Greg Olear: Is there any reason why Kamala Harris could not serve as VP and Acting AG concurrently?

[Nevilledog]

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Greg Olear
@gregolear
·
Feb 15, 2021
Is there any reason—apart from “No one’s ever tried that before!”—why Kamala Harris could not serve as VP and Acting AG concurrently? Like, is there any actual law against it? Because even the THREAT of that would compel the Senate GOP to confirm Merrick Garland lickety-split.

Greg Olear
@gregolear
Note: This tactic could be repeated with ANY executive role the Republicans were stonewalling.
11:15 AM · Feb 15, 2021

[bullimiami]

1. Brilliant idea.

[Blue Owl]

2. Remind me again, how many roles was Jared fulfilling during the t***p administration?

[StarfishSaver]

15. I don't think Jared should be the model for how we do anything

[LakeArenal]

3. I think she's busy. Senate leader and VP

At least she has many a deciding votes there for a long time.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

4. That's a horrible idea.

Remember all the consternation and problems it cost when it was clear that the AG was acting FOR the President and not as an independent agent? Yeah, it's even worse if we put the VP in as AG. They need to be not together.

[frazzled]

6. Listening to random tweets on the Internet

is never a good idea. Posting or retweeting them, even worse.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

8. Are you talking about my response?

Because having Barr basically be Trump's personal attorney in the AG's office was fucking ridiculous. Putting Harris in as the AG would cause way too much conflict of interest. We need the AG to be independent from the White House.

ETA: I think you might be talking about the OP, in which case, ignore my idiocy above.

[frazzled]

12. No, the OP's post and its suggestion

I was just trying to bolster your comment that this was a bad idea

[Cuthbert Allgood]

13. I edited with that likely realization.

It's been a rough day (first day back teaching full five-day in-person before we have vaccines), so I read it wrong the first time.

[frazzled]

19. Good luck with the teaching

It must be scary to return to the classroom.

We’re having the same thing here, but so far only pre-K and special needs right now. K-8 will start in early March, with a hybrid program (I believe): half of each class attending 2 days each week (M-T or Th-F), with W virtual for all. High school will remain virtual. And parents have choice of whether to send kids back or remain remote.

I think this is still the plan, but there’s been so much hubbub, I’ve lost track of the final negotiations.

Stay safe ... your students will undoubtedly be glad to see you.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

26. Thanks.

We have been in a blended model to this point. So half the kids on Mon and Tues. Wed full virtual for deep cleaning. Other half on Thurs and Fri. But now it's all of them back for 5 days a week. I teach HS, so it's all levels for us. Which is crazy.

Students are a weird mix of happy to see everyone, but also high anxiety due to COVID.

[StarfishSaver]

22. I can't help but notice that now that a black woman is VP

people are now claiming it's not much of a job and suggesting that she can make herself useful by taking on a second full-time job because her regular gig just isn't all that difficult or taxing.

Interesting.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Surely in a country of 330 million plus people

there is at least one other qualified person for this post.

Plus, can't Biden simply appoint Garland as acting AG to begin with?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

9. Based on Trump precedent

he absolutely can.

[GeorgeGist]

7. Why not Merrick Garland?

[FakeNoose]

10. I wanted her for Attorney General

... she would have been brilliant. But that was before Biden chose her as his VP running mate.

OK so moving on, we have many other great choices for AG however Kamala cannot be one of them. Merrick Garland would be excellent and I hope he gets approved. Let's take this one step at a time.

[cheezmaka]

28. I thought the same thing...

She would have made and excellent Attorney General! I hope Merrick Garland get approved too. If not, then I'm sure Harris will come up with the next best pick....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. That's a ridiculous idea.

There are a lot of stupid ideas that there are no laws against, probably because they're so stupid nobody ever even thought to make a law against them.

[StarfishSaver]

14. Because they are both fulltime jobs

And because there is more than one person in America capable of being Attorney General so we don't have to make the Vice President do double duty as if she's the only person we can find to do the job.

[Voltaire2]

18. in reality the VP is not much of a job at all.

They have to invent things for the VP to do to look busy. The one exception is tie-breaking votes, but that is mostly sitting around doing nothing waiting to vote.

[StarfishSaver]

20. That's not true at all

[SharonClark]

24. Have you seen Vice-President Harris just sitting around waiting to vote in a tie-breaker?

Really, I want to know if that's all you've seen her do.

[Voltaire2]

29. no, like I said, as there is nothing statutory official for the VP to do other than

1. break senate ties
2. take over if the president croaks or is 25'd

for the last 50 years or so administrations have invented un-official roles for the VP, the most significant being a seat on the NSC. I never said that Harris was only sitting around waiting for a tie vote, although she in fact had to do that recently. Instead she has various admin tasks assigned to her, but they are unofficial, as in not part of the constitutionally defined role. She is not in the cabinet, but she is presumably like other VPs, on the NSC, ande I have no doubt she will find lots of important stuff to do, but the VP has zero authority, zero power, other than (1,2) above.

[NYC Liberal]

25. The VP may not have many statutory roles

but that doesn’t mean everything they do is useless busywork. At a minimum, they can be an important advocate for the administration’s policy agenda. They often represent the country at significant events. They can lead important executive committees. Etc.

[JI7]

30. Biden is having her do almost as much as he is doing

The VP is whatever the president wants the role to be and Biden picked Harris becsuse he wanted someone who will be working full time on his agenda.

And this doesn't even include her having to attend the Senate anytime there might need to be a tie breaking vote.

[doc03]

16. Little Lindsey claims he is going to impeach

her already. On what basis I don't know. Maybe being VP while black?

[crickets]

17. Not going to happen, but I did enjoy the mental image

of all those Repub heads exploding at once. I'm trying to feel bad about laughing that hard. Little to no success on that, I'm afraid. 😄

[marlakay]

21. Would she still be able to do tie vote?

That's her number one priority now with 50/50 senate.

[BainsBane]

23. and deciding vote in the Senate?

Would that guy do two full-time jobs?

[cheezmaka]

27. She has a lot on her plate already....

First of all with assisting President Biden with fighting COVID, economic recovery, reversing Trump's damaging executive orders, etc... Second, the office of Attorney General is a full time job by itself overseeing the Dept. of Justice and the FBI just for starters....