Government 101 at Palin University

[texas_reddmann]

Since it goes so well with my previous post here about "Pro-Americans," I repost the following explanational drawing of where the Pro-Americans REALLY are.

Comments

[vivianc1968]

Wow. Olbermann really is an idiot. He reads only one section of the Constitution (Article I, section 3) when the VP duties are mentioned in three sections (he missed Article II, section 1 and the Twenty-Fifth Amendment).

He really doesn't know what a Vice President can do? A quick search will show anyone the history of the job including this information:
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

[dwer]

and yet, still none of that mentions POLICY.

[vivianc1968]

Ummm, policy? We were talking rules and responsibilities specific to the VP.

[dwer]

And Sarah Palin said that part of that was working out policy in the Senate.

[vivianc1968]

Yes. That is a role of the VP. Lately the President has been doing that but that doesn't take that from the VP is assigned by the President.

[dwer]

No. The VP has NO POLICY ROLE in the Senate. The Senate Majority leader (Harry Reid) sets the agenda, schedules the debates, assigns the committee and subcommittee chairs, schedules the votes, and does everything else substantive in the Senate.

The VP (rarely) opens the session and closes it, as the chair. The VP (rarely) recognizes) people who want to speak, and bangs the gavel when their time is up.

And the VP votes if there's a tiebreaker.

THAT IS IT.

When LBJ became VP, he went to the senate to see if he could help his old buddies out. He was an enormously popular senator who worked with both parties. And once he became part of the Executive Branch, he was locked out. They wouldn't talk to him. Because the Senate does not take Executive meddling in their business lightly.

The VP has no policy role in the Senate. None. Nada. Zilch.

As a conservative, aren't you angry that you're being represented by people who know so little about the positions they wish to hold?

[vivianc1968]

I'm sorry. You seem not to have read my links nor have a sense of history or the relationship between the VP and the Senate. The VP can be the presiding officer any day they go to the Senate (Rule I). Go back and look it up.

Just because VP haven't done this lately doesn't mean they can't or that a new one won't.

[dwer]

yes. And as Presiding Officer, they can... bang the gavel, open the session, all the other things I said the VP can do.

But they do NOT set an agenda for the senate, they do NOT negotiate policy for the senate. The VP isn't a Senator. You do recognize that, right?

Maybe I should take my last comment back. If you don't understand the office, why should you expect the candidate to?

[vivianc1968]

The VP has traditionally been the advocate of the President's policy in the Senate. The VP can't vote (except in tie breakers) or introduce legislation, but they can (under the rules) address the Senate and advocate policy.

I think I understand the office a bit better than you. Please, in future messages, cite your support from the Constitution and Senate Rules. I'd like to see where you are getting your information.

[dwer]

Advocate, fine. Address, fine. Set the agenda, no. NEGOTIATE policy, no.

Try to keep up.

It would be funny to see Palin (if, after all, God hates us and McCain is elected) try to "do business" in the senate. Well, it would be funny for about 30 seconds. Then it would just be pathetic.

[vivianc1968]

Doesn't the President currently negotiate policy with the Senate? Doesn't Cheney often attend the weekly Republican policy lunch?

[dwer]

When the president negotiates policy with the senate, they come to him. When Cheney attends Republican policy lunches, that's a political meeting, not a business of the senate meeting. Primarily because the Senate is not run by republicans.

In no way, shape or form is negotiating policy with the Senate part of the VPs constitutional duties as President of the Senate. It's simply not.

[vivianc1968]

Constitutional duties, no. Traditional and not prohibited duties, yes. Look at what Nixon did as VP during Ike's administration.

[dwer]

well, that's great, but that's not the question that was asked of Palin.

[vivianc1968]

I don't have sound here but wasn't the question "What does the Vice President do?" She answered the question. It wasn't "What did Nixon do as VP?" or "How does Biden see the role of VP?" Her answer was as good as any other. Harry Truman said that the role of VPs was "to attend weddings and funerals." I don't see that in the Constitution either. Was he wrong?

[dwer]

That was a joke. Like the GOP nominee for VP.

Her answer was not as good as any other. She implied that the VP has control over what the Senate does. The VP does not.