The perks of being vice president

WASHINGTON – The job of vice president may have been famously described by one of its occupants as “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” But not only has it become a much more powerful role since Vice President John Garner’s days, it also comes with plenty of perks.

Here’s a look at what Mike Pence will gain after being sworn in Jan. 20 — in addition to more than a doubling of his pay. His promotion comes with an annual salary of $230,700, up from the $111,688 he made as governor.

Air Force Two

Pence has already experienced one of the top perks of the job, Air Force Two.

As is customary, outgoing Vice President Joe Biden sent the plane to pick up the Pences — along with pet rabbit Marlon Bundo and cats Oreo and Pickle  – when Pence left the governor’s office Jan. 9.

After being sworn into his new job, Air Force Two will take Pence anywhere in the world, said former Vice President Dan Quayle.

“He just needs to let them know and they’ll be ready in a matter of a minutes or a few hours,” Quayle said.

Pence also will have access to travel on military helicopters.

“The good thing is you have a whole Air Force. I didn’t realize I get three helicopters available to me,” Biden told The (Wilmington) News Journal shortly before taking office. “I can be from the vice president’s lawn to my backyard in 40 minutes.”

There is a caveat. Although helicopters go with the president when he’s on Air Force I, those assets don’t travel with the vice president.

“He has to get in his car and drive once the plane lands,” said Indiana native Ron Klain, who was chief of staff to both Biden and Vice President Al Gore.

Air Force Two, which is smaller than what transports the president, is not just one plane. There’s more than one identical plane used not just by the vice president, but also the secretary of state, secretary of defense and the first lady. The plane takes on the name Air Force Two when the vice president is on board.

Vice presidential residence

The Pence’s new home is a 19th century Queen Anne style house on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Located about three miles from the White House, the 33-room home is in a neighborhood full of embassies, just up the street from Hillary Clinton’s Washington house.

“It’s a wonderful home. It’s a great location,” said former Vice President Dan Quayle. “President Bush used to tell me that as far as living in the White House or living in the vice presidential residence, he’d choose the vice presidential residence over the White House.”

The home was used by the chief of naval operations until the cost of providing security for the private residences of vice presidents became too expensive. But while Congress agreed in 1974 to refurbish the house, the first vice president to live there was Walter Mondale, who took office in 1977. Vice President Gerald Ford became president before he could move in and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller didn’t want to move out of his much nicer home.

After the Quayles' young family arrived, former Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller was among those who helped raise private funds to put in a swimming pool. Although a putting green they also installed was removed when Al Gore took over, the swimming pool continues to be enjoyed by residents and their guests.

When Zoeller had a chance to meet Biden during his vice presidency and mentioned the origin of the pool, Biden exclaimed: “That’s the only reason my grandkids visit me!”

Besides entertaining grandchildren, the vice president’s residence typically hosts many social events, including for journalists. The Bidens hosted an annual media picnic on the grounds, during which he was known to go after reporters with a super soaker. Gore dressed as a mummy and other characters for his annual Halloween parties.

Offices and staff

Pence’s desk will be about 50 feet from the Oval Office, a practice that dates from Mondale’s tenure.

In inviting Mondale to work out of the West Wing, President Jimmy Carter said he could pick any office he wanted. Mondale figured Carter’s top aide would want the corner office, so he chose space between that office and the national security adviser.

“He tried to be a good team player,” said vice presidential scholar Joel Goldstein. “Every vice president since then has had that middle office.”

Most of the vice president’s approximately 80 aides, however, work out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House.

Originally built in the flamboyant French Second Empire style to house the state, war and navy departments, the building also now includes the vice president’s ceremonial office used for meetings and press interviews. The walls and ceilings are decorated with ornamental stenciling and allegorical symbols of the Navy. There are chandeliers, mahogany floors and fireplaces of Belgian black marble.

The vice president’s desk, first used by Teddy Roosevelt in 1902, has been signed by the various users since the 1940s.

The vice president, as president of the Senate, also has office space there. But few aides work out of the Senate, even though many are funded through Senate appropriations. Other aides, particularly those who handle national security issues, get temporarily assigned to the vice president’s office from their regular agencies.

“You have a lot of people around you to help you do the job,” Quayle said.

President of the Senate

In addition to being the No. 2 in the executive branch, the vice president is also president of the Senate, where he gets to break any tie votes.

Many early vice presidents also presided over debates, which included interpreting parliamentary questions. The Senate responded by developing rules to affirm its independence from the executive branch, according to the Senate Historical Office.

In recent decades, the vice president typically presides over the Senate for ceremonial purposes – such as when new senators are sworn in – or if the Senate is debating an important piece of legislation and the vote could be close.

Because Quayle came from the Senate, there was a lot of expectation that he would play a significant role as a liaison to Congress, Zoeller remembers. But when Quayle expressed that expectation to Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole, he laughed, saying: "Danny, we love you, but we’ll call you if there’s a tie.” And there never was.

“I think the word was, `You’re one of them now. You’re the executive branch,’” Zoeller said. “The (current) leadership on the Hill seem much more anxious to have Pence play a significant role.”

He may also get to use his tie-breaking powers, as Republicans hold just 52 of the 100 Senate seats.

Even if he doesn’t, Pence will still get a marble bust.

"Being cast in marble is something every vice president looks forward to," Vice President Dick Cheney quipped when Quayle’s bust was unveiled in 2003. "It's not only a high honor; it's our one shot at being remembered."

After leaving office, Pence will get to choose the artist. The busts, the Senate’s oldest continuing art collection, are placed throughout the Senate wing of the Capitol.

The chance to become president

The biggest perk of being vice president is the chance to move into the No. 1 slot. But it doesn’t happen often.

A vice president has become president eight times due to his predecessor’s death and once because the president resigned.

Four became president after winning elections while serving as vice president.

“Not many sitting vice presidents end up being elected president," Goldstein said. "But your chance of being elected president as a sitting vice president are greater than your chance of being elected president as governor of Indiana or senator from Indiana.”

The British-based betting and gambling company Ladbrokes initially set the odds of Donald Trump leaving office early due to impeachment or resignation at 3-1. Days after the federal government’s top ethics official denounced Trump’s plan to retain his financial interest in his global real-estate and branding empire, the odds stood at 11-10. The bookmaker gave 8-11 odds that the 70-year-old won’t complete his full term for any reason.

Elaine Kamark, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, said the possibility of Pence taking over is being talked about “just because Trump is so out of the ordinary.”

“What we don’t know yet, and we don’t know because we haven’t seen it yet, is whether he will grow into the role,” she said. “There are a lot of Republicans who are quite comfortable with 'President' Mike Pence.”

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IndyStar reporter Tony Cook contributed to this story.

Contact Maureen Groppe at mgroppe@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @mgroppe.