Just what would Sarah Palin do as vice president? Take 'charge' of the Senate?

Vice President Dick Cheney says it regularly: He rarely votes in the Senate, but when he does, the Bush side always wins.

That's because the vice president, as president of the Senate, only votes to break a tie.

Along comes Sarah Palin, ready to mix it up as the McCain administration's team leader in the Senate.

Responding to a third-grader's question about what the vice president does, she said:

A vice president has a really great job because not only are they there to support the president's agenda, they're like the team member, the teammate to that president. But also, they're in charge of the United States 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. And it's a great job, and I look forward to having that job.

Well, as Cheney has pointed out, not quite.

It is pretty clear in the Constitution, Article I, Section 3:

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

Palin's confusion led CBS News' Horserace blog to ask: "Would Palin Be 'In Charge' Of The Senate?"

Maria Comella, the Republican vice presidential candidate's spokeswoman, explained it all this way: "She was explaining in terms a third-grader could understand that the vice president is also president of the U.S. Senate."

In any case, Palin's mistake -- or, to use Comella's explanation, simplification -- is not uncommon.

As the Senate's own website notes, the job of vice president is "the least understood, most ridiculed, and most often ignored constitutional office in the federal government."

-- James Gerstenzang

Comments

[Julie]

This is why our education system is not working as well as it should be. We "simplify" concepts to children when they try to learn, only to find out later that these "simplified" concepts are wrong. And if they don't get the chance to learn the concepts correctly... that's how we get to where we are today.

[whynot]

John McCain - from Joe the Plumber - how to spend $150,000 wisely - hire a constitutional tutor for Sarah Palin.

[Roger]

Well, based on the last paragraph, I'd say Sarah is suited for the job of VP. If they're elected she will be ridiculed and often ignored.

[John]

I have absolutely no doubt that Ms. Palin is the least knowledgeable,most ethically corrupt ,unqualified, and incapable person ever to run for national office. The Republican party is insulting the intelligence of every citizen of our country with this fraud. Anyone who can still support this person is not playing with a full deck.

[Frank]

How is it possible to be wrong everyday all the time? This consistency is what boggles the mind

[roger lehnert]

does this surprise anyone? i am willing to bet she would flunk a first graders question. hard to "dress up" this one but the rnc tried to just do that and then pledged to give it all back to charity. are they sharing the wealth? shame , shame. in dress they must be socialists. double shame! roger

[Astro Naut]

Maybe the GOP should have spent her $150,000 wardrobe allowance on basic Poli Sci studies.
Beauty clearly does not translate into brains.Time to return to the oblivion she so richly deserves.

[Linda Mains]

Perhaps we are the ones who do not know how the Senate is actually run. Perhaps "being in charge of the Senate" means making sure that your party's senators vote the way your president wishes. To heck with your constituents I guess.

So not only did she get it wrong AGAIN, she mislead a 3rd grader while doing it.

[Joel]

John McCain and other corrupt Republicans caused the savings and loan crash in the early 1990's and now McCain is part of the Republican Culture of Corruption responsible for the current crash. The Hoover Republican Administration caused the great depression of the 1930's. Republicans are now running a disgustingly negative campaign throwing all the mud they can. This is dangerous for our country because it brings out the crazy people seen at recent McCain-Palin rallies.

John McCain is confused, erratic, showing signs of dementia, is not looking healthy, likely to have his melanoma cancer return and is mindlessly spouting lies from his sleazy, dishonest campaign. John McCain has been in lockstep with George W Bush over 90% of the time. Another four years of Bush policies would totally destroy our country and that is what we would get with John McCain. If you believe John McCain's recent campaign lies that suddenly he would be different, then I have a Bridge to Nowhere to sell you.

Sarah Palin is clearly unqualified to be President, is a religious fundamentalist extremist who would take away a women's right to choose and would create an American Taliban reversing all the gains in civil rights. For the sake of our country, we must make sure that Barack Obama is elected President.

Having said that, Obama as President would be smart to have some moderate Republicans on his team because we are all Americans and need to work together in bipartisan fashion to solve our problems.

See http://www.Democracy-Now.us

[matt]

She is factually wrong regardless of the who she was addressing. She either doesn't know what the role of the VP is or wants to change the Constitution to suit her. How does misrepresenting the role of the VP help 3rd graders learn about America. It might be common for the public not to know the role of the VP BUT NOT SOMEONE RUNNING FOR VP.

