President Obama apparently finds Congress useless and unnecessary, kicking off his first cabinet meeting with a 2014 strategy to govern absent the Constitution.
“We’re not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help they need,” Obama said.
“I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone — And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible, making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance — to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need to get those jobs that our businesses are creating.”
If Congress proves to be difficult or refuse to fall in line with the president’s demands, then he threatened that he will just issue executive orders. The president expressed that he is on a “mission” to “unify” all Americans — a well-used Marist justification to ignore restrictions on power — that his administration will have to take “responsibility.”
It has been argued that both presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had forwarded their agendas with executive orders.
The media erroneously made comparisons to the amount each president has issued, failing to mention that it is not how many executive orders you sign, but rather what executive orders they signed; and, whether or not they are within their constitutional right to do so.
This is the second debate within a two-day span of Obama over-reaching with his executive power. First, the case heard before the high court Monday surrounded the Supreme Court dealing with the provision in the Constitution allowing the president to make temporarily appointments without Senate confirmation, but it limits the power to only when the Senate is in recess.
Now, his declaration, “I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone,” underscores Obama’s dependance upon his claimed executive powers, because his inability to work with Congress does not allow him to overreach again.
The two major topics that Obama discussed during the 2013 State of the Union are slowly making their appearances immigration laws and higher minimum wage, hoping to pit the American people against each other just in time for the 2014 midterm elections.
