The VP Debate!!!

ehaflett

Well said Phil. And what does it say about the standards to which we hold our public officials (running for one of the highest offices in the land, no less) when the idea of 'winning by not losing' is even mentioned in this context? No offense Solo, I know you didn't come up with the idea.

ken

29 years in the Senate, and this is his answer.

"Here is Biden's answer, in full:

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.
And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.

The only authority the vice president has from the legislative standpoint is the vote, only when there is a tie vote. He has no authority relative to the Congress. The idea he's part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us. It has been very dangerous.

For a man of Biden's experience, this is a surprising series of misstatements. First of all, he gets wrong one of the most basic facts about the Constitution: Article 1 establishes the legislative branch, not, as Biden said, the executive branch. This is not exactly an obscure fact; my 17-year-old daughter pointed it out at the time.

Second, it simply isn't true that the Constitution treats the Vice President only as a member of the executive branch. The Vice President is mentioned in Article II as part of the executive branch, but he is also given legislative powers by Section 3 of Article 1, which establishes the Senate:

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
Vice President Cheney's "bizarre notion" is in keeping with the plain text of the Constitution.

Finally, Biden misstated the Vice President's role in the Senate. It isn't true that he "preside[s] over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote." The Constitution contemplates that the Vice President will be the full-time President of the Senate, replaced by a President pro tempore "in the absence of the Vice President." It's true that the Vice President only gets to vote in case of a tie; but, of course, that's the only time it matters.

If Joe Biden were a high school student taking a test on the Constitution in a government course, he would get a C or a D. Some would say his mistakes were minor, and, as I said, they certainly won't swing any votes. But it is distinctly odd that a man who has been in the Senate for more than three decades doesn't understand the Constitutional role of the Vice President with respect to that body."

Note, copied from another blog. Just found it interesting.

Onto another subject $850,000,000,000, and taxes will not have to be raised. For me, I want all of them out. Hope the Congress get the gonads to vote no again.

I am ducking and weaving now.

Ken

Paris

Pavlov's dog with lipstick.
This shit makes the Manchurian Candidate look tame.

fella77

Pete I was disappointed too...I wanted her to shove her foot in her mouth in a big way, but she didn't pay off... I'll give her props for remembering what everyone has driven into her skull, but thats all it was. She answered almost every question with a sidestepping, flag waving rehearsed response, and almost every time she would try and crowbar in a quaint phrase or something about Alaska. It didn't change my mind one bit about who I want to be in the on deck circle for my country. I got the feeling the moderator was getting frustrated with her grandstanding.... a few times she waited for her to stop talking and then would ask her the question again, looking for a definitive answer.

tomsdesk

Just heard a blurb on the local news that she gave an interview today (imagine that :`) and said...the newscaster actually prefaced this with and I quote: "Senator Obama isn't qualified to be president".

Eggs the size of basketballs!

bellwells

@tomsdesk said:

Just heard a blurb on the local news that she gave an interview today (imagine that :`) and said...the newscaster actually prefaced this with and I quote: "Senator Obama isn't qualified to be president".

Eggs the size of basketballs!

Of the 4 candidates, here's my list of who is qualified to be president:

McCain - because I have a bias
Biden - only because of his longevity even though he gets his facts wrong.
Palin - she's been a governor
Obama - he gives a good speech

RickW

@tomsdesk said:

Just heard a blurb on the local news that she gave an interview today (imagine that :`) and said...the newscaster actually prefaced this with and I quote: "Senator Obama isn't qualified to be president".

I didn't hear/see that interview, but she mentioned in the debate that those were Biden's words about Obama - was she restating Biden's statement in the interview?

Whether or not she was, I'll echo it myself:

I don't believe Senator Obama is qualified to be president.

Now, I'm not that confident about the rest of the 3 in the race, either, but I'm sure about that one. I also think it's interesting that once Palin was picked for veep, Obama started comparing himself to her, as if she were running for the top spot on the ticket.

Of course, I respect the right of others to respectfully disagree with me

fella77

@bellwells said:

@tomsdesk said:

Just heard a blurb on the local news that she gave an interview today (imagine that :`) and said...the newscaster actually prefaced this with and I quote: "Senator Obama isn't qualified to be president".

Eggs the size of basketballs!

Of the 4 candidates, here's my list of who is qualified to be president:

McCain - because I have a bias

Biden - only because of his longevity even though he gets his facts wrong.

Palin - she's been a governor

Obama - he gives a good speech

Obama should be #3 at least just because he is better educated. Whats Palin got...some kinda night school degree in communication?

lapx

umm...I wonder where "President Bush" falls on this list. Doesn't he have more experience than all the candidates combined? Is he the most qualified. I would be curious to know how many people voted for Bush once or twice with all his qualifications.

Phil Rader AIA

Article Two of the Constitution sets the principal qualifications to be eligible for election as President. A Presidential candidate must:

* be a natural-born citizen of the United States;
* be at least thirty-five years old;
* have been a permanent resident in the United States for at least fourteen years.

I guess that they are all "qualified".

so now we must vote for the one we feel is the most capable or has the better judgment,......or whatever you choose as your personal criteria.

We all agree that we need to move the country in a new direction....err I do hope we can agree on that.

So choose wisely when you cast your vote for the candidate that you feel can lead us in a new direction.

I have my opinion on the matter and I'm sure others will disagree but in the end let's agree that the current administration has taken the country in a direction that is no longer perceived as the right direction.

PKast

We've had eight years of "folksy" and "quaint". I know which way my little feet are running to vote.