Chris Matthews Battles Nancy Pfotenhauer Over Elementary School Civics

Yesterday, Sarah Palin was asked to describe the duties of the Vice President, which is something she'd never before been briefed on by anyone other than maybe Dick Cheney, because she answered by straight making stuff up off the top of her topsy-tailed dome:

PALIN: A Vice President has a really great job because not only are they there to support the President's agenda, they are like the team member, the teammate to the president. They are in charge of the United States Senate. If they want to, they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that make life better.

Oh. But? No! Of course, the Vice President is not "in charge" of the Senate, and, similarly, does not have the opportunity to "really get in there with the senators" and "make a lot of good policy." I know this to be the case because, if Palin became Vice President, she'd face a Senate run by ... uhm ... the Democratic Party. I also know this because I successfully graduated from elementary school.

But someone had to go on Hardball tonight and battle Chris Matthews over this weird statement from Palin, and, apparently, "real Virginian" Nancy Pfotenhauer drew the short straw. Since she couldn't just go on and say something truthful like, "Chris, look. I don't know if you've noticed, but our Veep candidate is sort of a dumbass with a lot of pluck," she instead had to say weird crap like this:

I'm not a Constitutional scholar, but I have been reading a commentary on this that seems to be that people are parsing her words and she was trying to explain to a young child what the Vice President would do.

But Palin wasn't talking to a young child, she was talking to a grown-up news reporter! And you don't need to be a Constitutional scholar to know that the duties of the Vice President is to step in as President if the Chief Executive is unable to perform their duties, and to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate. You can glean this just by being a Constitutional reader. Or just a listener to someone -- anyone -- who knows what the heck they are talking about.

Pfotenhauer, nevertheless, keeps up her crazy attempt to defend Palin, first explaining that Palin was "simplifying the explanation" for the absent child, when in reality she was badly complicating the VP's role, and getting it wrong to boot. Then she insisted that the same standard be applied to Joe Biden, who's never demonstrated a similar ignorance of the role. Eventually, all she can do is sort of sit there and let Chris Matthews shame Palin again and again, by saying things like: "The clothing allowance was right and the prep sessions were not ... By the way, I like the red leather jacket, but what's underneath it is a problem."

Anyway, for once, it was a good day to be Tucker Bounds.

[WATCH.]

MATTHEWS: I want to talk about the role of the Vice President. I want to give you a shot at this. You are not somebody in from out of town. What is the role of the Vice President under the U.S. Constitution? Simply put, you know it or you don't. Either a person understands the role of the Vice President or they don't. What, as you understand it from the Constitution, as a professional, is the role of the Vice President? We are filling the part.

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PFOTENHAUER: That's right. Obviously the role of the Vice President is to support the President, but also to preside when necessary over the Senate. This is also --

MATTHEWS: That's not the role of the Vice President. I gave you a shot, Nancy. Try again. What is the Constitutional role of the Vice President in the Constitution. What's written in the Constitution?

PFOTENHAUER: I'm not a Constitutional scholar, but I have been reading a commentary on this that seems to be that people are parsing her words and she was trying to explain to a young child what the Vice President would do.

MATTHEWS: Nancy, I appreciate you coming on the show. It's a tough defense of Sarah Palin. She doesn't understand the role of the Vice President. Let me state it vetr clearly right now. It's to replace the president if necessary. as Colin Powell said, to stand ready in the tragic circumstances to replace the President. Now, that's one role. The other is to have only a tie-breaking role as presiding officer in the senate. That's it. The Constitution specifically prescribes that. In fact that's all that the person has the right to do. Here's Sarah Palin with her definition of this role, which sounds strange to me. I have been in this city for a long time and never heard anybody say -- it's similar to what she said in the debate with Joe Biden. Where does she get her civics? Here's Sarah Palin.

PALIN: A Vice President has a great job because not only are they there to support the President's agenda, they are like the team member, the teammate to that President. They are in charge of the senate. 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.

MATTHEWS: Continue that thought, Nancy.

PFOTENHAUER: I think she is clearly just trying to break down what it means to preside over the U.S. Senate upon occasion to a young child. Having raised five, I can tell you that you obviously have to simplify things when you discuss it. I think you guys are --

MATTHEWS: She is talking to a news reporter at the time. She had been asked the question earlier by a second grader, but this time she is talking to a news reporter. Either she's right about the role of the Vice President or I'm wrong. I would say the role of the vice presidency is limited to breaking ties in the U.S. Senate. It has nothing to do with policy making or Senate leadership on either side of the aisle. There is no policy role for the Vice President. If you even watched "John Adams" on television a few months ago, you would know that going into the beginning. The Vice President has a formal role only. She believes somehow that the Vice President has a commanding policy development role to lead the Senate. Where did she get that.

