Palin Claims Vice President "In Charge Of The U.S. Senate"

Think Progress:

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.

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[imsosure]

She truly is dumber than a box of rocks.

[dignityandhonor]

...and that is an insult to rocks everywhere.

[Chaucea]

Yeah! Poor rocks! :-(

[prcleburne]

Keith Olbermann's priceless " Are you smarter than a 3rd grader ? " commentary :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqBUbHsr070

[nanton29]

Memo to Sister Palin:
In Obama's book 'The Audacity of Hope' he devotes a chapter to the constitution.Please read it. You will stop making a fool of yourself, and you will thank me for it..

[bob8788]

http://www.barackobamacans.blogspot.com/

[Moondaver]

Gov. Palin quoted the Constitution correctly. Sen. Biden did not.

Palin correctly stated that Article 1 of the Constitution grants legislative powers to the VP, and Article 2 grants executive powers. She also correctly stated that the VP is President of the Senate (interprets the rules and can only be overridden by a vote of 60 senators).

Biden made more than one error, in particular wrongfully attributing executive powers to Article 1 and denying that the VP aslo has legislative powers.

A good article on this subject is "Did Biden Get It Wrong? You Betcha" by John R. Lott Jr.

[DCinFrance]

Get over it, Moon. This person doesn't understand the limits of executive power and legislative power. Where Biden made a technical error, she exhibits an incomprehension.

[likeicare]

Which country's constitution are you reading???The US Constitution does NOT grant any such "legislative powers" to the VP --period!

You must be a graduate of the Karl Rove Institute of Semantics, if you're interpreting "legislative" to mean that the VP breaks tie votes in the Senate.

Just b/c Dick Cheney decided the Constitution was good for wiping his ass with, and not much else, doesn't mean that he's rewritten it, thank god!

Maybe you, and the rest of your mavericky ilk can go find a country more to your liking (after the election), where you can practice your warped brand of governance -- Zimbabwe, for instance.

[MargaretO]

Apparently you need to get your own copy of the Constitution. Sarah is most definitely incorrect.

[buggedabouttheus]

This is a totally wrong. The Founders emphatically did not want two Presidents nor did they want a weak Legislative Branch. The Veep's job in case of a 50/50 tie in the Senate is to vote to break the tie. That is only time the Veep gets to vote in the Senate. The Veep is not "in charge" of the Senate the Majority and minority leaders are in charge. No Legislative powers are granted to the Veep.

The Veep is not as Chaney claims a part of the Legislative Branch.

Read the Constitution for your self. It is not difficult at all.

The traditional job of the Veep is to go to state funerals. Al Gore and Bill Clinton operated the office closer to a partnership. But Al Gore was not in charge of the Senate.

There is no excuse for someone running for a job not to know what it entails. There is no saving Ms. Palin on this issue.

[Bruupo]

Overridden by 60 Senators is the FILLIBUSTER PROOF MAJORITY, dip-stick, and that isn't even a FORMALLY WRITTEN RULE, it is just Senate tradition.

What the hell are you on?

Do people like you even realize that the VP was originally the number 2 candidate in the Presidential election? That we didn't have political parties, and people didn't run with running mates when we started this?

Since the advent of partisan politics in this country the VP has not interpreted rules or presided over anything except in cases of a tie- their only "legislative" power, which it isn't.

[Chick deney]

I can't say if what she said was right or wrong, but didn't she look great in that oufit? And her make-up was simply breathtaking.

[JenMI]

This is actually the 4th time she has made this statement...on the campaign trail, in a previous interview, and in the debate. Apparently Palin gets four strikes before she's out.

[cinthia7]

Palin was stumped by a question from a 3rd grader. I think that says it all.

[nanton29]

I am beginning to feel it for McCain. He allowed Schmidt and Davis to ruin his campaign. McCain of 2008 is not a maverick, and from all indications not a leader as well.

[JimLarkin]

this woman makes george bush sound like albert einstein

[M1]

She believes it!! No one stopped Cheney....she is going for it!

[f4skyhawk]

silly wabbit

[jpsd]

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm

Under the original code of Senate rules, the presiding officer exercised great power over the conduct of the body's proceedings. Rule XVI provided that "every question of order shall be decided by the President [of the Senate], without debate; but if there be a doubt in his mind, he may call for a sense of the Senate." Thus, contrary to later practice, the presiding officer was the sole judge of proper procedure and his rulings could not be turned aside by the full Senate without his assent.

[Wingit]

The VP presides over the Senate, the VP does not manage the Senate as a department of the Administrative branch.

[DCinFrance]

And procedure...rules of order...does not make for policy.

[FR]

"HIS" rulings. Of course.

