The Vice President DOES, in fact, have some control over The Senate. [View All]

[Hassin Bin Sober]

....and CAN, according to The Constitution, preside over the Senate if he or she wishes.

What's to stop Caribou Barbie from trying to run the show in the Senate. That role was clearly meant to be more than just a tie-breaking role. What if she decides to exercise it?

Would it go to the Supreme Court? Would they wait until they appoint a few more justices?

What exactly does "preside" mean? Can she call votes or stop votes?

(note: I think she has about as much chance as a Moose that wanders across her daddy's lawn - but what about going forward)

Clause 4: Vice President as President of Senate; Voting Power

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

Section Three provides that the Vice President is to serve as President of the Senate, although in practice, the Vice President usually presides over the Senate only when a tie in the voting is anticipated. Neither the Vice President nor the full-time President pro tempore of the Senate preside over the body's routine sessions; instead, the President pro tempore typically deputizes a junior member of the assembly to fill the role. As a non-member of the assembly, the Vice President has no vote unless the Senate is equally divided, in which case the Vice President has what is called a casting vote. This is as contrasted with the Speaker of the House, who has always been chosen from among the Members of the House of Representatives,<38> and as a Member of the assembly can vote to both make or break a tie. This provision is typically seen as one of the "checks and balances" built into the U.S. Constitution, whereby the 3 branches of the federal government (Congress, President, and the courts) are given the ability to influence the others. In this case, the Vice President's ability to preside over the deliberations of the Senate and (more importantly) break tie votes, presumably in favor of the presidential administration's preferences, allows the Executive Branch to influence the behavior of the Senate (and, consequently, Congress).

Further information: U.S. Vice Presidents' tie-breaking votes

Clause 5: President Pro Tempore and Other Officers

The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of the President of the United States.

The Senate may elect a President pro tempore to act in the Vice President's absence. Although the Constitutional text seems to suggest to the contrary, the Senate's practice has been to elect a full-time President pro tempore at the beginning of each Congress, as opposed to making it a temporary office only existing during the Vice President's absence. As is true of the Speaker of the House,<38> the Constitution does not require that the President pro tempore be a senator, but by convention, a senator is always chosen; since World War II, the senior member of the majority party has filled this position.<40> The President pro tempore, as a member of the Senate, is free to make or break a tie vote like the Speaker of the House, but in the event that the possibility of a tie vote is anticipated the Vice President is routinely on hand to ensure that the Executive Branch's policy preference prevails.

Other Senate officers include the chairs of the various committees, the Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, Chaplain, Parliamentarian, Curator, Historian, and Librarian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_President_of_the_United_States