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

[j-racqoon70]

Okay kids, this is what the Vice President of the United States does.

The VP pro-sides over the senate, but the only thing he's allowed to do there is vote one way or another if there is a tie vote, in other words, the 100 senators when they are split, or 50 one side, 50 the other, the VP makes it 50-51.

The other thing the VP does is take over as President if something bad happens to the President. If he dies, or he is in-cap-a-ci-ta-ted meaning he's badly hurt.

How hard is it for Sarah Palin to do that? Apparently nearly impossible.

[Carsy]

No even better than that according to Palin, it is a "really great job" and the VP is a "teammate to the president", oh how fun. Seriously my 9 yr old niece might give a response like that . This is a grown woman with executive experience? How can anyone in this country think she is competent.

[jojojo]

I love that Chris, at his best, will just not let people off the hook. He keeps asking the question until they answer it. I love that, and far too many interviewers do not do it.

[Doofus]

People, the 'present incumbent' is operating his office under the theory
of the 'Unitary Executive', which (in a nutshell) says that the President &
the entire Executive branch can do WHATEVER THEY CAN GET AWAY
WITH, up to the point where another branch stops them. This was devised
by Cheney's man David Addington.

Either Sarah Palin is 'naive', or she's been taking lessons in Repo theory
from her masters.

At this point, WE have an opportunity to stop such dangerous nonsense
before it gets carried on into the next administration.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title==Unitary_Executive_Theory]

[Will3020]

Well actually she (Palin) doesn't have a Masters. She has a BA in supposely Journalism ?..lol She clearly has no idea of what the hell is is talking about. You know it's interesting how she (Palin) couldn't answer a simple question as what does a V.P. job entail? Grant it Palin isn't an attorney and obviously she didn't study the constitution, but she clearly wasn't paying attention to Intro to Political Science course in college...­lol which covers the BASICS of government. Go Chris !!! Chris Matthews did an AWESOME job trying to get clear explanations !!!

[Carsy]

The role of the VP is what the President decides it to be.

[shaboopus]

Thanks Chris. You tore her a new one. Would that other interviewers had some backbone. Where are the Edward R. Murrows? Our nation really needs you.

[skooby]

Chris Matthews laid the smackdown to their candy asses!!!!

[cjinx]

AMEN!!!! LOL

[bofuj]

We need you to interview McCain in an attempt to get the TRUTH out of him, and we all want to see him squirm and run from the TRUTH.

Tired of seeing McSame/Palin squirm from the TRUTH like a slippery bar of soap.

Personally, though I have not seen it all (no one has), I think Brian/NBC did not take off the gloves when interviewing the two cronies. And I mean two cronies. McSame is too paranoid to let Palin be interviewed by NBC alone.

[TallGrrl]

I...
Damn.
OK. Is EVERYONE involved in the McCain campaign sampling Cindy's meds????
Holy Crap on a bicycle. There was a time when I really didn't like Matthews. Now? Damn!!
Get 'em, Chris! Get 'em!!!!!
I hope hope hope he can wrangle some of these maniacs, like Pthossenfeffer and that Schmidt and Davis, to be on his show after McCain gives his concession speech. And I want him to nail each one of them to the frackin' wall about how they could stand straight-faced in front of the American public and defend these people.

[honestpolitician]

wow...more material for Tina Fey....can­;t wait for SNL this Saturday!!! Wooohoo!!

POLITICAL AD ATTACKS!! http://politicaladattacks.blogspot.com/

[instagladiator]

Another dizzy Bim-boe from "somewhere out there!"

[keepemhonest]

Palin's answer and Pfotenhauer is further evidence that the Reichtwingers have NO respect for the United States Constitution.

They don't care what the Constitution says ... they never have ... and if you call them on it they say you are the one whose not patriotic ... yeah ya betchya.

[militarymomforobama]

Reichtwingers--That is so perfect!!!

[sisterdebmac]

They also don't care that they're feeding their base lies and misinformation every single day. I've never seen such furious spinning. Or maybe they do care and they're dumbing them down on purpose. I mean, it's really the only way anyone could vote for these clowns, right?

[08politicaljunkie]

Present day politics has become too much about personality than about governing. And unfortunately our society no longer knows the difference.

[ankjack]

I'm not sure which side of this you're weighing in on.

Farther down you say that she doesn't know that she's lying. So which is it? Are you arguing, as Pfotenhauer seems to be, that not knowing the job description doesn't matter, or are you conceding Matthews' point that it should, and does matter?

[08politicaljunkie]

This comment has nothing to do with her. This is reflecting my angst with the American voting public.

It disturbs me that people in America would even consider voting for her

[takeyourballandgohome]

Sarah has them all, yes Rove, where she needs them! Haha to them! She was to be Rove and Cheney's puppet (watch your back McCain)and it's backfired. B/c she knows she has the mike and the viewers and whatever she says, they all defend her, all the while losing their own crudabilit­y....the likes of Romney, Cohen, etc. All with hopes that some slim chance she'll make it and she'll remember they supported her. Well, not w/o a name like Truck, Pinetree, Whale, Bigwave, Airplane, Appliance, etc

[blue meanie]

I think Chris Matthews is getting a lot of undeserved credit on this, here and elsewhere. Did not Ms. Pfotenhauer respond correctly in her first reply to Mr. Matthews? He replied -- falsely, I believe -- "That's not the role of the Vice President.­" Huh?

[militarymomforobama]

Yea, he jumped a little fast, but the fact is PALIN got it wrong. The VP is not "in charge" (what a simplistic term) of anything.
Whether Nancy know this or not is only pure entertainment. Sara is frighteningly uneducated.

[bogues]

I think M. Pfotenhauer wanted to make it sound as though the VP has more power than they do. When she said preside over the Senate, without explaining why Palin said what she said. The first and most important role a VP has is to step in and be President if the need arises, then they are there to be a tie breaker if the senate has a tied vote. Sarah Palin has on more than one occasion, made it sound as though she thinks she will have control over the Senate and in her debate she went further and said that the role of the VP needs to be expanded. The VP is has no authority under the constitution to "really get in there with the Senators and make a lot of good policy changes that make life better," this is what Palin said and it isn't the first time.

[johnwinner]

"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. "
That's the real craziness here - "all the complications of economics, domestic and foreign policies reduced to "make life better." ignorant, shameful, and unAmerican. This coupled with her abuse of power first as mayor then as governor, indicates she has no understanding of government - except to the extent that politicians can make money off it.