This is high school civics stuff not some liberal theory, She wholly unqualified, You would have thought she would have learned what the role of the VP was after she couldn't answer the question during the debate. Biden had no problem answering the question. Whatever McCain's attributes, his choice of Palin is absolutely reckless.

[Wade]

Before Ms. Palin explained to an impressionable third-grader what the job of Vice President entails, she should have read up on it herself. Maybe she thought there would be some literature in the desk?
Someone should tell Ms. Palin that a person can't get by on her looks forever. Eventually the electorate is going to expect her to actually know something about how the United States government operates.

[Gary]

The role of VP is a little nebulous. But perfect for someone like Gov Palin. As VP she would have the latitude to do some great things for her "pet" projects involving disadvantaged children and to basically further the causes for women. She is the embodiment of the American Spirit! A strong, smart lady who understands the outdoors, firearms, being a Mom, and has no fear of taking on the big, bad guys :) I would really like to see her as VP, especially since she was not "spawned" in Wash DC, where I worked for several years among those phony, ego-maniacs, whose only goal is advancing Themselves!! The Dems running now are from that gene pool...they are the ones responsible for our current problems (definitely NOT Bush). The Dem Committee Chairmen are being investigated now and the results will show how negligent they were in providing oversight to the Banking & Finance world. It's irionic that Obama is preaching "change", when it's he and Biden that need to be Changed! They have been part of the problem! We now need Reformers...McCain/Palin..someone who will clean house in Wash DC...and that War Veteran and Alaskan frontier lady can do it...not the Lawyers...OMG!

[seyelda]

Please---have some compassion. This unfortunate lady is playing with a deck that is several cards short. Treat her gently she will soon be returning to the moose pasture and taking her pathetic "first dude" with her. Let Alaska decide what to do with her. After all they were the mentally deprived people that elected her.

[misha]

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, and carrying a cross. - Sinclair Lewis

http://newyorkleftist.blogspot.com/

[Gary]

My dear fellow Americans who live in Alaska..Alaska, that most beautiful state, that beckons to those of us who love wildlife and Nature. And you Alaskans...so symbolic of real America...our last Frontier:) Our buffer zone between us in the Lower 48 and Russia. Of course most Americans do not know the current threat posed by Russia. So many Americans do not know anything about Alaska (or anything else for that matter). So my "friend" seyelda who wrote an earlier post thinks you Alaskans are mentally deprived for voting for Sarah Palin as your Gov !! I think seyelda may be quite familiar with the Mentally Deprived and like all in that category, Im sure her vote will go to Obama. Can't think beyond the TV screen, only wants the handouts Obama is promising, has no clue what impact his plans will have Globally. The leaders of the other Global countries are going to chew up that poor street lawyer and we will once again (pre-Bush) be pandering to Europe and the Middle East and hoping not to insult them or make them "mad"...We need McCain/Palin .

[Daisy]

Well, what I was told in my government class is that the VP's job is to check on the President's health everyday. Or better stated -- it's to check if the President is dead.

But seriously though, I think she probably meant "to preside" (not take 'charge') over Senate and be a tie-breaker. Kind of like when Al Gore (as President of the Senate) broke the tie in the 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation act.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnibus_Budget_Reconciliation_Act_of_1993)

By the way, Obama also did that in one of his examples of wealth redistribution last year -- comparing wealth with sharing pizza. So you be the judge of what's oversimplification.

Either way, I'm unhappy with all of these candidates -- but will likely vote for McCain/Palin since McCain is the only guy that keeps saying "reduce spending, reduce government". (Please stop printing that money. The govt robs us twice (IMO) - first by devaluating our dollar and then by taxing us. I don't want to be left with only "change".)

[Matt]

The formal powers and role of the vice president are limited by the Constitution to becoming President should the President become unable to serve (e.g. due to the death, resignation, or medical impairment of the President) and acting as the presiding officer of the U.S. Senate. As President of the Senate, the Vice President has two primary duties: to cast a vote in the event of a Senate deadlock and to preside over and certify the official vote count of the U.S. Electoral College.

The role is not particularly nebulous and that was not Palin's response. She drew a total blank during the debate and she made up stuff to tell some 3rd graders. She is the embodiment of a stereotype that is decades old.

Even McCain recognizes that his party and Bush are responsible for the current debacle.

