Hi.
I am fascinated by the stories hitting the wires warning of incoming "regulatory actions" by Obama. Now that we have a Republican controlled House, Obama will simply use the power of the Federal government to get what he can not get via Congress. MSNBC makes it sound like a landslide or a tsunami -- inevitable, inexorable. "The wave will not be denied!", according to the pundits.
Ok. Sounds scary. Go ahead, shiver. Get it out of your system.
It is nonsense.
Take a deep breath and relax. Let not your hearts be troubled. It is going to be a brutal fight, but in the end it will not quite work out like the talking heads on TV claim. Don't get me wrong, Obama will try to do exactly as they suggest, but it will not benefit the Democrats long term.
What's that? We can defund those actions?
Sure, but don't get ahead of me. Besides, that isn't where I'm going. Trying to force someone "not to do something" through budgetary maneuvers works mind you, but only slowly and after-the-fact. That's not good enough.
No, my friends, there are 3 things that will eventually serve as built-in "checks" to this direction. They are:
1) Anything passed by Presidential decree can be rescinded by Presidential decree.
An Executive Order is not law, but simply the policy of the administration in charge. The next occupant of the White House is under no obligation to continue anything decreed by the current President or his minions. In fact, having been put into place strictly by Executive Order or direction to an agency, any challenges to their removal would be declared spurious by the Judiciary. Let them try. They would get laughed out of the Supreme Court's halls.
2) Congress is jealous of it's privileges.
The members of Congress, Democrats included, will quickly start to get uneasy by what those Presidential decrees actually represent -- a power grab. At first they may be tickled pink by Obama's actions. They get what they want, right? For a while maybe, but eventually even Harry Reid will push back once the reality sets in that the President is cutting the Legislature out of the picture.
3) "What is good for the goose is good for the gander."
We need to start saying -- loudly -- that if the Democrats go down this road, the future President will do likewise when a Republican holds office. This my friends is the stuff of nightmares to a leftist. <Insert your frontrunner here> would take that authority, granted by Democrat fiat, and run wild.
Can you imagine the chaos? It would almost be worth it just to listen to Barney Frank screech ...almost.
The Democrats are already stressed about the power that Paul Ryan is assuming right now. Imagine the authority the Democrats have left being delivered into in the hands of a Christie, Rubio, Romney, Pence or Palin. I would gleefully make 2 bags of popcorn, sit back in my chair and just watch that show.
Bottom line: This is a monumentally stupid move. It may be a battle and we will take a regulatory shot or two in the kisser, but we will win this fight in the end. Get an icepack and grin about the fat lip boys and girls, because the Democrats will be down for the count. Bruises heal. We will still get our country back.
In the end, that is what matters.
See you next week!
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