You can put lipstick on a VP candidate, but it's still Dick Cheney in drag.
U.S. Constitution. Article 1. Section 3 (Senate).
Clause 4: Vice-President as President of Senate; Voting Power
“The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.
“Section Three provides that the Vice President is to serve as President of the Senate, although in practice, the Vice President usually presides over the Senate only when a tie in the voting is anticipated. Neither the Vice President nor the full-time President pro tempore of the Senate preside over the body's routine sessions; instead, the President pro tempore typically deputizes a junior member of the assembly to fill the role. As a non-member of the assembly, the Vice President has no vote unless the Senate is equally divided, in which case the Vice President has what is called a casting vote. This is as contrasted with the Speaker of the House, who has always been chosen from among the Members of the House of Representatives,[38] and as a Member of the assembly can vote to both make or break a tie. This provision is typically seen as one of the "checks and balances" built into the U.S. Constitution, whereby the 3 branches of the federal government (Congress, President, and the courts) are given the ability to influence the others. In this case, the Vice President's ability to preside over the deliberations of the Senate and (more importantly) break tie votes, presumably in favor of the presidential administration's preferences, allows the Executive Branch to influence the behavior of the Senate (and, consequently, Congress)”. (Source: Wikipedia)
"For three decades Vice President Dick Cheney conducted a secretive, behind-closed-doors campaign to give the president virtually unlimited wartime power. Finally, in the aftermath of 9/11, the Justice Department and the White House made a number of controversial legal decisions. Orchestrated by Cheney and his lawyer David Addington, the department interpreted executive power in an expansive and extraordinary way, granting President George W. Bush the power to detain, interrogate, torture, wiretap and spy -- without congressional approval or judicial review.
“The far reaching possibilities, and ramifications, of unchecked Presidential power are precisely what the framers of the Constitution were trying to protect themselves from. There is a reason the three branches of government are co-equal.’ (Source: Excerpted from Reality Sandwich)
I have to share this with you and it's going to be a long comment. At the post office I was in line listening to a fellow claiming that years ago he read a book that defined what is happening now. There is, he says, a secret society of "triple digit trillionaires" whose names we've never heard of. They're secret. They live in Dubai and are not all Arabs.
They are trying to break the economy of every single country in the world so that a "global economy" can replace it. This global economy will consist of the "shephard" class and the "sheep". No middle class just the rich and those who are on the lower end of the scale. This society makes the Skull and Bones look like a bunch of schoolkids, although they recruit members from that society. He said so, I heard him. I might have paid more attention except he was wearing pajamas under his trench coat.
When he was asked where a copy of the book could be found he stated it was taken off the shelves and out of print. After thinking this all through, lol, it does occur to me that Dick Cheney has been getting his orders from them. Say, maybe Dick Cheney wrote the book?
Whit, I have to confess I couldn't watch all the debate...Sarah Palin reminded me too much of the worsst boss I ever had...hair looked a little like Sarah...definitely talked as much...needless to say...this old Missouri boy will be voting for the guy from the neighboring state of Illinois.
by Catman (PM , CC ) on Friday October 3, 2008 @ 7:02 PM
That was a great clip - I missed the debate as I was working.
I think Biden has addressed the question right on - clearly Palin's 3x5 card gave a stock answer written for her by the McCain camp at the McCain ranch in Sedona, AZ. From the bits and pieces I saw, Palin had answers to about 6 questions - if the questions didn't fit her 3x5 card she changed the question asked of her.
by AZRON (PM , CC ) on Friday October 3, 2008 @ 7:07 PM
Here is one take on the debate:
" From the point of view of a cosmopolitan (including most visitors to Forbes.com), Palin’s performance did not compute. True, she held her own with Biden, meaningless voting statistic for meaningless voting statistic. Yet she spoke the mantras--personal responsibility, low taxes, good jobs, shining city on a hill--that seemed fundamentally inconsistent with the depth of experience needed to govern. Most of all, there was her voice. Biden’s voice was sometimes passionate but let us understand that he had been there, done that. Palin’s voice was high, perky, earnest, naive, twangy, aw-shucks and altogether unreflective of the weariness, ironies ambiguities that we expect from a leader who has seen and understood the world.
That was what Palin’s voice sounded like to cosmopolitans. Clearly, it did not sound that way to much of the country. Lots of Americans actually talk the way Palin talks (even some of us from Buffalo, which is pretty far east, have been asked to tone down the Midwestern accent). More, for many listeners, her phrases--it’s not our fault that the economy is hurting, but we have to learn the lessons so we’ll never be taken advantage of this way again; there are blunders, but you can’t keep pointing backward if you want to move forward--are not platitudes; they are meaningful indicators of how a leader will govern and are about as concrete as you can get in a presidential debate.
