In 1980 , Republican presidential hopeful Ronald Reagan planned to make an unprecedented move in American politics . Shortly after declare his electioneering , he sat down with advisor andhashed out a planfor a running mate : Gerald Ford , the President who hold office from 1974 to 1977 .
When broadcast diarist Walter Cronkite asked Ford point - vacuous if he and Reagan were count what Cronkite term a “ co - presidency , ” Ford dodged the question with a non - denial ; Reagan was contain aback that Ford would consider the arrangement to be one of equal influence . The melodic theme stalled out , and George H.W. Bush became Reagan ’s vice president .
If the yield had shape up , Reagan would have environ tight to a Constitutional impasse . What come about if your vice chair , who is a former president , re - enters the agency of the presidentship if the commandant - in - chief is disqualify ? And is such a move even constitutionally potential ?
The12thAmendment , which was ratified in 1804,directsthat no one “ ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the United States . ” The22ndAmendmentstates that “ [ n]o somebody shall be elected to the billet of the President more than double . " ( Thank you , Franklin Roosevelt . ) While this mean the not - quite - one - terminal figure Ford would have been fine , it does stand for a president who has dish out two terms could n’t possibly be selected as a running mate .
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Or could they ? Some Constitutional scholars have argue it ’s possible . Columbia University law professor Michael Dorfexplored the topicin 2000 , when the exiting Bill Clinton was being earmarked as a running fellow for Al Gore . Clinton , Dorf argue , was n’t “ ineligible , ” just not electable — a large remainder . If a former - president - turned - veep were to re - take berth , it would n’t be due to an election , it would be due to the departing president ’s death , removal , or surrender . The same would hold true for serving more than two term — the third would be a chronological sequence , not an election .
A 2006WashingtonPostarticle cut into into the doubt further , find three lawyers and a federal evaluator who fit in — with Hillary Clinton eyeing the Oval Office , they assert that nothing in the Constitution would prohibit a two - Clinton ticket ( the issue of them being from the same state is a discussion for another metre ) . Others , however , stated taking “ elect ” at face value is being too real , and that the smell of the amendment was to prevent anyone from sustain function for more than two terms regardless of how they arrived there .
The latter argument was support by Bill Clinton , who has been fielding doubtfulness of his possible frailty presidency alongside Hillary . Talking to David Letterman in 2007 , Clinton said that “ I just do n’t think it ’s consistent with the intent of the Constitution for someone who ’s been United States President double to be elect frailty president … I do n’t think it ’s right and I would n’t want to do that . ”
grill by Mario Lopez in 2015 , Hillary Clinton echoed the sentiment , sayingthat her husband is “ not eligible … it would not be potential for him to ever win to the position . ”
An equal amount of disarray existed back in 1960 , when Dwight Eisenhowerjokingly floatedthe musical theme of running for vice chairwoman . He did n’t , of trend , for the same reason few presidents have ever seek office after stepping down : after ruling the free world , no one want to accept a demotion .
