The Unconstitutional Powers of the Vice President

With the current election coming to end there is a feeling of both relief and nervousness in the air. After nearly two years of campaigning, the robophone calls and all the political ads will come to a welcomed end. The fear for me however, comes from the possibility of Sarah Palin taking the Vice Presidency. Over the past few weeks pundits have been criticizing Palin for her lack of understanding of the duties of Vice President. I will admit, I was unclear as well, but then again I’m not running for the second highest office in the United States. In the hopes that this fits within the blogging assignment, I decided to discuss an article that acted responsibly. John M. Broder of the New York Times writes in his article, The Heartbeat Job, how the Vice President’s role in government has changed over the years and how Biden and Palin understand their roles as VP.

“Three decades after Mr. Rockefeller departed the office, Dick
Cheney has transformed it into a veritable fourth branch of government. Mr.
Cheney pursued his agenda across a broad range of policy, including the war in
Iraq, treatment of suspected terrorists, domestic surveillance, energy and the
environment. His authority at times seemed to eclipse that of President Bush.”

After eight years of a Vice President flexing his power so heavily, it is necessary for Americans to understand exactly what the job entails and how the two VP candidates plan use that power. Sen. Biden said,

“…the sole constitutional power of the vice president is to preside over the
Senate and cast a vote in the event of a tie. Mr. Biden said his understanding
with Senator Barack
Obama was that he would act as a senior minister without portfolio and
liaison to Congress.
He called Mr. Cheney’s project to expand the power of
the executive — and of his own office — ‘very dangerous.’”

On the contrary, Gov. Sarah Palin claimed,

“…that the Constitution gave great “flexibility” to the vice president, and that
she hoped to be given even more authority. “And we will do what is best for the
American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is
supportive and cooperative with the president’s agenda in that position.”

What makes Broder’s article so helpful to the reader is that he gives history as told by experts and uses that evidence in relation to the current U.S. situation. The Constitution gave little responsibility to the Vice Presidency but Walter Mondale began a shift of power to the VP that had never been exerted. The VPs grew to have more and more responsibility up until the current administration whose Vice President acts a veritable puppet master. For these reasons made evident in the article, the reader is given very good reason to be concerned about who could be occupying this position come January.

Though this article lacks in diversity, the message it is trying to convey is something that most Americans, regardless of political leaning, will find crucial. Many of the current U.S. woes can be attributed to a failed administration whose use of power has been unconstitutional. Broder takes on the his responsiblilty in making this issue relevant to his readers and givng them the necessary information to make an opinion. This is the sort of responsibility the American people need to be demanding from their news.


Works Cited:
The Heartbeat Job
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/weekinreview/05broder.html


Imagery
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-cheneypuppetmaster.htm