What does the VP do?

[Wilma]

I know this is a grade school question and I could look it up, but it is easier to just ask and let someone else do the looking up.  What are the duties of the vice president besides being ready to assume the president's powers in the event that he is unable to fullfil his duties?

[W. Gray]

The vice president is president of the Senate.

This is her only duty--but the president can assign duties as he sees fit.

[Wilma]

So we are going to have a woman as president of the senate and a woman as Speaker of the House?

[frawin]

Wilma, hopefully we won't have a woman or should I say the current woman as Speaker of the House much longer. In all my years I have never seen a Speaker as bad as the current one. My guess is  there are more and more Democrats wanting her to step down, she has to be an embarrassment to the House Members.

[Wilma]

We all know what we can do about it.  I am voting Republican for my state representative to keep another Democrat out of the House.

[W. Gray]

The latest approval rating as of Aug 31 has Bush with an approval rating of 33%, disapproval 66%, and 1% unsure.

The latest approval rating as of Aug 31 has Congress with an approval rating of 18%, disapproval 75%, and 7% unsure.

I would think both Pelosi and Reid have had a huge role to play with Congress being so unpopular.

[W. Gray]

The vice president is President of the Senate but is called upon to vote only in case there might be a tie.

Otherwise, the VP does not go near the place.

The VP as President of the Senate also sits with the Speaker of the House behind the President during the State of the Union addresses in late January.

[W. Gray]

And we all remember what John Nance Garner (also known as Cactus Jack) said of the job of the Vice President:

"This Job isn't worth a warm pitcher of spit."

Some say he did not say it and others say he substituted another four letter word for spit.