PFOTENHAUER: You can't just apply this criticism to Governor Palin and not apply it to Joe Biden, who is constantly inferring...and Barack Obama as well. He is going to offer a function as a chief foreign policy adviser. Off the record, claiming that Barack Obama is basically going to make our enemies nervous enough that they will contrive...

MATTHEWS: It is so obvious to everyone watching that you are changing the subject. I want to ask you because you know the answer, what is the legislative authority of a Vice President?

PFOTENHAUER: From the standpoint of ... they cast tie breaking votes. I don't even know how you are parsing legislative authority. Obviously legislation is drafted in the House and the Senate. Certain legislation like revenues or tax bills have to be in the House and passed in the Senate.

MATTHEWS: Does Governor Palin know this? She thinks she set up policy shop in the United States Senate.

PFOTENHAUER: You know the Vice President has a permanent office in the U.S. Senate. They engage casually -- maybe not formally, but casually -- all the time with the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

MATTHEWS: No, no, no.

PFOTENHAUER: Yes, they do.

MATTHEWS: Let's watch her again. You are missing what she is saying. She is saying she will be a leader developing policy. It's very important we get this right. The clothing allowance was right and the prep sessions were not. Let's take a look. By the way, I like the red leather jacket, but what's underneath is a problem. Let's take a look.

PALIN: A Vice President has a really great job because not only are they there to support the President's agenda, they are like the team member, the teammate to the president. They are in charge of the United States Senate. If they want to, they can really get in there with the Senators and make a lot of good policy changes that make life better.

Comments

[LHoney]

Wow... A real news moment, and we didn't have to go to Joy Behar on The View to get it! Go Chris!!!

[palinmonger]

I dont know why everyone is so worried about Palin's trying to get more power as a vice president. The first thing is one has to be smart to manipulate the constitution and the senate to get her agenda through. She is not smart. She was just regugitating what she was told by MAC's adivisors. "If" they pull it off, she will move to DC and she will just be attending luncheons, diners,sho­pping,brea­stfeeding and make up appointments. From the interviews we can all say that she is not interested in anything apart from reharshing campaign talking points. The title VP will be good enough for her.

[BlueKansas]

Sometimes Matthews gets on my nerves, but he's really at his best these past couple weeks as he bats around these wingnuts like a cat playing with a headless mouse. I watched that interview last night, thinking that Nancy Pffffft-whatever must have the most difficult job in America right now. Then I thought of Schmidt, Davis, and the rest of the maroons working on the McCain campaign and nearly fainted at the thought of what a McCain cabinet might look like.

Ugh. Full body shiver there...

[Decipherer]

The name's "Pfartenhooter," OK?

[bittertooth]

Matthews is trapped in a glass bubble. I would get irrated, and of course that is going to leak out.

Matthews is doing the best he can with the limited resources he has.

If he gets on your nerves, which he does, what is it specifically?

You're on Hardball! lol

[debrouillard]

Defending the McCain or Palin is definitely the most difficult job in the world.

[debrouillard]

Christ Mathew gave her one.

"I like the red jacket,but what is underneath is the problem"

[Decipherer]

Sounds like he may have gotten one of his famous "thrills up the leg," or thereabouts.

[debrouillard]

Answer Crist,She didnt passed civics.

[Unsui]

In the real world, did Dick Cheney's office not affect policy decisions? We all know that Cheney's office was active throughout the government, congress, the CIA, NSA, State etc. etc. etc. Now it is not, of course, power afforded the office in the constitution but Pfotenhauer's point that the Vice can bend (in Cheney's case break) the arms of those in the Senate to achieve the Executive branch's goals is justified. Is that what Palin meant? I doubt it, but Pfotenhaure isn't really buried on this point by Tweety. Even though he did shout her down, ala Billo, if that is his standard for success.

[MaryanneAZ]

Actually, in all fairness to Palin, McCain himself from day one of her appearance proposed that SHE would be going to WaRshington and kicking butt, making changes, enacting reforms. He said it over and over again during their introductory campaign tours. He gave the impression that she would have the power to go over to the Legislative offices and mix things up and make everything all better. I'm sure there are lots of YouTube videos of the early rallies. He knows better, but I think he was going for a populist message of making everything all better in WaRshington when they got into office. The bad thing is that they did not self-correct when she first misstated the role of the VP. Once is a flub, three more times is just plain ignorant.

