Palin Says Vice President "In Charge Of" Senate

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Palin Says Vice President "In Charge Of" Senate

October 22, 2008 7:51 AM

ABC News’ Imtiyaz Delawala and Z. Byron Wolf Report: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said in a local interview that the vice president is "in charge of" the U.S. Senate and "can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes" – the second time she has claimed a more expansive role for the vice president than the U.S. Constitution outlines.

On Monday while in Colorado, Palin taped an interview with Denver NBC affiliate KUSA. At the end of the interview, she was asked to participate in the station's "Questions from the Third Grade" series, in which candidates have fielded questions from local elementary school students.

"Brandon Garcia wants to know, 'What does the Vice President do?'" Palin was asked.

"That's something that Piper would ask me, as a second grader, also," Palin responded, referencing her seven-year-old daughter.

"A vice president has a really great job because not only are they there to support the president's agenda, they're there like the team member, the teammate to the president," Palin continued. “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.”

While the Vice President does serve as president of the Senate, according to the U.S. Constitution, the vice president’s role is fairly limited to casting tie-breaking votes.

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

In recent years, the role has been largely ceremonial. Vice President Dick Cheney has cast just eight tie-breaking votes during the Bush administration. Most recently in March, Vice President Cheney broke a tie on a procedural motion whether to consider an amendment that would have rolled back tax rates for the alternative minimum tax.

The vice president can also preside over floor debate in the Senate -- a role usually filled by the Senate president pro tempore, and more often done by first-term senators.

Palin was also asked the role of the vice president in her debate earlier this month with Senator Joe Biden, where she cited the vice president's role presiding over the Senate as a way to "exert a bit more authority" to work with the Senate on the president’s agenda.

"I'm thankful the Constitution would allow a bit more authority given to the vice president if that vice president so chose to exert it in working with the Senate and making sure that we are supportive of the president's policies and making sure too that our president understands what our strengths are," Palin said in the debate.

When asked to explain her remarks in an interview with Fox News the day after the debate, Plain reiterated her position that overseeing the Senate would give her "a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority" to work with the Senate.

"The vice president, of course, is not a member, or a part of the legislative branch, except to oversee the Senate," Palin told Fox News' Carl Cameron. "That alone provides a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority if that vice president so chose to use it."

Critics have charged that Palin’s remarks signal an intent to try to exert more influence than the vice president should have. But Palin added in her Fox News interview that a McCain-Palin administration had no intention of "bleeding our authority" over the legislative branch.

"Our executive branch will know what our job is," Palin said. "We have the three very distinct branches of government. You know, we won’t be bleeding our authority over to the legislative or judicial branch to do our job in the executive branch as administers."

Palin's vice presidential rival Sen. Joe Biden, has also said that he would seek to use his role as vice president to work actively with the Senate – a body he has served in since 1972. When asked by CBS News' Katie Couric which vice president impresses him the most, Biden named Lyndon Johnson, who served as vice president during President John F. Kennedy’s first term.

"He was able to be a significant facilitator of a new frontier, new policy. People in the Congress knew him, knew he knew a lot," Biden said. "And so I hope one of my roles as vice president will be as the person actually implementing Barack Obama's policy. You gotta get the Congress to go along with it. And it's presumptuous to say, but I know it pretty well. And I think I am fairly respected on both sides of the aisle."

ABC News' Michael Bradley contributed reporting to this story.

October 22, 2008 in Clinton, Hillary, Obama, Barack, Palin, Sarah, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (402)

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Lord help us all if this woman wins and would end up as our President.

Posted by: Renee | Oct 22, 2008 8:01:47 AM

The Constitution clearly says that the Vice President "presides" over the Senate. How actively he or she should do so is a matter of opinion. After 36 years in the Senate Joe Biden incorrectly stated on national TV that the VP only "presides" when there is a tie and none of the media called him on that mistake. The media bias in this election is just unbelievable.

Posted by: professorj | Oct 22, 2008 8:07:06 AM

Making an issue of this just shows the incredible bias the media has against this woman. The use of the phrases "in charge over" vs "presides over" is purely a matter of semantics. Joe Biden says something stupid almost every time he opens his mouth but the media gives him a pass. How is Biden more qualified when he thinks President Roosevelt went on TV after the 1929 stock market crash to calm people down or after 36 years in the Senate he doesn’t know when the Vice President presides over the Senate? And I think it is absolutely despicable that Biden has embellished the tragic story of his wife and daughter’s death by falsely saying on numerous occasions that they were killed by a drunk driver when the investigation showed no evidence of alcohol.

Posted by: professorj | Oct 22, 2008 8:12:05 AM

Wrong again sarah. The vice-president presides over the senate and casts tiebreaking votes. That is it. The VP really isn't yours to do with as you please! You are so stupid I am surprised you have the sense to come in out of the rain!