If a participant in one of these debates ever actually outscored his or her opponent on substantive points, the winner would not be a good bet to lead the country. These debates penalize palpable ignorance but do not and should not reward expertise. They test whether a candidate can cite an array of plausible facts within a framework that speaks to the beliefs of listeners. As Disraeli put it more elegantly, “Few ideas are correct ones, and what are correct no one can ascertain; but with words we govern men.”
No one knows how much Palin’s performance will help John McCain’s campaign. But if she is no longer an anchor on the campaign, it is because the debate showed--come to think of it, just as the bailout debate showed--that the country is a lot bigger than we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking it is."
Suzanne Garment, a tax lawyer in New York, is the author of Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics.
by AZRON (PM , CC ) on Friday October 3, 2008 @ 7:12 PM
Catman:
If one stopped to analyze the statements of Palin, they were generalities that were one mile wide and one inch deep. It is unfortunate that Biden could not question her on some of her responses. By the way, if your boss looked anything like Palin, she must have been one good looking woman.
Sarah Palin tried to be folksy by using expressions such as "You betcha," "Joe Sixpack," "Hockey Moms," and "Heck!" Personally, I found their use to be irritating.
Yep Whit, she was definitely perky and folksy. Not exactly the traits we need in any member of the executive branch. That may have worked in the distant past, but not in this day and age. And the line "Say it ain't so Joe, there you go again". Was that her attempt at being Reaganesque?? If so, she failed miserably. It wasn't in the least bit spontaneous. She must have fumbled her 3X5 card of witty wing-nut zingers.
I agree the folk references were a little too much. The one thing that stood out to me is the Shout out to her people back home. I remember giving a speech in a debate at school and being scolded by my teacher for being ghetto! why hasn't anyone called Sarah ghetto for doing so if it is so frowned upon? The American people love the underdog and gov Palin is now being portrayed as such. Everyone wants a regular guy to represent them but not embarass them. We will see come NOv. 4th I already registered and will excersize my right to bear arms lol ! I mean to vote.
by Magneto (PM , CC ) on Friday October 3, 2008 @ 10:00 PM
Whit, I don't disagree that Sarah isn't as versed on the issues, by a long shot, as we would like in a candidate, but I was so shocked at the astonishing statements by Biden, that her moral compass wasn't "fundametally inconsistent" with the leadership we need, it was actually refreshing.
When Joe Biden said that the U.S. and France had run Hezbollah out of Lebanon, the whole debate should have stopped. That was a "there's no Russian influence over Eastern Europe" moment. It showed either massive ignorance or a dumbfounding (but rather consistent) lack of concern for the truth. He even took credit for a great piece of advice that he and his potential boss gave to "keep Hezbollah out of Lebanon". And then his advice was proven brilliant, of course, in his own words.
But there's a problem. It NEVER HAPPENED! Hezbollah was NEVER run out of Lebanon by us or anybody else. His delusion continued all the way to the end of his self-congratulation. Is he a bald-faced liar? The answer is clearly "yes". But I think he may be so utterly dead of conscience that he doesn't even know the difference between the truth and a lie anymore.
Let me ask you a question. Could you stand up in front of a group of people and say "you know, I was just thinking as I came here today.." and then fully plagiarize someone else's words as your own thoughts? I seriously doubt you would dream of doing that. But Joe did and he hasn't gotten any better.
The Hezbollah exchange was hugely disturbing. What sort of nonsensical disaster will launch into when the world is paying attention and his words matter?
What sort of man can clearly oppose "coal power" and then say with 100% confidence that he never did? Gwen Ifill was stunned by that comment from him. Watch it on YouTube.
What sort of a man will claim that John McCain voted "yes" on a bill that he didn't vote on at all? He didn't just make a mistake. He was forceful in calling that out to prove Palin wrong. But it was a lie.
What sort of a man calls someone a liar for saying something true? When Palin said that Obama made his scary claim that he would sit down with terrorist-nation leaders without preconditions, he said she lied. But guess what, not only did Obama say it, but Biden KNEW he said he because Biden, too told the voters how foolish that was when his primary candidacy was still alive.
Joe Biden's performance was rock-solid proof that Obama's horrendous judgment continues. From his pastor, to his political friends, to his campaign supporters, Barack hasn't made a choice that a decent person would have made.
And Biden may be his worst choice yet.