[tasukibeth1]

Given the sing-song way in which Palin started speaking after the question was asked (the way you might speak to a child as opposed to an adult), I am willing to agree with Pfotenhauer that she was speaking directly to the 3rd grader.

However, she still got it completely, totally, terrifyingly wrong. There is no spinning this kind of stupidity.

[debrouillard]

That will make it even worst,if she was speaking directly to the child.

You know what you tell kids that age usually sticks in them for life. She just misinformed a child.

[lalahall]

Oh, come on. That sing-song tone is the way Sarah Palin ALWAYS speaks, so it's total BS to say she was trying to address a third grader with this particular comment. She was talking to a seasoned news reporter (and an adult viewing audience), not to an elementary school class. It's shocking how low the GOP will stoop when it comes to spin. If I were a Republican, I'd go hide under a rock somewhere for the next four years or so out of sheer embarassment for what their party has become.

[Onpage17]

13 more days of listening to little Nancy Phoophoo, Nicole "George" Wallace, Tucker "Outta" Bounds and that crossed eyed Black dude,.... backtrack, spin, and mostly LIE LIE LIE. I am only tuning in to watch cause I am waiting to see which ones head will explode first on national TV. If this wasn't so scarey, it would be funny.

[tuttlemsm]

What on earth makes you think they're going to stop backtracking, spinning and lying after Nov. 4?

If anything, they'll ramp it up twice as much.

[melvina1]

you are so right. so we need to do everything possible to ensure that Obama's presidency is launched wisely and that he has every success. that is Country First.

if we do that the nancy photenfarters will not gain excessive air time.

but watch out for Palin angling for 2012. that means splitting the republican party, which would be a good idea.

[Pat-GA]

Way to go, Chris. When you approach the ridiculous, as Nancy did, to defend or tell your 'side'....­the commentator or host should be knowledgeable enough to challenge such (from either 'side')...­.

Pat-GA

[DaretoHOPE]

You know Nancy Pfotenhauer and Pat Buchannan keep bringing up that she was phrasing the question to a third grader, and actually I do kind of agree on that point. HOWEVER, what I would say is that it doesn't matter if she is talking to a 5 year old or a 95 year old, YOU STILL NEED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION CORRECTLY, which she obviously doesn't have the knowledge to do or she really thinks she would have more power than is afforded the VP.

[DaretoHOPE]

Correction­....phrasi­ng the answer to a third grader

[gaja]

Thank you Chris - that made my day!! I get so tired of seeing Nancy Pfothththt­ht-whateve­r constantly SPINNING SPINNING SPINNING on tv...

[Snowcap28]

Michael

Did you hear Rush this morning criticizing Obama for visiting his grandmother in the hospital (because he did'nt rush to Hawaii in less than 3 days). If one thing should be off limits to talk radio hosts it is how people respond to family crisis (is Rush the expert on the details of the Obama family illnesses? - does he know best how the care for Obama's grandmother). I think he when far out on a limb, maybe he is trying to call Obama out to a street brawl by insulting his mother "Wow". Also if it takes Joe the plumber to expose Obama then it only takes a third grader's question to expose Palin. McCain picking Palin was a selfish choice and shows that he does not really care or does not know the pulse of the american people.

[jaglon]

Rush was hatched from an egg under a rock. He has no idea about family. He should feel lucky that he will have a democratic congress and a very possibly president to rail about for the next 4 years.

I'll bet Obama's grandmother wanted him to come when he could; I am sure she is his top fan.

[sarale23]

The Constitution of the United States, Article 1, Section:

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

Chris Matthews anyone?

[sarale23]

Section 3 (sorry)

[grammysixpack]

Thank you for bringing the "Constitution" into the conversation. You would think that someone as smart as Chris Matthews would check his facts before he blasts Sarah over her job description.
U.S. Constitution - Article 1 Section 3
Article 1 - The Legislative Branch
Section 3 - The Senate
Read it for yourself
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst.html

[Peloriagrl]

Let me state it very clearly right now. It's to replace the president if necessary. As Colin Powell said, to stand ready in the tragic circumstances to replace the President. Now, that's one role. The other is to have only a tie-breaking role as presiding officer in the senate. That's it. The Constitution specifically prescribes that.

Umm....wer­e you watching or reading the same interview? He said that. It is so sad, really.

What is a Republicans favorite childhood past time? Spinning around until they make themselves dizzy??

[WowJones]

Nancy didn't need the adjective "constitutional". No one would confuse her with a scholar of any kind.