Palin thinks VP "In Charge of Senate"

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

Honestly -- how could this not bother you?

In an interview with a local NBC affiliate in Colorado, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin claimed that she would take charge of the U.S. Senate if elected vice president.
Palin mistakenly argued that legislative work was one of the primary responsibilities of the vice president and said, quote, "The Vice President is in charge of Senate." In fact, the vice president has an extremely limited role and may only cast a vote when the Senate is equally divided.





I mean, what she's suggesting is treason. Moreover it demonstrates that the woman doesn't know what the hell she's doing.

[Mikelus Trento]

Honestly -- how could this not bother you?

In an interview with a local NBC affiliate in Colorado, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin claimed that she would take charge of the U.S. Senate if elected vice president.
Palin mistakenly argued that legislative work was one of the primary responsibilities of the vice president and said, quote, "The Vice President is in charge of Senate." In fact, the vice president has an extremely limited role and may only cast a vote when the Senate is equally divided.





I mean, what she's suggesting is treason. Moreover it demonstrates that the woman doesn't know what the hell she's doing.

My vote is on the latter.

[C-Rob]

Wow, she really dumbed it down. "Really get in there and change policies and make that kid's life better" I say BS!

I thought the person who asked was a third grader, and she referred to a 2nd grader. Just on CNN they were talking about this and said 3rd grader asked the question. Does she have the attention span of a gold fish?(3 seconds) For crying out loud she can't even refer to her family to try to get peoples' votes that way.

[Mikelus Trento]

Wow, she really dumbed it down. "Really get in there and change policies and make that kid's life better" I say BS!

I thought the person who asked was a third grader, and she referred to a 2nd grader. Just on CNN they were talking about this and said 3rd grader asked the question. Does she have the attention span of a gold fish?(3 seconds)

You are now being unfair to goldfish.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

It's not a matter of "3rd Grade" -- answering a 3rd or 2nd Grade Question about the V.P. with "The V.P. is in charge of the Senate" -- would be like answering a question about the Presidency by saying "The President is the King of the World" -- it's endemic of real misunderstanding of the office at any level.

Answer to kids -- What does a V.P do: Our Basic Law says the V.P. should be ready to take over as president if anything happens to the president and the V.P. may break tie votes should they arise in the Senate.

Short. Simple. Correct.

______________

[motiv-8]

This is no worse than, say, Colin Powell claiming Palin would be a bad Vice President because she would be a bad President, and claiming that the VP's job is to be President.

[Gauvin]

First, I was going to make fun of her condescending tone, but then I realized it was in response to a 3rd grader.

She was a poor choice, and I think she knows it.

[Каие]

She was a poor choice, and I think she knows it.

Agreed, a lot of people like McCain [Me included] but completely despise Palin. But to the second part, the scary thing is I don't think she does know it.

[touchmaster]

*sigh*

She isn't even VP yet, so you can't judge her as if she is one, yet. In two more weeks you can rant all you want, baby! XD

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

*sigh*

She isn't even VP yet, so you can't judge her as if she is one,

Yes I can, that's what all voters are supposed to be doing right now!!! Good Grief!

This is no worse than, say, Colin Powell claiming Palin would be a bad Vice President because she would be a bad President, and claiming that the VP's job is to be President.

I don't follow. Powell is correct: the V.P.s main job is to become the president.

The job of the VP is to become the president if the president dies and to break ties in the Senate -- that's it. That's all. So it is a vital part of the job description that the V.P. be ready to be the president.

Don't believe me? Take John McCain's word for it then:

[Holger Danske]

*sigh*

She isn't even VP yet, so you can't judge her as if she is one, yet. In two more weeks you can rant all you want, baby! XD

The very thought that she actually could end up as being VC is scary enough!
And here I thought that Bush was the low-point, but hell no.
All you need is a female christian nutjob from Alaska!

[DJ Putin]

If she thinks she's going to take control of Congress as VP then she's in for a rude awakening, IF she and McCain win. The position is essentially a glorified back-up plan anyway.

[Boer]

In the VP debate she also talked about expanding the role the VP plays in passing laws in the senate. It really bothers me that, of late Republicans seem to want to gather more and more power in the president and VP. I thought they were for state's rights and a limited/weak federal government.

[Vladimir Lenin]

I think she was referring to the VP's role as President of the Senate.

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/...resident.htm#2

[Caelius]

God.....some people here are real idiots.

The Vice President's Constitutionally Enumerated Role is act as President of the Senate.

Nothing she said was wrong.

The Vice President of the United States is designated by the Constitution as the President of the Senate. The Vice President holds a tie breaking vote in the Senate and does not usually preside over the Senate. Since its conception, the role of casting a tie-breaking vote in the Senate has been exercised 242 times. The Vice President of the United States with the most tie breaking votes is John Adams with 29. If there is no sitting Vice President then the President pro tempore of the United States Senate or "President pro tem" serves as President of the Senate. The President pro tem also serves in this role in the Vice President's absence, or if the Vice President assumes the office of President of the United States. In practice, freshman senators are traditionally assigned the role of presiding over the Senate in order to learn Senate procedure.

The current Vice President of the United States and President of the U.S. Senate is Dick Cheney.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

God.....some people here are real idiots.

The Vice President's Constitutionally Enumerated Role is act as President of the Senate.

Nothing she said was wrong.

She never mentioned the title "President of the Senate" and what she said was wrong.

The Vice President as President of the Senate (WHICH SHE NEVER SAID) is no more "in charge of the Senate" (WHICH IS WHAT SHE SAID) than a Drug Tsar is actually a Tsar of Drugs. She gives no indication whatsoever that she knows that the V.P. is the President of the Senate because knowing that would also include knowing exactly what that's limited to: breaking tie votes -- that's it!!! The President of the Senate is in charge of abso - ing - lutely nothing else. Certainly not the Senate. Ask yourself this: Why is no one else making the mistakes that Sarah Palin is making?

No one, no McCain or anyone else says, the V.P. is the President of the Senate, in charge of the Senate. In fact, the title "President of the Senate" is rarely invoked by anyone to begin with -- McCain didn't use the term. Moreover, if Palin is such an expert in the minutia of Constitutional Lingo regarding the V.P., why in the hell didn't she actually explain what the V.P. does?

So gimmie a break. You may be kidding yourself, but you are not kidding me. This is clearly another example of Plain not knowing what she's doing or even knowing much about our nation's laws.

[Gauvin]

hehehehe

[Applesmack]

The damage control in this thread makes me

[kev-o]

Sarah Palin should reread the Consitution. And for that matter so should Dick Cheney. The VP has absolutly no power within the US government. All he can do is break a tie in the senate.

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Damn public life is really merciless. She was explaining it to a 3rd grader, not doing her political science thesis with it. What do you really want? A pedantic old machine lady?