Thread: Maybe a silly question but on Cspan, who is Mr. President

I finally got to tune into cspan. Who is 'Mr. President'?
BTW, Sessions just asked for time tomorrow and they are discussing time for the 'oposition' since Kennedy & Spector are both for the bill.

Originally Posted by portaltotx

I finally got to tune into cspan. Who is 'Mr. President'?
BTW, Sessions just asked for time tomorrow and they are discussing time for the 'oposition' since Kennedy & Spector are both for the bill.

It is a refernce to the Presiding officer of the senate. The senator with the gavel up in the chair. While sitting there he is the PRESIDENT of the SENATE.

Constitutionally that job goes to the Vice President of the United States, but you don't see HIM there unless an important tie vote is in the offing...

Originally Posted by CitizenBob

Originally Posted by portaltotx

I finally got to tune into cspan. Who is 'Mr. President'?
BTW, Sessions just asked for time tomorrow and they are discussing time for the 'opposition' since Kennedy & Spector are both for the bill.

It is a refernce to the Presiding officer of the senate. The senator with the gavel up in the chair. While sitting there he is the PRESIDENT of the SENATE.

Constitutionally that job goes to the Vice President of the United States, but you don't see HIM there unless an important tie vote is in the offing...

Thanks but I did not recognize either of the 2 guys with the gavel. Were they just fill-ins?

Constitutionally that job goes to the Vice President of the United States, but you don't see HIM there unless an important tie vote is in the offing...

I've been watching CSPAN2 off and on for the last couple of months and I've never seen Cheney there once.

Originally Posted by portaltotx

Thanks but I did not recognize either of the 2 guys with the gavel. Were they just fill-ins?

No, just Senate newbies pulling their shifts!

The Majority Leader appoints junior members of his party to be presiding officer ... usually in one-hour shifts.
The new guys get the gig because 99% of the time it is a boring and VERY tedious job. On occasion a senior member will sit in on a key vote or segment of a debate ... for example you saw Majority Whip Dick Durbin in the chair briefly today.

You will only see the REAL President of the Senate, the Vice President of the United States, in the chair during ceremonial occasions or in case of a crucial vote that may end up in a tie vote -- the only time he can cast a vote.

A good example is back in the early 1990's when Al Gore cast the tie-breaker on Clinton's tax hikes -- twice. Seems like a hundred years ago now...

...so, if you want a good look at the newest and most obscure U.S. Senators, go on CSPAN2 and take a look at who's sitting up in the chair.

Only in America, eh?