Daisy

McCain may say reduce spending and cut government but look what his party has done over the last 8 years. Republicans borrow and spend and Democrats tax and spend. Which is more honest and responsible?

[rcp]

In the US Constitution Article ONE establishes the LEGISLATIVE Branch [not the Executive Branch, as Senator Biden claimed in the debate], while Article Two establishes the Executive Branch. BOTH articles discuss the role of the Vice President.

While in recent years the US Vice President has been viewed more as a member of the Executive Branch, orginally the Vice President was viewed more as a member of the Legislative Branch, *** controlling the entire rules making process within which the Senate is to conduct its business***.

That is, if Governor Palin were elected Vice President and chose *** to wield control over what legislation could or could not come up for a vote in the Senate *** she would be operating within the precedents set during the earliest years of the Congress. Oddly enough, she could also chose to function simultaneously much as Vice President Cheney has done -- operating within delegated presidential executive powers. Like it or not, the Vice President is only federal officer in the US who is simultaneous a member of the Legislative Branch AND the Executive Branch.

As with most situations in life, having power and perogatives does not always mean these should be exercised, and, historically, most US Vice Presidents have chosen to emphasize [or have been requested by the US President to emphasize] EITHER a legislative role OR an executive role but not both.

It is somewhat interesting that Governor Palin tried to emphasize the legislative role while Senator Biden tried to de-emphasize it. Or, one could state it the other way around -- that Governor Palin seemed to de-emphasize the executive role while Senator Biden seemed to emphasize it. Any guesses as to what a President McCain or a President Obama would prefer?

While it certainly would cause a big fight [as if such has not ever before occurred in the Senate], but a Vice President Palin definitely could be "in charge of the US Senate" by asserting control over which legislation can come up for a vote. [If you stop and think about a moment you can see that similar control is exercised by the analogous Speaker of the House of Representatives all the time.]

[Sanjoy Das]

Ah, these damn koolaid sipping liberal third graders and their 'gotcha!' questions!!

[Daisy]

In reply to October 22, 2008 at 08:01 PM:

Absolutely true. The Republican party did a stupid thing -- Bush cut taxes but he never reduced government. Then again, I don't think he ever promised to reduce government. I don't consider Bush a real conservative, and from my perspective he was liberal's dream come true: nationalizing banks, amnesty, increasing size of government/spending, economic stimulus plan (feel free to add to the list here -- you can google his liberal record). While he was right to cut taxes (which actually did help to grow economy and increase govt revenues), he really should have controlled govt spending.

I don't like Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin, to be honest. But I'll take McCain on his words to reduce govt. (And that's only because he has been a long advocate of cutting pork.)

But to answer your question more specifically, taxing and spending is more "responsible" (it takes away the "credit card" spending) -- but it also takes away the "buying power" from a person. Let us spend, invest, donate our money our way. It's been proven that the private sector can do things better than the govt (ex: Hurricane Katrina). And like Reagan once said - the best minds are not in government. If there were any, businesses would take them away.

One would naturally think "well, the current crisis was brought to us by businesses." Nope, not entirely. Look into how much govt intervention there was as well. (CRA, AMTPA...)

:-) Thanks for replying.

[Sarah Palin is the DEVIL]

I am so sick of this Devil! The Republicans are using her to be the launching pad of some of the most disgusting lies they have ever come up with. The nerve of this woman accusing the Dem Campaign of being worried over what Biden will say... HELLOOOOO!!! "Kettle?? Hi, this is Lucifer aka Sarah Palin, you're black!" This woman is a complete fraud. The whole campaign sickens me. How it is even close with the beauty and the beast duo, beats the heaven out of me!

[James]

What is surprising is that people are surprised by Palin's frequent mistakes, missteps and gaffes. It's simple - Colin Powell said it eloquently, a string of prominent Republicans have said it and a majority of Americans in recent polls have said it - Sarah Palin may be an intelligent Governor of a small State, but has no place as second in line to the presidency. Unsure? Check out http://www.palinomaly.com to see the ridicule we'd bring on ourselves internationally with Palin near the White House.

[Lou R]

The Republican party seems to have brought individuals into government who have no idea how the governmental system works. It is the 'Peter Principal' in action. This lack of understanding of Constitutional and legislative practices is likely a contributor to the high level of corruption seen at the Federal level over the past eight years. It also has contributed to the push for the loss of civil rights based on narrow personal beliefs which become election wedge issues.