Because of some of the recent executive orders that President Obama has issued the Republicans have labeled him as a lawless president. While it may be true that he is working in some gray areas because the law is opaque and has not yet clearly and specifically stated that it is within his power to issue these executive orders, neither has it clearly and specifically stated that it is not within his power to issue them. It is well documented that many presidents have issued executive orders.
But for whatever reason, it seems that President Obama is hated by the Republicans more than any other president in history. There are many other presidents who have issued executive orders who have not been vilified in the way that this president has. Why is that? I will leave the answer to this question up to each reader. But I still think that it will be interesting to take a closer look at these Republicans who have labeled President Obama as a desperado.
Let’s start with a few quotes from some of the accusers. According to John Nichols’ blog, ‘House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan , R-Wisconsin, declared, “We have an increasingly lawless presidency where he is actually doing the job of Congress, writing new policies and new laws without going through Congress. Presidents don’t write laws, Congress does.”
‘Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced’, “Of all the troubling aspects of the Obama presidency, none is more dangerous than the president’s persistent pattern of lawlessness, his willingness to disregard the written law and instead enforce his own policies via executive fiat.”
‘House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused the president of’ “feeding more distrust about whether he’s committed to the rule of law.” ‘And Congressman Steve King, R-Iowa, said that when Obama told federal contractors how to treat their employees, the president had acted in an “unconstitutional” manner.’
According to Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, …”Presidents don’t write laws, Congress does.” Well, let’s take a look at what Speaker John Boehner just did. Speaker Boehner did not inform the administration ahead of time of his invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of congress. According to a CNN article by Dana Bash, Speaker Boehner said “There is a serious threat that exists in the world and the president, last night, kind of papered over it, there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran.”
Speaker Boehner’s statement about Iran is interesting and maybe even worth debating in congress and writing a bill that encompasses that perspective and sending it to President Obama for his signature. But congress does not determine foreign policy, the president does. I wonder how Mr. Paul Ryan feels about what Speaker Boehner has done; I wonder if Speaker Boehner feels that he, himself, is “feeding more distrust about whether he’s committed to the rule of law.”
Since he disagreed with what President Obama is doing with regards to Iran, Speaker Boehner decided that he would go against his own president and pursue his own foreign policy agenda by inviting Mr. Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of congress without informing the White House or House Democrats. He did this knowing that Mr. Netanyahu and President Obama are diametrically opposed with regards to how Iran should be handled politically. He went against his own president! Yet his spokesperson said that they trusted the judgment of Mr. Netanyahu. Obviously Speaker Boehner does not trust the judgment of President Obama.
When we consider the accusations that Republicans have leveled against President Obama, if we juxtapose them on what Speaker Boehner has just done, with the knowledge of House Republicans, in trying to have congress write foreign policy – those are obviously his intensions in inviting Mr. Netanyahu to address a joint session of congress, does that make Republicans lawless too? They may not be doing anything wrong but they are certainly operating in gray areas because the president is supposed to determine foreign policy for the United States; not Congress.
With all of the partisan politics that is too often played, sometimes it is very hard to determine if the leadership of our leaders is sincere and in our best interest. When you look at politics now and see the things that our political leaders are being accused of and those who are being convicted of felonies, it is very discouraging. It is hard to believe that these are people whom we have selected. It is even harder to believe that those leaders – whom we have selected, as a conglomerate, continue to select those who have been indicted and/or convicted on felony charges as their leaders! What is happening to us?
Until more voters decide to take their responsibility to vote more seriously, vote in elections other than presidential elections and hold those whom we elect accountable, the likelihood that things will change is low. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent you should decide right now that you will meet the challenge of your responsibility as an American voter. When you do, things are more likely to get better.
Eulus Dennis