[whateversleft]

"During the twentieth century, the role of the vice president has evolved into more of an executive branch position. Now, the vice president is usually seen as an integral part of a president's administration and presides over the Senate only on ceremonial occasions or when a tie-breaking vote may be needed."

this would be from the same article

[Ozarks]

Rule XVI provided that "every question of order shall be decided by the President of the Senate (VP)... the presiding officer was the sole judge of proper procedure". Duh, I hope you are versed in basic Engish jpsd in the event you may have to pass some test to become a US Citizne.--- the statements in Rule XVI -- "Order ....Proper procedure" has nothing to do with ANY legislative powers of "elected" Senators (see Constitution Articles 1 & 2 - See Clause 3 under Article 2). The VP is at best just a traffic cop for "Proper procedure"

[Pragmatus]

Remember the Chatty Cathy dolls, where you pulled a string and she burped out three or four canned statements? I keep looking for the string on Palin's back--maybe that's why she wears her hair long, to hide it. At any rate, someone needs to go in and edit her tapes.

McCain sure rammed himself picking her. Gross political gain: Alaska's 3 electoral votes. Net political loss: Hard to calculate, it increases every day.

I can't think of better proof that McCain shouldn't be president. His pick of Palin suggests something's not right with his upstairs equipment.
.

[wdw101]

but bo's policies are still bad

[Wingit]

How can Palin swear to uphold the constitutuon if she doesn't understand it?

[Pragmatus]

She thinks "uphold the Constitution" means holding a copy in her hand.
.

[wdw101]

Article One, section 3, clause 4 of the United States Constitution says; "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. " those words "President of the Senate" means to be in charge of the Senate.

don't like it then change the Constitution

[mamiel]

"President of the Senate" is a ceremonial title. In no way should the VP have any power over the senate and most Vps have recognized that this title is purely ceremonial.

[jpsd]

http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Vice_President.htm

Under the original code of Senate rules, the presiding officer exercised great power over the conduct of the body's proceedings. Rule XVI provided that "every question of order shall be decided by the President [of the Senate], without debate; but if there be a doubt in his mind, he may call for a sense of the Senate." Thus, contrary to later practice, the presiding officer was the sole judge of proper procedure and his rulings could not be turned aside by the full Senate without his assent.

[izAriver]

Is that you Dick?

[Bruupo]

Hmmm, is that from the same era of "earlier practice" where the loser of the Presidential race was given the VP job?

Because you're misguided and misleading defense of Palin's comments neglects that she is clearly completely oblivious of that part of the founders "vision" for the position.

[izAriver]

"those words "President of the Senate" means to be in charge of the Senate."

No, they don't.

[DCinFrance]

No need. The president of the senate's responsibility are clearly delineated and relegated to rules of order and tie breaking votes. It is not, as she said, forming policy of this country. The position doesn't even allow for entering the debate on the floor.

[obgynobgyn]

Palin barely made it through college and probably batted her eyes and smiled enough to get through. She's not well educated although, she's smarter than her husband Todd, who is a high school dropout. Her pregnant teenage daughter is a dropout, and the baby daddy is a dropout.

Talk about spreading the wealth around, she should hope and pray someone spreads the wealth because, no one in her family has the ability to earn any real income. No degree, no trade, teen mothers, etc. And if Palin wasn't in politics which brings her connections, an income, and freebies that help her take care of her family of deadbeats, Several of them, especially her unwed teenage daughter would be on welfare, most certainly food stamps and WIC. Sounds like handouts to me.

If she doesn't get off this campaign trail and go home, the 15 year old you see standing behind her on stage most of the time will be a dropout, because she's been with her mother, not in school.
Piper, the 7 year old does not appear to be in school either.

[CaliTLC]

I have been screaming that question at the top of my lungs - WHY AREN'T THE PALIN CHILDREN IN SCHOOL? According to reports, Bristol missed months from school last year. The Palins don't value education, clearly. Oh that's right, their core values are HUNTING and FISHING. I recall that Levi plans to take his child, I mean "kid", hunting and fishing.

[Moondaver]

You're wrong. In Gov. Palin's biography, "Sarah," it states that she rec'd straight A's at her first college (Hilo, Hawaii). She also did very well during high school and was known from a very young age as being an avid reader of all manner of literature.

Please don't repeat lies such as Palin "barely made it through college." Just because you don't agree with her politics doesn't mean you have to personally attack her with lies. On the other hand, I gave you the source for my facts.

[DCinFrance]

Oh this is too funny. I'd love to see those transcripts. I had to supply mine to my employer. And, she is such an avid reader, she can't name a single thing she regularly reads when asked. Sheesh, get a grip.

And, what is the title of this "biography"?

[Ozarks]

link all her courses in the 6 colleges to support your allegations. Link any "transfer" of grades and courses to ensure no "double dipping" of grades and courses transfers. Link all her grades to support your rebuttal of "barely made it through college (sic)" should be colleges.