President Obama is using his executive authority to make some progress on immigration reform, and the Republicans are screaming bloody murder, of course. Law suits, impeachment, treason, they all shout. But are they setting the bar so high, that this very matter may come back to bite them in the @ss some day? I mean what if there is a Republican president and a Democratic Congress? And what if he, just like Pres. Obama now, is caught in such gridlock, he needs to use his power to circumvent what is going on? The Emancipation Proclamation was enacted by mere executive order. Lighten up, people. The president just has an unusual amount of power in our republic. If you don't like it, change the constitution or move to Russia. But don't crab about things you can't change. What do the rest of you think?
Well, as rigged as the electoral process is (in terms of the choices we're given), I think the American people made it clear in this last election that they're not happy with the current political climate. But apparently Obama does not give two shits about what the American people think, so he bypasses Congress, again wiping his ass on the Constitution in true emperor fashion, to sign an executive order that will only further send the country into the shitter (as if it can go any further). Executive orders when used to bypass the checks and balances put in place to ensure that the country does not sink into the depths of tyranny should be condemned by anyone who gives a shit about their freedom (or lack thereof). It was no different when Bush was in office. Unfortunately, people like to take sides because they have not really woken up to what's going on, and more or less believe the fairy tales sold to them via the media. Obama's immigration law is all about destroying and bankrupting the country, as well as further diluting the culture and changing the social and political fabric of society as a pretext for more nanny state socialism. Sure, many people come here to work and seek a better way of life, and those people should not be looked down upon. But when you allow the borders to be left wide open, which Obama is not the only one guilty of doing, you also allow people to flood into the country unchecked to essentially leach off the people who have paid into the system their entire lives, as well as commit violent crimes, etc. This puts a huge strain on things when we have enough people who were born in this country and living lives of poverty and misery as it is. This country simply cannot sustain the influx of people who have entered the country illegally over the past 10 years. This truly is a nail in the coffin for this country. The funny thing is, some of the bleeding hearts who always talk about overpopulation don't realize that unchecked immigration only adds to this problem, as overpopulation is not so much a problem off too many people on the planet, but too many people confined to a certain area. The government always creates the problem to then offer the "solution", and this immigration law is just another fake solution to a problem the government created to give itself more power while slowly eroding the standard of living in this country. Again, Obama could not give a shit about the lives of any person, let alone those of immigrants. The guy is a psychopath who takes his orders from people who have an absolutely diabolical plan to completely destroy what's left of this country. Does that sound conspiratorial? You'd better believe it!
"The president just has an unusual amount of power in our republic." This is not how our system works, checks and balances so not 1 part of the government has too much power. There has been no grid lock on immigation as nothing has really been brought to a vote, but there are laws already on the books that are not being enforced.
I think the OP's point is Obama is certainly not the first to use an executive order and he wont be the last - but Republicans face exposing themselves as the hypocrites they are when the next Republican president tries to sign an executive order in a Democrat controlled congress. politics are so annoying
Frankly no, it sounds like idiotic trash talking paranoia. Obama a psychopath? Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, Obviously someone doesn't get elected for antisocial behavior when elections are socially organized behavior.
EO's are one thing that every President uses but they are not used to make law and that is what Obama is doing. So it's a matter of constitutionality of what he is doing.
I consider myself an "independent" voter and from what I can see....this move was pure political brilliance. Fuck all this nonsense about him not having the authority or acting like a king. He clearly has the authority and if he over-stepped that authority...there are checks and balances that can be employed. But....he didn't over-step that authority and he might have possibly fucked the Republicans over hard in the wake of their Congressional gains. THAT is what is really pissing them off. Because Obama plays this card and they lose their shit and start howling about impeachment and putting him in jail and how they are going to over-ride him, etc. Now they have to do something about it and there simply isn't anything they can do. They would have preferred to focus on their own agenda and not have to deal with this. They portrayed themselves as the party that could govern...if they were elected. But Obama backed them in the corner and hit them with an uppercut. They almost had no choice but to bow to the base who is rabid over this and expects something to be done. But nothing will be done and they will look incompetent because of it. And all their talk about "poisoning the well"? What does Obama have to lose? They weren't going to work with him anyway. What does he have to gain? He looks like he came through for a bloc of voters who can swing an election and he possibly fucked the Republicans for the next few voting cycles. We're going to hear a lot of silly statements in the next year from people like Steve King and Ted Cruz which will further alienate minorities. The more logical members of the Republican party would prefer to not have this fight right now because they know this is true. They don't want the crazies being the face of the party but Obama basically tossed a steak in the dog pound and they took the bait.