For Palin's part, I guess she said "darn" too much.
You are right. Palin sounded like a school kid giving a speech when she lapsed into talking to the people back home.
"Everyone wants a regular guy to represent them..."
Here I disagree. I don't want a "regular guy (or gal)" to represent me. I want someone who is exceptionally bright and well-educated, articulate, and charismatic. I have missed having a leader like that for the past eight years.
If I were you, I wouldn't mention Obama's pastor. Here is Sarah Palin's pastor saying that God will damn America. She has been a member of that church since she was 12 years old.
CNN ran a Factcheck today and found that both candidates had about an equal number of misstated "facts."
I hear you loud and clear before these past eight years I saw a great deal of properity in all aspects of life due to a stable and growing economy. Money was not an issue until GWB showed up. All I want is a nice stable life without a lot of worries. So far I worry about payng my bills, I am unemployed, and corprate America is not highering of those with bad credit. How am I to rebuild my credit without a job? Change is needed now!
by Magneto (PM , CC ) on Friday October 3, 2008 @ 11:16 PM
Whit, Biden's mistakes were astonishing and Obama's (finally former) pastor is a bigot of enormous proportions and Obama dealt with it so dishonestly and awkwardly that he simply can't be trusted either.
"Look over here" isn't a good response to lie after lie after lie after lie from Biden.
They are trying to break the economy of every single country in the world so that a "global economy" can replace it. This global economy will consist of the "shephard" class and the "sheep". No middle class just the rich and those who are on the lower end of the scale. This society makes the Skull and Bones look like a bunch of schoolkids, although they recruit members from that society. He said so, I heard him. I might have paid more attention except he was wearing pajamas under his trench coat.
When he was asked where a copy of the book could be found he stated it was taken off the shelves and out of print. After thinking this all through, lol, it does occur to me that Dick Cheney has been getting his orders from them. Say, maybe Dick Cheney wrote the book?
Sherry
This is my reply to your post.
We are poor little sheep
Who have lost our way.
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We are poor little sheep
Who have gone astray.
Baa! Baa! Baa!
With trillionaires out on a spree
We are damned from here to eternity
God have mercy on such as we.
Baa! Baa! Baa!
I have to confess I couldn't watch all the debate...Sarah Palin reminded me too much of the worsst boss I ever had...hair looked a little like Sarah...definitely talked as much...needless to say...this old Missouri boy will be voting for the guy from the neighboring state of Illinois.
I think Biden has addressed the question right on - clearly Palin's 3x5 card gave a stock answer written for her by the McCain camp at the McCain ranch in Sedona, AZ. From the bits and pieces I saw, Palin had answers to about 6 questions - if the questions didn't fit her 3x5 card she changed the question asked of her.
"
From the point of view of a cosmopolitan (including most visitors to Forbes.com), Palin’s performance did not compute. True, she held her own with Biden, meaningless voting statistic for meaningless voting statistic. Yet she spoke the mantras--personal responsibility, low taxes, good jobs, shining city on a hill--that seemed fundamentally inconsistent with the depth of experience needed to govern.
Most of all, there was her voice. Biden’s voice was sometimes passionate but let us understand that he had been there, done that. Palin’s voice was high, perky, earnest, naive, twangy, aw-shucks and altogether unreflective of the weariness, ironies ambiguities that we expect from a leader who has seen and understood the world.
That was what Palin’s voice sounded like to cosmopolitans. Clearly, it did not sound that way to much of the country. Lots of Americans actually talk the way Palin talks (even some of us from Buffalo, which is pretty far east, have been asked to tone down the Midwestern accent). More, for many listeners, her phrases--it’s not our fault that the economy is hurting, but we have to learn the lessons so we’ll never be taken advantage of this way again; there are blunders, but you can’t keep pointing backward if you want to move forward--are not platitudes; they are meaningful indicators of how a leader will govern and are about as concrete as you can get in a presidential debate.
If a participant in one of these debates ever actually outscored his or her opponent on substantive points, the winner would not be a good bet to lead the country. These debates penalize palpable ignorance but do not and should not reward expertise. They test whether a candidate can cite an array of plausible facts within a framework that speaks to the beliefs of listeners. As Disraeli put it more elegantly, “Few ideas are correct ones, and what are correct no one can ascertain; but with words we govern men.”
No one knows how much Palin’s performance will help John McCain’s campaign. But if she is no longer an anchor on the campaign, it is because the debate showed--come to think of it, just as the bailout debate showed--that the country is a lot bigger than we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking it is."
