Monday, February 11, 2013

Obama To Escalate Use of Executive Powers - No Need For Congress


DISCERNMENT ADVISED - THIS IS POOFNESS IDOL

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Obama To Escalate Use of Executive Powers - No Need For Congress
Posted By: Jordon [Send E-Mail]
Date: Monday, 11-Feb-2013 09:06:15

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Obama Poised to Skirt Congress to Seal Legacy in New Term Agenda
When President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, the biggest question he’ll face will be how to get an ambitious second-term agenda through a divided Congress.
The answer: Go around it.

On climate change, gun control, gay rights, and even immigration, the White House has signaled a willingness to circumvent lawmakers through the use of presidential power. Already, plans are being laid to unleash new executive orders, regulations, signing statements and memorandums designed to push Obama’s programs forward and cement his legacy, according to administration aides and allies.
“The big things that we need to get done, we can’t wait on,” said White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer. “If we can take action, we will take action.”
The tactic carries political risk, beyond the backlash it will spark from congressional Republicans. Advisers say the president -- who already faces charges from Republicans that he is concentrating too much power in the White House -- remains cautious about getting too far ahead of public opinion. And executive orders can be overturned by a future president a lot easier than can legislation.
What’s more, Obama will still need to work through Congress to deal with some of the nation’s biggest concerns, including tax and spending issues as well as any comprehensive changes in the immigration system.
Obama’s Evolution
Still, the use of executive power isn’t new: Historically, second-term presidents, freed from fears of a political payback at the polls, have been more willing to flex their authority.
The shift to a more assertive use of such power marks an evolution for Obama, who as a U.S. senator from Illinois accused President George W. Bush of flouting Congress. After spending his first two years in office deep in negotiations with a Democratic-controlled Congress, and the last two years battling with much of the Republican-controlled House, he enters his second term prepared to move forward alone.
“He made a true sea change on thinking about the executive orders,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential scholar at Rice University in Houston who is part of a group of historians who periodically meet with the president. “Now, it seems to me that he’s going to be viewed as an executive power president.”
Obama’s increasing use of executive action began in the fall of 2011, when the president, frustrated with Republican opposition, urged his team to seek actions the White House could take unilaterally, according to Pfeiffer.
Can’t Wait
Branding their independent efforts “We Can’t Wait,” the White House rolled out dozens of policies that included raising fuel-economy standards, granting legal status to young immigrants, reducing student loan payments, preventing prescription drug shortages and getting jobs for veterans.
In his second term, aides say Obama will escalate his use of executive power. He’s expected to focus on job creation and economic growth, calling for new federal spending on infrastructure, clean energy and education in his State of the Union speech at 9 p.m., Washington time, tomorrow, according to a senior official briefed on the speech.
He’ll also push lawmakers for action on immigration, gun control and climate change.
Last month, he initiated 23 executive actions on gun control, as part of a legislative package proposed after the Dec. 14 killings at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school. They include several designed to maximize prosecution of gun crimes and improve access to government data for background checks.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-11/obama-poised-to-skirt-congress-to-seal-legacy-in-new-term-agenda.html

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well of course there is no need for congress. They don't do anything anyway. So who needs them.

Anonymous said...

And we should always be reminded that Executive Orders ONLY apply to government employees! Not to inhabitants and Citzens of any of the fifty republics!