Sarah Palin doesn't know what the vice-president does

October 23, 3:11 AMProgressive Politics ExaminerKaren Harper

Previous Next

3 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Progressive Politics Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

It’s less than two weeks until the Presidential election on November 4th and it appears that nobody has bothered to tell vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin what the job she is applying for entails.

The constitution of the United States makes it very clear what the job of vice-president is.  The vice-president presides over the senate but has no vote unless the house is divided.   If the president should become incapacitated or die, the vice-president becomes the acting president.  

It’s so simple that you would think someone at the RNC would have told Sarah Palin.  During an interview on CNBC in July this year, Sarah Palin said, “As for that VP talk all the time, I tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me, ‘what is it exactly that the VP does every day...”  

During the vice-presidential debate on October 2, moderator Ifill asked Palin about her comments in July on CNBC.  She answered, “No, no. Of course, we know what a vice president does. And that's not only to preside over the Senate and will take that position very seriously also. And also I'm thankful that 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.”

It was obvious that Sarah Palin still didn't understand what the vice-president's duties are.

The following day, the Fox news network showed a clip of Sarah Palin explaining her comments on the subject during the debate the night before.  She said, “Thankfully our founders were wise enough to say, ‘we have this position’ and it’s constitutional, vice-president will be able to be not only the position flexible but it’s going to be those sort of duties as assigned by the president.  A simple thing.  I don’t think that was a gaffe at all in stating what the truth is and that is, we’ve got flexibility in the position.  The president will be directing in a lot of respects what the vice-president does. The vice-president of course is not a member or a part of the legislative branch except to oversee the senate.  That alone provides a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority if that vice-president so chose to use it.”  

You would think someone would have told Governor Palin what the duties of the vice-president are.  The vice-president does not have flexibility in his or her position.  The vice-president doesn't have any authority over the senate other than to break a tie.

On October 20, Sarah Palin was asked yet again what the vice-president does. This time the question was posed by a third grader.   Sarah Palin answered, “That’s a great question Brandon.  And a vice-president has a really great job. Because not only are they there to support the president’s agenda, they’re like the 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...”  

Sarah Palin still doesn’t know what the vice-president of the United States does.  If no one will tell her, she could resort to reading the U.S. constitution.  Sarah Palin is simply not qualified to be next in line to our nation's highest office.   With each passing day, it becomes abundantly clearer that John McCain made a huge mistake in picking Palin as his running partner.