Suzanne Garment, a tax lawyer in New York, is the author of Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics.
If one stopped to analyze the statements of Palin, they were generalities that were one mile wide and one inch deep. It is unfortunate that Biden could not question her on some of her responses. By the way, if your boss looked anything like Palin, she must have been one good looking woman.
Ron,
Since you were not able to view the entire debate, here it is on YouTube:
Sarah Palin tried to be folksy by using expressions such as "You betcha," "Joe Sixpack," "Hockey Moms," and "Heck!" Personally, I found their use to be irritating.
Thanks for adding that information.
"Say it ain't so Joe, there you go again". Was that her attempt at being Reaganesque?"
And she failed. Sarah, I knew Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was a president of mine. Sarah, you're no Ronald Reagan.
She wouldn't have written a line like that. That came from Karl Rove.
Thanks for commenting.
I agree the folk references were a little too much. The one thing that stood out to me is the Shout out to her people back home. I remember giving a speech in a debate at school and being scolded by my teacher for being ghetto! why hasn't anyone called Sarah ghetto for doing so if it is so frowned upon? The American people love the underdog and gov Palin is now being portrayed as such. Everyone wants a regular guy to represent them but not embarass them. We will see come NOv. 4th I already registered and will excersize my right to bear arms lol ! I mean to vote.
When Joe Biden said that the U.S. and France had run Hezbollah out of Lebanon, the whole debate should have stopped. That was a "there's no Russian influence over Eastern Europe" moment. It showed either massive ignorance or a dumbfounding (but rather consistent) lack of concern for the truth. He even took credit for a great piece of advice that he and his potential boss gave to "keep Hezbollah out of Lebanon". And then his advice was proven brilliant, of course, in his own words.
But there's a problem. It NEVER HAPPENED! Hezbollah was NEVER run out of Lebanon by us or anybody else. His delusion continued all the way to the end of his self-congratulation. Is he a bald-faced liar? The answer is clearly "yes". But I think he may be so utterly dead of conscience that he doesn't even know the difference between the truth and a lie anymore.
Let me ask you a question. Could you stand up in front of a group of people and say "you know, I was just thinking as I came here today.." and then fully plagiarize someone else's words as your own thoughts? I seriously doubt you would dream of doing that. But Joe did and he hasn't gotten any better.
The Hezbollah exchange was hugely disturbing. What sort of nonsensical disaster will launch into when the world is paying attention and his words matter?
What sort of man can clearly oppose "coal power" and then say with 100% confidence that he never did? Gwen Ifill was stunned by that comment from him. Watch it on YouTube.
What sort of a man will claim that John McCain voted "yes" on a bill that he didn't vote on at all? He didn't just make a mistake. He was forceful in calling that out to prove Palin wrong. But it was a lie.
What sort of a man calls someone a liar for saying something true? When Palin said that Obama made his scary claim that he would sit down with terrorist-nation leaders without preconditions, he said she lied. But guess what, not only did Obama say it, but Biden KNEW he said he because Biden, too told the voters how foolish that was when his primary candidacy was still alive.
Joe Biden's performance was rock-solid proof that Obama's horrendous judgment continues. From his pastor, to his political friends, to his campaign supporters, Barack hasn't made a choice that a decent person would have made.
And Biden may be his worst choice yet.
For Palin's part, I guess she said "darn" too much.
sharp
You are right. Palin sounded like a school kid giving a speech when she lapsed into talking to the people back home.
"Everyone wants a regular guy to represent them..."
Here I disagree. I don't want a "regular guy (or gal)" to represent me. I want someone who is exceptionally bright and well-educated, articulate, and charismatic. I have missed having a leader like that for the past eight years.
Thanks for your comment.
If I were you, I wouldn't mention Obama's pastor. Here is Sarah Palin's pastor saying that God will damn America. She has been a member of that church since she was 12 years old.
CNN ran a Factcheck today and found that both candidates had about an equal number of misstated "facts."
Thanks for expressing your viewpoint.
I hear you loud and clear before these past eight years I saw a great deal of properity in all aspects of life due to a stable and growing economy. Money was not an issue until GWB showed up. All I want is a nice stable life without a lot of worries. So far I worry about payng my bills, I am unemployed, and corprate America is not highering of those with bad credit. How am I to rebuild my credit without a job? Change is needed now!
"Look over here" isn't a good response to lie after lie after lie after lie from Biden.
This is scary.
sharp
This is what we get in the economy after eight years of no oversight over the economy. Thanks for the comment.
While we are on the subject of lies, let's take a look at McCain lies about Obama. Shameful!