The wiser move for Republicans would have been to embrace this action and spin it. They should have said "This isn't a big deal. It's a change we were planning to do and it's good to see the president recognize our power in Congress and take steps to move towards a sensible policy". Sure....it would be bullshit and would still piss off the tea party. It would still be a victory for the president but it wouldn't have pushed the Republicans into such a tight spot and it would have given the moderates a chance to separate themselves for the tea party. But that isn't what happened.
Im glad they made it hard for blugums to do anything! If he wants this or that, There are a bunch of tolls to pay now! But its not like he gives a shit, Hes 'superstar' president or so he thinks! He will go down as 'the black one' who fucked America up, That's it and all! Barry sorento or however you spell his many names, Is nothing more than an idiot who really cant even read his on teleprompter, Its obvious EVERY time he speaks. He is a race baiter, That looks great for America! But, If you need something done or need to find him, Check where the closet golf courses are and that's where he has been, And always will be! Out in left field!
Republicans are totally immune to their own hypocrisy. Seen that clip of romney on TV, talking about how the voters spoke and obama needs to listen because his ideas lost in the midterms? Fucking ironic much? If they were honest, they'd be kissing obama on the lips - he's enacted their wildest neocon dreams and done it in such a way that they can kick and scream and pretend they hate it the whole time, thus protecting them from any blame for their own corrupt policies and business practices and political practices
Number of Executive Orders issued by each President: George Washington 8John Adams 1Thomas Jefferson 4James Madison 1James Monroe 1John Quincy Adams 3Andrew Jackson 12Martin van Buren 10William Henry Harrison 0John Tyler 17James K. Polk 18Zachary Taylor 5Millard Fillmore 12Franklin Pierce 35James Buchanan 16Abraham Lincoln 48Andrew Johnson 79Ulysses S. Grant 217Rutherford B. Hayes 92James Garfield 6Chester Arthur 96Grover Cleveland 253Benjamin Harrison 143William McKinley 185Theodore Roosevelt 1,081William Howard Taft 724Woodrow Wilson 1,803Warren G. Harding 522Calvin Coolidge 1,203Herbert Hoover 968Franklin D. Roosevelt 3,522Harry S. Truman 907Dwight D. Eisenhower 484John F. Kennedy 214Lyndon B. Johnson 325Richard Nixon 346Gerald R. Ford 169Jimmy Carter 320Ronald Reagan 381George H.W. Bush 166Bill Clinton 364George W. Bush 291Barack Obama 194 Total: 15,246 Greatest number by a single President: 3,522 Average: 354.56 I do believe a precedent has been set, starting with George Washington.
Don't confuse the dick heads with facts. Idiot? Moron? Imbecile? You fuckin' people are nuts, I think. Maybe a light meter should be used to determine if one is LIGHT enough to be president. Odd that they they didn't find out that he was so dumb when he was at HARVARD. Oh yeah----FUCK REPUBLICANS/CONSERVATIVES!!!!!!!!!!!! It's another blatant lie the repubs are bleating , as the chart shows! Unfortunately it's believed by many, many dumb-asses. The republicans haven't raised anything. They've lowered the "bar"about as low as it can go. They're absolutely shameless.
