Cheney knows how to get things done in Washington, [Mike] Stoker said, and he’s an expert on foreign policy issues.”
The former Wyoming representative and Secretary of Defense flew into the Santa Barbara Airport on a private jet, focused raising on money and winning the race against Democrats Al Gore and Joe Lieberman. He took a brief few moments to mix with the crowd before taking the stage.
About 80 Republicans greeted Cheney at the airport and heard a five-minute speech with no mentions of local issues or local endorsements.
It was plain to see from Cheney’s manner he was used to being an insider and in control.
Attendance at a private fundraising dinner up the hill was the only option for access to Cheney. The press was not invited.
In stark contrast was Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who was holding campaign events across town. When The Tribune caught up with him, he was at the courthouse plaza, taking questions from just about anyone. There were no roped-off media pens or Secret Service members maintaining a perimeter.
The Green Party failed to win the 5% voting threshold in the 2000 election to qualify for public funding, but some analysts say that enough votes were siphoned off by third parties to tip the electoral college result to Bush and Cheney.
Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence repeated then-President Donald Trump’s call to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. Armed forces during his May 14, 2020, visit to what was then Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The base has been a popular stop for vice presidents including Johnson, Quayle and Hubert Humphrey.
President John F. Kennedy visted there in March 1962.
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Kamala Harris
Harris stopped by Vandenberg Space Force Base on Apr. 18, 2022.
Having a sitting vice president visit a venue that has an airfield offers at least two visual opportunities: an Air Force Two landing and a policy speech to service members.
Given the tight security these events require, most of the day was spent by the local media waiting and clearing various checkpoints, interspersed with healthy periods of waiting.
Unlike campaigning and fund raising stops this event was built around a policy announcement.
In between the landing and before the speeches, meetings were held out of sight of the media in an area that required security clearance to enter.
Of the five, this was probably the longest appearance in terms of substance and news though as was the case at the Quayle and Cheney events. There was no time allowed for questions.
When her speech was done, Harris left the stage and the traveling media were quickly told to pack up their gear and get on their shuttle back to Air Force Two.
The local media had a more leisurely exit, and chatted with local political leaders including Congressman Salud Carbajal.
This story was originally published April 23, 2022 at 5:05 AM.
