Palin on the Vice Presidency

[sontinospurs]

Palin Claims The Vice President Is ‘In Charge Of The U.S. Senate’»
Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued that the Vice President is “in charge of the United States Senate“:

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, “What does the Vice President do?”

PALIN: That’s something that Piper would ask me! … [T]hey’re in charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom.

Watch it:




Indeed, while Palin suggests that questions about what the Vice President does is something only her daughter Piper would ask, Palin herself asked this very question on national television in July. Apparently, she still hasn’t learned the correct answer.

Article I of the Constitution establishes an exceptionally limited role for the Vice President — giving the office holder a vote only when the Senate is “equally divided”:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

Moreover, the U.S. Senate website explains that the modern role of Vice Presidents has been to preside over the Senate “only on ceremonial occasions.” ThinkProgress contacted Senior Assistant Paliamentarian Peter Robinson, who also disputed Palin’s characterization of the Vice President’s role:

In modern practice the Vice President doesn’t really control the Senate. … If anyone has a responsibility to try to govern the Senate, it’s the responsibility of the two leaders.

UpdateWe have replaced the original video with a YouTube version.
UpdateThinkProgress obtained the following statement from Jim Manley, spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV):
This comment is all the more puzzling because this is at least the 2nd time she has said this. Gov Palin needs to re-read or perhaps read for the first time the Constitution. While the Vice President presides over the Senate, he or she is not in charge of it. Article 1 says The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate is part of a co-equal branch of the federal government.

[Shastafarian]

Man I need to brush up on my constitutional knowledge. I could've sworn she's dead wrong. The DailyKos headline was too funny not to post

Me Fail Civics? That's unpossible!

[I Love Me Some Me]

She's talking to third graders. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

[Shastafarian]

She's talking to third graders. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

No, she was talking to a reporter. She was asked a question by a third grader and didn't know the answer.

[ElNono]

She's talking to third graders. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

You certainly don't tell them:

"...if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes..."

because that's not what they do. That's just basically bad education.

[boutons_]

Don't confuse the blinkered, puny-minded pitbull bitch with facts and reality.

She's got God on her side, a plastic Jesus on her dashboard, which includes God on the Repug's side, and God (and the oilcos) wanting dubya to invade Iraq.

McNasty selecting this hick village idiot was a fatal self-indictement. Yet another 3AM call that McNasty answered disastrously.

[I Love Me Some Me]

No, she was talking to a reporter. She was asked a question by a third grader and didn't know the answer.

I'll rephrase...she was answering a question asked by a third grader. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

Her answer was not the best, but it really wasn't that far off base.

[Shastafarian]

I'll rephrase...she was answering a question asked by a third grader. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

Her answer was not the best, but it really wasn't that far off base.

Yes it was. It was an incorrect answer. Isn't that worse than anything when you're telling children how government works?

[I Love Me Some Me]

Yes it was. It was an incorrect answer. Isn't that worse than anything when you're telling children how government works?

Eh...I'm not up to defending this woman to the death, but to say that "in charge of" is is not far off from "presides over" isn't that big of a leap.

[Bartleby]

Eh...I'm not up to defending this woman to the death, but to say that "in charge of" is is not far off from "presides over" isn't that big of a leap.

Talking about how the VP can "really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes" is a leap.

[Shastafarian]

Eh...I'm not up to defending this woman to the death, but to say that "in charge of" is is not far off from "presides over" isn't that big of a leap.

Maybe it's semantics but "in charge of" means she controls it. She doesn't. She sits in a chair and can cast a tie-breaking vote. That's it. She also said she can go down and make policy changes with senators.

[ElNono]

I'll rephrase...she was answering a question asked by a third grader. Do you think they'd get it if she said, "The Vice President presides over the senate. The Vice President shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided."?

Her answer was not the best, but it really wasn't that far off base.

She should have just said: "If the senators can't make up their minds about a bill, I can go in there and decide".

What she said is simply wrong. What you have now is a bunch of third graders that don't know what a VP does.
Next thing you know they'll be posting stupid threads in Spurstalk about it, because Palin said so.

[I Love Me Some Me]

She should have just said: "If the senators can't make up their minds about a bill, I can go in there and decide".

What she said is simply wrong. What you have now is a bunch of third graders that don't know what a VP does.
Next thing you know they'll be posting stupid threads in Spurstalk about it, because Palin said so.

:lol

[Extra Stout]

Technically, the President of the Senate could attempt to influence legislation, but no VP has done that since John Adams. Otherwise, the President of the Senate would be there to resolve points of order. Normally, the title is just ceremonial since the VP has other things to do, so the VP will only be there to preside in case he is needed to break a tie vote. That is why the President pro tempore position exists. However, that position is largely ceremonial too, and in practice, a freshman senator presides so that he can learn the parliamentary procedures of the Senate. So perhaps it would be a good idea, if Palin were elected, to preside frequently so she can learn what the federal government does.

[ElNono]

Technically, the President of the Senate could attempt to influence legislation, but no VP has done that since John Adams. Otherwise, the President of the Senate would be there to resolve points of order. Normally, the title is just ceremonial since the VP has other things to do, so the VP will only be there to preside in case he is needed to break a tie vote. That is why the President pro tempore position exists. However, that position is largely ceremonial too, and in practice, a freshman senator presides so that he can learn the parliamentary procedures of the Senate. So perhaps it would be a good idea, if Palin were elected, to preside frequently so she can learn what the federal government does.

Intelligent, well thought out post. It actually works well against the upcoming irrational post from whottt, which is long overdue, clinging on some stretch to defend his honey.

[Extra Stout]

Intelligent, well thought out post. It actually works well against the upcoming irrational post from whottt, which is long overdue, clinging on some stretch to defend his honey.
Ed Harris keeps appearing to him and telling him he has to defend Sarah Palin to protect national security.

[Shastafarian]

Ed Harris keeps appearing to him and telling him he has to defend Sarah Palin to protect national security.

You sure it wasn't Paul Bettany?

[JoeChalupa]

Does she just not understand the questions she is being asked?

[Shastafarian]

Does she just not understand the questions she is being asked?

It was a question from a 3rd grader. I hope she understood the question.

[DaDakota]

She is an idiot.

DD

[JohnnyMarzetti]

What an idiot.