The numbers of executive orders made by each previous president is irrelevant. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took advantage of the moment to eliminate a contradiction of our founding as a Nation promoting freedom of the individual, recognizing that a persons skin colour should have no effect on the right to exercise their freedom as was espoused in our Declaration of Independence which claimed that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". While the U.S. Constitution did not initially eliminate the practice of slavery, primarily to ensure the slave States would join the Union, neither did it contain any wording which would provide the basis for the perpetuation of slavery therefore Lincoln did nothing unconstitutional.
Indie, Why is the number of executive orders irrelevant? 15,246 instances of an issuance of those orders certainly provides precedent for the legality of their further issuance. Any executive order can be disregarded by Congress by them refusing to fund it, or by them issuing a contrary law. In addition, all executive orders are open to judicial review as to their legality. So, the president is certainly on legal grounds as to his right to issue an executive order. Now what is the legal basis for the unconstitutionality of any particular one that he has issued?
1. Back to apples and oranges? I didn't say or imply that executive orders were illegal. It is the job of the Executive branch of government to see that the laws created by Congress are properly applied, not to make laws. My words referring to the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln were intended to clarify what I meant by saying 'the number of executive orders' previously made was irrelevant. 2. Is that really how you think or government SHOULD work? 3. I didn't say he wasn't. The U.S. Constitution provides the basis for the constitutionality of EVERYTHING the Federal government does. On immigration, we have existing immigration laws which considering the number of persons living illegally in the U.S.A. have not been properly enforced for quite some time. We also have a new Congress about to be seated which will finally allow some bills to get through the Senate, so why the rush to do something before the new Congress has a chance to discuss it? In the meantime it would make more sense to make an effort to get control of our borders rather than invite more illegal immigrants in.
1. Good, we agree on that. The President does have the legal right to issue Executive Orders. But note: They have the full force and effect of law!!! 2. Yes, that is how our government is set up. We have checks and balances that are provided. 3. So again we agree, you are just debating this one particular possible Executive Order that has not yet been issued? (Probably not even an Order but a Memorandum.) So it seems that you agree that we have an immigration crisis that Congress has failed to address for a number of years now. And you seem to agree that the laws that have been passed have not been properly enforced or are ineffectual. And you believe the solution is to wait for Congress to act. That has been tried: By taking this action the President is forcing the Republican's hand. He is making them have to act when they have refused to do so. This angers them greatly because it will expose their reluctance to address the immigration situation. It brings their failed policies and hostile views of immigrates out in the open. If he acts they will be free to reject or alter whatever he does at any time, but to do so will show their prejudice. So they are seeking ways to stall and distract any action on immigration. So they talk of a government shut down, budget stalemates, lawsuits, and impeachment. But...no action or proposals on immigration!!!!!!
MeAgain: Although illegal entry into the U.S.A. has become a growing problem I don't see it to be of 'crisis' proportion, but taking action such as Obama seems to want to do without FIRST gaining control of our borders could very well create something more of a crisis situation. We have immigration laws on the books. Congress is where our laws are originated, and it is the responsibility of the Executive branch of government to see that those laws passed by Congress are applied. An executive order of intent to make our borders more secure would probably gain support from most everyone, and allow the Congress to determine how to best deal fairly and appropriately with those who have been in the U.S. illegally for a long time. That's my view on the subject. Like I said I support executive orders when applied in accordance with our laws and the Constitution, but NOT when they detract from or override our laws.
I'm in my 50s now and have heard about the southern US border problem for almost all of my life. Neither party is doing much about it. American businesses seem to have no problem with the super cheap labor. And frankly, the people who are directly impacted, America's poor, are the only front line for this. I've heard a lot of weird numbers going out lately, but the object of importing more people who will likely vote for democrats seems to be blatantly obvious. And it has escalated since 2006. People are whining because Obama wants to make 5-15 million aliens into proto-citizens (still hard to say what rights they plan to withhold). What they overlook is that each of them has family waiting across the border, and average of 3 each. This will swell the number to potentially 45 million. Which is more than the population of black Americans. It's as if Obama is pushing them out of existence or at least into a permanent underclass. Oddly, black Americans are not protesting this. They're too consumed with other distractions, some blessed by the White House!