Palin is Not Smarter than a 3rd Grader

Sarah Palin

Yesterday, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sat for an interview with KUSA, an NBC affiliate in Colorado. In response to a question sent to the network by a third grader at a local elementary school about what the Vice President does, Palin erroneously argued that the Vice President is "in charge of the United States Senate".

This is a Campaign Comment from Keith Olbermann on the continuing adventures of Governor Sarah Palin in the big leagues or "Are You Smarter Than A Third Grader." It would be hilarious if it was not so frightening that John McCain actually believes that this uninformed and totally unqualified woman is capable of stepping into the presidency. It seriously calls his judgment into question.




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Q: Finally governor we've been trying to engage some local grade schoolers for the last few elections. We do a feature called ‘questions from the third grade.' Brandon Garcia wants to know, "What does the Vice President do?"

While Palin suggests that questions about what the Vice President does is something only her daughter Piper would ask, Palin herself asked this same question on national television in July. Apparently, several months later she still hasn’t learned the correct answer.

PALIN: Aw, that's something that Piper would ask me, as a second grader, also. 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 agenda, they're like a team member, the teammate 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 that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it's a great job and I look forward to having that job.

Oh! I'm so sorry, Governor! The correct answer can be found in the Constitution of the United States.

Article One, Section Three— "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided." So, the Vice President is not in charge of Jack, Governor, let alone in charge of the Senate. And you are not smarter than a third-grader.

On the one level it is hilarious and entertaining that the Republican nominee cannot correctly answer the question "What Does The Vice President Do?" I mean, that first reference to the Vice President comes not 600 words into the Constitution. And the other meaty references are pretty simple:

Article Two, Section One —"In case of the removal of the President from Office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President."

There's the 20th Amendment— you're done on January 20th and the 25th Amendment —if the President's incapacitated, you're the acting Pres. It's so simple, really, one could memorize those four points pretty easily wouldn't take long.

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Every time Sarah Palin talks I feel a little bit smarter.