The Arrogance Of Obama In Circumventing Congress
President Obama has a nasty habit of ignoring or suspending our laws. Disgustingly, in a Rose Garden speech on Tuesday, he pledged more of this and sniffed, "So sue me" to those who have a problem with his violating the separation of powers. Jonathan Turley writes in the NY Daily News:
The unanimous decision of the Supreme Court late last month that President Obama violated the separation of powers in appointing officials is the type of decision that usually concentrates the mind of a chief executive. Obama, however, appeared to double down on his strategy -- stating in a Rose Garden speech on Tuesday that he intended to expand, not reduce, his use of unilateral actions to circumvent Congress.Summing up his position, the President threw down the gauntlet at Congress: "So sue me."
The moment was reminiscent of George W. Bush's taunting Iraqi insurgents over 10 years ago by saying, "Bring 'em on."
It was irresponsible bravado from a man who was not himself at the receiving end of IEDs and constant attacks that would go on to cost us thousands of military personnel. I imagine some lawyers at the Justice Department may feel the same way about Obama's "sue me" taunt. They are the ones being hammered in federal courts over sweeping new interpretations and unilateral executive actions.
The renewed promise to go it alone is a familiar refrain from this President. He even pledged to take unilateral action to circumvent Congress in front of both Houses, in his State of the Union address this year -- to the curious delight of half of Congress, which applauded wildly at the notion of being made irrelevant.
The President was as good as his word. When Congress failed to pass the Dream Act loosening immigration laws for certain groups, the President ordered the same result unilaterally. His administration also ordered massive changes in Obamacare -- from lifting statutory deadlines, to exempting classes of business, to shifting hundreds of millions of dollars from appropriated purposes to other uses.
The same is happening with recess appointments.
He's even teaching his help to talk that way. Here's DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson on immigration:
"There are a number of things the president and I, within the confines of existing law, can do to fix the broken immigration system. If Congress doesn't act, we will," Johnson said.
I really don't want these creepy people pushing Congress out of the way so they can implement their own definitions of who's a citizen and who's not.
Canvasback at July 7, 2014 8:39 AM
and that Birth Control kerfuffle?
Yeah, administrative fiat, it isn't in the ACA law at all. Like a great deal of other things, left to the of unelected bureaucrats.
Surprised? We aren't, this is what he SAID he would do.
SwissArmyD at July 7, 2014 9:05 AM
The truth of the matter is, Congress isn't going to do anything. Most of them are quite pleased with the situation as it exists -- they don't have to make any hard decisions for which they will have to answer to their constitutients, and the President gets to play King. All of the governing class get what they want; the only people who lose out are the governed.
That's what interests me so much about the SCOTUS Hobby Lobby decision. Not really the particulars of the case, but that the Court seems to have gotten at least a faint glimmer of (1) the fact that the train is running away at high speed, and (2) runaway trains inevitably crash and do a lot of damage.
Cousin Dave at July 7, 2014 12:21 PM
Cousin Dave; I think you are quite right.
"Most of them are quite pleased with the situation as it exists -- they don't have to make any hard decisions . . ."
But, just wait until the other party tries the same thing; then they will all squeal like pigs in a poke.
Charles at July 7, 2014 4:43 PM
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