Vice President Kamala Harris is joining a handful of her
predecessors who've had the awkward task of overseeing the official
confirmation of their own election defeats. It is,
I guess, an odd quirk, you know,
one of the many odd features of The constitutional system
that we've inherited. The few vice presidents who have
been tasked with the humbling responsibility have aimed to carry
out their role with grace and even sometimes humor,
like in 1961 when then Vice President Richard Nixon became
the first VP in more than 100 years to find
himself certifying his own election loss. According to the
Washington Post, he quote Pumped humor, life,
and even a little political sense into the nearly two
centuries old ceremonial. In remarks to lawmakers, Nixon
said, quote, In our campaigns, no matter
how hard fought they may be, no matter how
close the election may turn out to be, those
who lose accept the verdict and support those who win
, according to the posts. In 2001, the
mood was more contentious when Vice President. President Al
Gore presided over the certification of his election defeat.
That one required the Supreme Court's intervention. Gore rejecting
multiple objections from Democrats during the process. The Supreme
Court, not the people of the United States,
decided this election. Is the objection signed by a
senator? Unfortunately, Mr. President, it is
not signed by one single senator. On the basis
that previously stated, the point of order may not
be received. In the end, Gore asked for
God's blessing for his opponent, prompting a standing ovation
. May God bless our new president and our new
vice president, and may God bless the United States
of America. There's been only one sitting vice president
who's skipped the certification of his defeat altogether. That
would be Hubert Humphrey, who served with Lyndon Johnson
. Dallek says the duty, though at times uncomfortable
, is an important step in ensuring the peaceful transfer
of power. Instead of, say, calling on
her supporters to take to the streets, they acknowledge
their defeat and move on, and they contest.
Uh, politics contest power through the laws, the
system, uh, the constitutional arrangements that we have
. Serena Marshall, Scripps News, Washington.