The Imperial Presidency continues

Aug 2011
758
0
President-for-life obama appointed a head of the "Consumer Financial Protection Bureau", and three members of the NLRB, during congressional recess, for no other reason that to circumvent congressional approval.
 
Jul 2009
5,893
474
Port St. Lucie
1 day soon we'll have a president that finally notices that Congress has a lower approval rating then President Mugabe of Zimbabwe and they'll just start ruling by decree (after filling the SC with their supporters to prevent a legal challenge). If they're competent the American people will us go along with it.

The Republic is dead, a would-be-dictator simply hasn't noticed yet (or has and simply hasn't finished building their power base).
 
Jan 2012
49
0
Or you are just a sensationalist :rolleyes:

It's not that far-fetched, really. Not a whole lot of dithering or endless bickering back and forth under a dictator, and maybe that's something people will like. Peace and quiet for a change.

I wouldn't mind . . . as long as I can vote for it to be me. :D
 
Aug 2010
211
12
Reynoldsburg, OH
David, et al,

I use to watch these Congressmen and Senator flight into Baghdad and Kabul quite frequently. The really do strut around like little potentate. The people have simply allowed them too much power and authority, without holding them to any meaningful performance standard.

1 day soon we'll have a president that finally notices that Congress has a lower approval rating then President Mugabe of Zimbabwe and they'll just start ruling by decree (after filling the SC with their supporters to prevent a legal challenge). If they're competent the American people will us go along with it.

The Republic is dead, a would-be-dictator simply hasn't noticed yet (or has and simply hasn't finished building their power base).
(COMMENT)

Being a member of Congress (House or Senate) has become an occupation predicated on fooling the people. We all understand that the integrity of a politician is merely one step below a hungry Used Car Salesman. They are aspiring sheep, following the party and working in the best interest of the party; and, not the American people.

Listen, I'm a politician which means I'm a cheat and a liar, and when I'm not kissing babies I'm stealing their lollipops. But it also means I keep my options open.

The only way you will ever effect change in Congress is if we hold to some set of standards that have repercussions. For instance, if the Unemployment rate exceeds 8%, then the pay and allowance of Congress are reduced by 20%. If the unemployment rate moves into double digits, the pay and allowances for Congress is reduced a further 20%. I think you will see a significant change in performance.

If Congress enacts a national Healthcare Program, then, they are subject to it. There should be no special program just for Congress to use. Members of Congress should be subject to the same Joint travel regulation as other government employees. The should not have special flights aboard special aircraft.

They represent us, and they should understand what "us" means.

Most Respectfully,
R
 
Jul 2009
5,893
474
Port St. Lucie
Or you are just a sensationalist :rolleyes:

Not really. Officially the president only enforces policy but due to a mix of power mongering over the last 150 years and Congressional deadlock over the past 15 forcing the president to act, the president's authority has greatly increased. Meanwhile the American people exaggerate the president's power in their minds to the point of an absolute monarch giving credit and blame for every war started, economic change and legal reform enacted despite Congress being responsible for the most part.

The result of all this is that the American people expect a dictator. With Congress as unpopular as it is, all a president needs to do is fill the SC with their supporters (ether by appointments or winning over current Justices) to prevent legal challenges and start ruling by decree. No need to get rid of Congress, simply ignore it. If the result is a streamlined bureaucracy, and faster, meaningful reform, the American people probably won't even grumble, let alone revolt. As soon as we get a president that has a chance to remake the SC who realizes this, the only thing that will save the Republic is if said president has no dictatorial bent.
 

myp

Jan 2009
5,841
50
The result of all this is that the American people expect a dictator.

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Do yourself a favor and stop psychoanalyzing people. You are worse than the Freudians.
 
Aug 2011
758
0
I erred in the OP - the House is holding pro forma sessions, and therefore is not in recess. obama's appointment is therefore unconstitutional. Imagine if a republican president did that, the lib media would be bleating like a herd of sheep.
 

myp

Jan 2009
5,841
50
I erred in the OP - the House is holding pro forma sessions, and therefore is not in recess. obama's appointment is therefore unconstitutional. Imagine if a republican president did that, the lib media would be bleating like a herd of sheep.

It is not unconstitutional: "The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session." Article II, Section 2

Republicans have also done it- Bush made over 100.

I am not defending Obama here, but just fact-checking your statement.
 
Aug 2011
758
0
It is not unconstitutional: "The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session." Article II, Section 2

Republicans have also done it- Bush made over 100.

I am not defending Obama here, but just fact-checking your statement.

OK, I finally got it right: the SENATE is holding pro-forma sessions, and the appointment IS unconstitutional. Reid SUCCESSFULLY used such sessions to block recess appointments by Bush 2.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-mon...or-ignoring-pro-forma-sessions-he-once-pushed
 
Jul 2009
5,893
474
Port St. Lucie
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Do yourself a favor and stop psychoanalyzing people. You are worse than the Freudians.