Posted by: durrs | Oct 22, 2008 8:15:42 AM

Palin is a power-crazed megalomaniac, she's worse than Cheney ffs!

Posted by: JoeShmoe | Oct 22, 2008 8:16:06 AM

I guess this means she will not appear on Jeff Foxworthy's" Whos's Smarter than A fifth Grader" anytime soon.

Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Oct 22, 2008 8:17:56 AM

Also, the vice is considered the 101st senator, often being the tie breaking vote in an evenly split decision.

I think she is far more qualified than certain polar bear huggin' vice presidents we've had.

Posted by: Tribal | Oct 22, 2008 8:17:59 AM

Posted by: durrs | Oct 22, 2008 8:15:42 AM
Wrong The VP presides over the senate .

Main Entry: pre·side
Pronunciation: \pri-ˈzīd\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): pre·sid·ed; pre·sid·ing
Etymology: Latin praesidēre to guard, preside over, from prae- + sedēre to sit — more at sit
Date: 1608
1: to exercise guidance, direction, or control
2 a: to occupy the place of authority : act as president, chairman, or moderator b: to occupy a position similar to that of a president or chairman
3: to occupy a position of featured instrumental performer —usually used with at
There in case you dont understand what presides means.

Posted by: reddog0216 | Oct 22, 2008 8:18:33 AM

Can she actually be dumber than Quayle?

Posted by: Dude | Oct 22, 2008 8:19:25 AM

Well, there wouldn't be a media bias if she stopped saying such moronic things. She is extreme, redical, and worst of all...not very bright. That should scare the heck out of you.

Posted by: JohnQ | Oct 22, 2008 8:19:39 AM

OMG that interview was so funny! She did not have a clue what she was talking about and trying to sound intelligent. I got to give it to her she have a lot of guts and confidence in herself. She truly believes that she is smart. My husband and I had the best laugh when she was speaking - I no longer undecided. Lord Please help us if this woman get's close to the white house. She is just plain dumb! John McCain should be a shame of himself.

Posted by: ncharge | Oct 22, 2008 8:21:29 AM

Can we afford the wardrobe costs of Sarah Palin running the Senate? The budget is already in a serious deficit!

Posted by: somerseten | Oct 22, 2008 8:21:56 AM

You people kill me Because some of the Veep's choose not to get more involved in doing there job she is moronic .

Posted by: reddog0216 | Oct 22, 2008 8:22:14 AM

The VP can be in the Senate chamber whenever they please. Sure, they only vote in a tie-breaker situation but they are the president of the senate and can be in there all the time if they wish, read up on it.

Palin is 100% correct in the duties the VP is enabled with in the Senate.

And, where the the press on Biden's comments that the USA will be attacked in the first 6 months of an O-B term?

go to you tube and search for videa

Y5fgj-RN_Tk

do it, do it now, and ask why the conventional media is not all over this story?

Posted by: vpis | Oct 22, 2008 8:23:06 AM

Keep up the propaganda ABC. Your relentless campaign to make this woman appear incompetent is stunning. In your article you state "the Vice President does serve as president of the Senate, according to the U.S. Constitution." That's exactly what she said.

Where is your article about Joe Biden incorrectly describing the role in the VP debate after spending 35 years in the Senate?

You guys are truly sickening.

Posted by: steve | Oct 22, 2008 8:23:29 AM

Except in the case of a tie, the VP doesn't have a vote in the Senate.

What really concerns me, however, is that when asked to describe how McCain's tax plan differs from Bush's, McCain spokespeople invariably respond, "Let me tell you how McCain's tax plan differs from Obama's." That should give people pause--why can't they answer the question actually asked?

Posted by: Joel | Oct 22, 2008 8:24:18 AM

What was McCain thinking? Oh that's right he wasn't.

Posted by: Jwench | Oct 22, 2008 8:24:30 AM

Whaaaat?

Just when I thought I wouldn't hear any more stupid comments from this candidate, out comes more preposterous ideas from her mouth.

America, please do not vote this person into the 2nd highest elected office in the nation.

Please.

What a complete embarrassment.

Posted by: LadyLiberty1776 | Oct 22, 2008 8:25:06 AM

I cant wait for my 3 letter word J-O-B-S Joe is the real Moron but attack Palin MSM at its worst as usual

Posted by: reddog0216 | Oct 22, 2008 8:25:39 AM

Pitiful. Why did McCain pick her? It was what he thought a clever trick to grab the female vote. Surely we're smarter than that! A lot of us are even smarter than to get pregnant at age 43 and shoot beautiful creatures for sport. Ok, so moose aren't beautiful. How does that make the women different from the men? Where is the example for love and decency? Kindness? Not in words only, but in deeds. She is a despicable example for women. A ladder climber of the worst sort. Airheaded.

Posted by: Becky Hodge | Oct 22, 2008 8:26:21 AM

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