Biden gets veep role wrong

Washington Times ^ | 10/3/08 | Stephen Dinan

[tomnbeverly]

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared to incorrectly outline the constitutional role of the job he's seeking in Thursday's debate. In attacking Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr. Biden said the vice president's only role is to support the president and to preside over the Senate "only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit." The Constitution, though, actually says the vice president is always president of the Senate and legal scholars say he has the right to preside at any time. Early vice presidents, such as Thomas Jefferson, actively exercised that role, the vice president still keeps offices at the Capitol, and scholars say it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the vice president had an office at the executive office building. The president pro tempore, usually the senior senator from the majority party, takes over only when the vice president is absent. In recent practice, as the vice president has taken a bigger role in the executive, that's meant the Senate operates almost all of the time without the vice president in the chair. The Obama campaign didn't return a message for comment left late Thursday, after the debate. For her part Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to take the vice president's role of president of the Senate seriously. "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,"

[tomnbeverly]

WOW, Joe not smarter then a 5th grader said that ART I describes the duties of the role to which he aspires and he is just Dead Wrong.

Where is the rest of the MSM on this?

If he won the debate wouldn't help that he was truthful and had facts right instead of just blowing BS on people?

[randomhero97]

I don’t know why so much focus is placed on the VP’s to begin with. The VP post has no executive powers whatsoever per the Constitution.

[tomnbeverly]

I just sent this to the McCain Camp and said Sarah needs to put this in her stump...

Note for Sarah Palin... add to stump speech.

Well you know the Main Stream Media is pronouncing Joe Biden the winner of the VP debate.... Now, Now, you would think that if he won he would actually have stated the correct constitution Article that governs the office of the VP. Joe said in the debate that it was Art I... Joe, well your obviously, not smarter then a 5th grader, its Art II that describes the role of the executive branch.

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/oct/03/biden-gets-veep-role-wrong/

[savedbygrace]

WOW, Joe not smarter then a 5th grader said that ART I describes the duties of the role to which he aspires and he is just Dead Wrong.

As has been discussed here on other threads, the duties of the VP ARE in Article I Section 3.

Now, who's not smarter than a 5th grader?

[Republican Wildcat]

Indeed - Biden is supposedly more qualified to be VP than Palin, but he doesn’t even know what the office he’s running for even is.

[tomnbeverly]

I guess the Washington times and ME...LOL

[Secret Agent Man]

If McCain wins, I would have Palin over there in the Senate presiding over things every friggin’ day. I want her running that place.

[JEH_Boston]

Palin actually read her job description; Biden didn’t.

[jonno]

bump

[papasmurf]

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States.

Joe's error is his wording, Mr. Biden said the vice president's only role is to support the president and to preside over the Senate "only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote, not the Article recitation, it is Art I Sec.3, as above.

The above is the only mention of the Vice President.

[savedbygrace]

Here’s what you said:

WOW, Joe not smarter then a 5th grader said that ART I describes the duties of the role to which he aspires and he is just Dead Wrong.
_________________________________________

Here’s what the Times said:

Mr. Biden, who’s been in the Senate for three decades, also mistakenly stated that the executive branch is defined in Article I of the Constitution. In fact, Article I describes the legislature, while Article II lays out the executive.

____________________________________________

Here’s what Biden said:

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.

______________________________________

I suppose there could be some confusion as to what all that means, but I interpreted him as saying that the duties of the VP are in Article I. However, he does throw in that phrase about the Executive branch, so I can see how the Times would get the impression he was saying Art I is about the Executive branch.

Even so, you said Biden was wrong in saying the duties of the VP are in Art I, whereas the Times said he was wrong in saying the Executive branch is in Art I. So, if I were you, I’d want to throw in with the Time, too, even though they were arguably correct and you were not. (You and the Times were saying two different things.)

But don’t let me take a good laugh away from you.

;-)