People give equal credit and blame to the president for anything and everything, this only fair if the president had the power to directly effect policy. Americans may not want a dictator but the expect 1 all the same. As I said, filling the SC with supporters and keeping Congress symbolically would allow an charismatic and competent president to become a dictator. As long as the don't actually call themselves a dictator they'd get away with it. It's not sensationalism, it's reality. You overestimate the strength of our democracy.
 

myp

Jan 2009
5,841
50
People give equal credit and blame to the president for anything and everything, this only fair if the president had the power to directly effect policy. Americans may not want a dictator but the expect 1 all the same.
What do you mean by "this is only fair". It is not about fairness. You want to destroy a whole republic (or think it would be "fair" to do so) because you find some cognitive biases and politics (among other things) as unfair? In that case, I guess you are for the extermination of the human race because guess what: we all inherently demonstrate certain cognitive biases.

Americans do not want or expect a dictator. Those who credit or blame the president for everything do so for several reasons including politics, misunderstanding (which does not justify systemic changes in practice or theory), cognitive bias, or unreal expectations.

As I said, filling the SC with supporters and keeping Congress symbolically would allow an charismatic and competent president to become a dictator.
What does that even mean? The Congress is not symbolic, it has tremendous power, and the President cannot make it symbolic. Even the masses understand the Congress is important, hence the importance placed on mid-term elections and their disapproval (if your theory that they only think the President matters was true, then they would be indifferent to Congress and it would not have as low a approval rating).

As long as the don't actually call themselves a dictator they'd get away with it. It's not sensationalism, it's reality. You overestimate the strength of our democracy.
You UNDERESTIMATE so many things and like to make flashy statements based on nothing but small variables in complex, multi-variable equations. It is absolutely sensationalism. Go to any major news website and submit your theory as an op-ed piece- the few that don't dismiss you as a nutcase will probably tell you it does not go in line with their publication and if they explain why it will be because it is not a substantive or plausible theory/idea. Or go ask political scientist or strategist. Or even go make a blog post about it and submit it to reddit, digg, or whatever and watch the downvotes pore in and people call you a nutcase because even the masses that you suggest do not understand the power structure of the government will say that your theory is absurd and that YOU do not understand it.
 
Aug 2011
76
0
Enough with the melodramatics! President Obama is going to have to answer to the voters in 2012, just like every other President in the history of this country has had to. Just because people strongly disapprove of a President doesn't make him some sort of dictatorial antichrist.

As for his recent appointments (there were also the three unionists appointed to the Labor Relations Board), Barack is simply taking advantage of those low poll numbers for Congress by throwing down the gauntlet. Effectively he has made interim appointments and dared Congress to overrule him and revoke his appointments. He is not even being novel in his actions - virtually every modern President since the Sixties has done the same thing (I believe Clinton did it over 130 times).
 
Oct 2011
152
0
Well said ....

David, et al,

I use to watch these Congressmen and Senator flight into Baghdad and Kabul quite frequently. The really do strut around like little potentate. The people have simply allowed them too much power and authority, without holding them to any meaningful performance standard.

(COMMENT)

Being a member of Congress (House or Senate) has become an occupation predicated on fooling the people. We all understand that the integrity of a politician is merely one step below a hungry Used Car Salesman. They are aspiring sheep, following the party and working in the best interest of the party; and, not the American people.


The only way you will ever effect change in Congress is if we hold to some set of standards that have repercussions. For instance, if the Unemployment rate exceeds 8%, then the pay and allowance of Congress are reduced by 20%. If the unemployment rate moves into double digits, the pay and allowances for Congress is reduced a further 20%. I think you will see a significant change in performance.

If Congress enacts a national Healthcare Program, then, they are subject to it. There should be no special program just for Congress to use. Members of Congress should be subject to the same Joint travel regulation as other government employees. The should not have special flights aboard special aircraft.

They represent us, and they should understand what "us" means.

Most Respectfully,
R

Very well said. Most of the postings are partisan bickering just like typical Repug or Dem politicians.

Repug affiliated rebuke Obama and Dem will rebuke congress.
That will never change the situation ever.
However, those in power will never make changes to affect their own benefits.
 
Aug 2011
758
0
Very well said. Most of the postings are partisan bickering just like typical Repug or Dem politicians.

The "partisan bickering" mantra comes from two places, the lib media, and idiots who pick up on lib media catch phrases.

The lib media started their "partisan bickering" campaign as a means of denigrating the efforts by republicans to oppose the attempts by obama to effect a soft coup by his well-known methods: endlessly drawing power into the executive branch, expanding the reach of government in unprecedented ways, as with obamacare, and the recess appointments designed to duck the constitutionally-mandated congressional approval.
The same MORONS who join the lib media chorus would probably describe the principled debates at the Constitutional Convention as "partisan bickering".
 
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