Them Crazy Veeps: 9-8

The Veeps are ranked and ready to go. Starting at the middle, as the green numbers get lower, the guys get better, but as the red numbers go down, we get into some crazy-ass mother-fuckers. (8 of 12)

#9 - John Calvin Coolidge (Governor, Republican-MA) 1921-1923 (ascended) Pres: Harding

Even if he hadn't ascended to the presidency, Coolidge would still have quite actively started the transition of the vice presidency from a mainly legislative position to a full-fledged member of the executive branch. Coolidge was the first VP regularly invited to cabinet meetings, and he actively avoided involvement in Senate squabbles. In short, he was precisely what President Harding wanted him to be.

#8 - John Adams (Ambassador, Federalist-MA) 1789-1797 (2 full terms) Pres: Washington

If after his years of public service, John Adams somehow ended up in hell, the devil would most likely make him be Vice President for all eternity. Adams was a man of action, and in 1789, no government office was more ineffectual than his. Washington kept him out of most cabinet meetings, and after he suggested we call the president "His Excellency," the Senate took away his talking privileges. Maybe if they'd let him speak, he wouldn't have had to cast a still unbroken record 29 tie-breaking votes. Still, he gets a lot of points for doing the job extremely well. He supported his president and managed to hold onto enough popularity and power to win the presidency.

#9 - William Rufus DeVane King (Senator, Democrat-NC) 1853 (died) Pres: Pierce You know those rumors that James Buchanan was gay? William King was his supposed lover. President Jackson called him "Aunt Nancy" (to Buchanan's "Miss Fancy"). Due to illness, King was in Cuba, seeking treatment, on inauguration day. It was in Cuba where he died a mere month later. From the time Fillmore took over after Taylor's death in 1850 to Breckinridge's inauguration in 1857, we were without a VP on American soil for almost seven years. So if Pierce had died too, we'd have been totally fucked. #8 - Thomas Andrew Hendricks (former Governor, Democrat-IN) 1885 (died) Pres: Cleveland Hendricks died less than a year into his term, but in that time, he managed to piss off basically everyone. Cleveland won the presidency by railing against the spoils system, whereas Hendricks, an old-school Democrat, believed spoils were the only way to govern. He joined with Senate Democrats to try to roll back Civil Service Reform all the way back to James Buchanan. Good thing he died. Coming Up - Who spent almost eight years as Vice President completely shit-faced? Later - Did Cleveland pick a better VP second time around? (Click here to view the whole list so far)