New Palin Moment

[Lunar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40nrw3V3GA&eurl

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, "What does the Vice President do?"

PALIN: Aw, that’s something that Piper would ask me, as a second grader, also. That's a great question, Brandon, and a Vice President has a really great job, because no only are they there to support the President agenda, they're like a team member, the team mate 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.

[Eraserhead]

Yeah, I literally loled after seeing this one before.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l40nrw3V3GA&eurl

Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, "What does the Vice President do?"

PALIN: Aw, that’s something that Piper would ask me, as a second grader, also. That's a great question, Brandon, and a Vice President has a really great job, because no only are they there to support the President agenda, they're like a team member, the team mate 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.

not correct, but a better answer than Biden gave when he misquoted the Constitution

[Lunar]

What was Biden's quote?

They both bungled the big C.

[Eraserhead]

How hard is it to just remember/say that you cast the tie-breaking vote in Senate?

[Lunar]

How hard is it to just remember/say that you cast the tie-breaking vote in Senate?

To be fair, she was trying to dumb down her answer for a 3rd grader or what have you.  But then she got caught up in her own words and said things that just aren't true.  It's also a question she surely has been prepped for, right?

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

What was Biden's quote?

They both bungled the big C.

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

Biden has his Articles mixed up...it is Article II that deals with the Executive Branch

[TheGlobalizer]

Not wholly inaccurate, but an enormous stretch.

VP is largely irrelevant vis-a-vis the Senate.

[Likely Voter]

well at the debate she said there were extra powers for the VP in the constitution that have not been tapped into yet (amazing Dick Cheney hasn't found these extra powers), but she is ready to excercise these hidden powers to turn into SuperVP!

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Motion to redux the nomination process for both parties.


any second?

[Lunar]

What was Biden's quote?

They both bungled the big C.

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

Biden has his Articles mixed up...it is Article II that deals with the Executive Branch

How's a numerical mistake, accurately depicting the Constitution, worse than Palin's broad misunderstanding?

Both are dumb, but the former is something I would do.

[J. J.]

In all honesty, had I advising either campaigns the names "Biden" and "Palin" would not be first on the list.

[cinyc]

What was Biden's quote?

They both bungled the big C.

BIDEN: Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history. The idea he doesn't realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that's the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

Biden has his Articles mixed up...it is Article II that deals with the Executive Branch

How's a numerical mistake, accurately depicting the Constitution, worse than Palin's broad misunderstanding?

Both are dumb, but the former is something I would do.

What misunderstanding?  The Vice President is the President of the Senate who casts a vote in the case of a tie.   That's actually the only Constitutionally prescribed role the Vice President has (which is in Article I, as Biden muddledly said).  The Vice President can preside over the Senate if he or she so choses.

Otherwise, the Vice President's job is really to do whatever the President wants him to do. - But that role isn't in the Constitution.  Constitutionally, the Vice President could refuse to do what he is asked or even undermine the President's policies (see Thomas Jefferson), and the President could give him no role at all.

[Lunar]

Does your partisanship really prevent you from seeing what's wrong with this:
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

??

[Brittain33]

Does your partisanship really prevent you from seeing what's wrong with this:
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

??

I can construct a half-assed defense of this statement. Perhaps John McCain told Sarah Palin that she would have a role as his liaison to Capitol Hill, and would work with senators to get his legislation passed, and she combined that with the idea of having the title President of the Senate and trying to make sense of it to kids...

[cinyc]

Does your partisanship really prevent you from seeing what's wrong with this:
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

??

Again, the Vice President is the President of the Senate.  That's the Vice President's only role that's actually mentioned in the Constitution.

As President of the Senate, the Vice President has the right to preside over the body if he so chooses.  Recent Vice Presidents haven't done so very often, but our first Vice President, John Adams, often did.  Our second Vice President, Thomas Jefferson, who was often at war with President Adams, largely abdicated that role.

As a constitutional matter, Palin is correct.   Her language is dumbed down to answer a third grader's question, but the Vice President does have the option of presiding over (i.e. being in charge of) the Senate, and can, if he so chooses, work with the Senate to make policy changes.

[Aizen]

Republicans are kicking themselves over the Palin pick, aren't they?

[Eraserhead]

Republicans are kicking themselves over the Palin pick, aren't they?

Correct, Mr. Aizen. They are in disarray.

[Lief 🗽]

She comes off as a second grade teacher who doesn't really know anything about the constitution but is just kind of winging it because the kids don't know any better and someone will teach them the correct stuff in third grade anyway.

[Barack Hussian YO MAMA!!!!]

How hard is it to just remember/say that you cast the tie-breaking vote in Senate?

To be fair, she was trying to dumb down her answer for a 3rd grader or what have you.  But then she got caught up in her own words and said things that just aren't true.  It's also a question she surely has been prepped for, right?

^^^^^^^ I actually agree with that I don't want to sound like a complete and total moron but
isn't one of the jobs of the vice president to be president of the senate and to cast tie breaking votes. I seem to remember  scene from Fahrenheit 9/11 where Al Gore was presiding over the senate.

[Brittain33]

Republicans are kicking themselves over the Palin pick, aren't they?

But no one's talking about Barack Obama's acceptance speech or Joe "who?", are they?

[Middle-aged Europe]

I would like to see Sarah Palin telling Harry Reid: "I'm in charge here!"

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Republicans are kicking themselves over the Palin pick, aren't they?

Correct, Mr. Aizen. They are in disarray.

I love it when Democrats incorrectly assume the way Republicans think.

[Torie]

Does your partisanship really prevent you from seeing what's wrong with this:
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

??

I can construct a half-assed defense of this statement. Perhaps John McCain told Sarah Palin that she would have a role as his liaison to Capitol Hill, and would work with senators to get his legislation passed, and she combined that with the idea of having the title President of the Senate and trying to make sense of it to kids...

Ya, but it is hard to sanitize the "in charge of" words. Which reminds me of Al Haig come to think of it, but that is another old man's story.