# I will not be supporting Biden in the primaries. \[Powers of the President of the Senate\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 7, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414 "2019-10-07T13:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/61 "2019-10-09T18:07:04Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > So are we all just accepting the OP’s declaration that Biden could have siezed control of the Senate away from McConnell? I think he’s overestimating the power of the President of the Senate. Biden couldnt do squat of course. The Veep has very little power in the Senate. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/62 "2019-10-09T18:12:07Z")
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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/63 "2019-10-09T18:14:12Z")
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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/64 "2019-10-09T19:27:06Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > If you spent even 2 minutes looking into this, you would see that it is very common practice to let newby Senators take the role of presiding officer to get a feel for the rules. That’s how much it isn’t a leadership position. [Here’s the juniorest Senator of all shutting up the Senator from Insurancecticut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo33eQz5aTg); he makes clear that _he is doing so in his capacity as Member rather than acting President_ (though I wonder if he’d have had the gumption to rise if he weren’t sitting on the dais). The punchline comes at the 0:40 mark but stick around if you want to hear what John McCain, war hero and Sarah Palin’s running mate, thinks about it. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/65 "2019-10-10T01:01:31Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > [Here’s the juniorest Senator of all shutting up the Senator from Insurancecticut](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo33eQz5aTg); he makes clear that _he is doing so in his capacity as Member rather than acting President_ (though I wonder if he’d have had the gumption to rise if he weren’t sitting on the dais). > > The punchline comes at the 0:40 mark but stick around if you want to hear what John McCain, war hero and Sarah Palin’s running mate, thinks about it. Not sure what side of this you are falling on, that Biden could or could not shut McConnell down. Franken was objecting _as a member_ to the rubber-stamp unanimous consent usually given for more time. Standard parliamentary practice that other Senators have used including McCain a day or two before the video. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2019, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414/66 "2019-10-10T05:20:52Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > > [@septimus](#): > > > > … he makes clear that _he is doing so in his capacity as Member rather than acting President_ … > > Not sure what side of this you are falling on, that Biden could or could not shut McConnell down. Franken was objecting _as a member_ … You know, I’m starting to wonder if Franken was _acting as a Member_! Did you think of that? 🙂 As for which side I’m on, I thought I’d stated that unambiguously but let me repeat myself: _I’m very firmly on, and fully committed to, the side of **Does Not Know the Answer.** _ At least one previous thread that sought to disambiguate Senate rules met with confused _contradictory_ answers. My _[ignorant](https://media.merriam-webster.com/audio/prons/en/us/mp3/i/ignora04.mp3) . [impression](https://media.merriam-webster.com/audio/prons/en/us/mp3/i/impres09.mp3)_ is that the D’s always need 60 votes, but the Republicans often make do with “babble babble reconciliation babble” and get their will with 50 votes. Who decides whether a matter qualifies as “reconciliation”? It ain’t the police. AFAIK Scotus has never ruled on such a thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-will-not-be-supporting-biden-in-the-primaries-powers-of-the-president-of-the-senate/841414.md?page=3)