Ya know, I see it all as being quite sad that I must
force myself to keep my expectations low when it comes to our new Republican
majority in Congress, and our two less than impressive leaders. And while we are told that yesterday a step was
taken in the right direction as the Republican-led House voted to overturn
Barry “Almighty's” immigration actions from last November, we must still be
wary. We’re told that this bill will
begin the process of unravelling a directive from 2012 protecting immigrants
who came to the U.S. illegally as children.
It has now been forwarded to the Senate where we’re told it faces a
rather uncertain fate. Now why do you
suppose that would be now that we have 54 Republicans in the Senate?
But in getting back to what was done in the House
yesterday, there was a vote taken that came in at 236-191 to approve
legislation which funds the Homeland Security Department through the rest of
the budget year to the tune of $40 Billion. But as part of that bill, Republicans added
provisions to gut Barry's immigration directives. Despite deep Democratic opposition, the House
voted 237-190 on an amendment to undo the actions that Barry announced in
November that provide temporary deportation relief, and offer work permits, to
some 4 million illegal immigrants. But I’m
now hearing a number of rumors that seem to indicate that what we have here is
less a genuine attempt to stop Barry than it is an example of political
maneuvering.
There was also another amendment that was added
which, or so we were told, would cancel Barry's 2012 policy that's granted work
permits and stays of deportation to more than 600,000 immigrants who arrived in
the U.S. illegally as kids. That measure passed more narrowly, 218-209,
because, sadly, we had more than two dozen Republicans who chose to join with
the Democrats in their opposition.
Republicans say Barry's moves amounted to an unconstitutional overreach
that must be stopped. And so it was then
that right from there on floor of the House that Speaker Boehner said, “Let me
thank all my colleagues who have worked to put this bill together. Today I rise
– and the House rises – to support and defend our Constitution.”
And in playing his part to the hilt, Boehner went on
to say, “We do not take this action lightly, but simply there is no
alternative. This is not a dispute between the parties, or even between the
branches of our government. This executive overreach is an affront to the rule
of law and to the Constitution itself.”
And he went on to say, “I appreciate all the efforts of those working to
fix our broken immigration system, especially since I’m one of them. But what
we are dealing with is a president who has ignored the people, has ignored the
Constitution, and even his own past statements.” He said, “In fact, on at least 22 occasions,
he said he did not have the authority to do what he has done.” All very grand rhetoric, but did he really mean
any of it?
Boehner went on to say, “To think that the president
of the United States studied constitutional law is one thing …. he taught it as
well. But now his actions suggest he’s forgotten what these words even mean.” And he continued, saying, “Enough is enough.
By their votes last November, the people made clear they want more
accountability from this president. And by our votes here today, we will heed
their will, and we will keep our oath to protect and defend the Constitution of
the United States of America.” As proof
that such a bill has become a necessity, Boehner went on to mention the 22
times that Barry claimed to have no authority to do what he did. But was it all nothing more than a lie?
What follows here are the 22 times, cited by Boehner,
that Barry claimed that he had no right to do what he did. Now you would think that these very same 22
occurrences would provide more than enough motivation for our Republican
majority to leave no stone unturned in its effort to prevent this president
from wreaking anymore havoc than he has already done. But I fear they lack the stomach for a
fight. By going through with that which
he himself said 22 times, Barry has essentially thrown down the gauntlet, and
the question that now waits for an answer is, will the Republicans in Congress
have the courage to pick it up and beat Barry over the head with it? I guess we wait and see. I hope we’re not in for yet another
disappointment.
What Barry said, and when:
March 31, 2008: “I take the Constitution very
seriously. The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with
[the president] trying to … not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I
intend to reverse when I’m President...”
May 19, 2008: “I believe in the Constitution and I will
obey the Constitution of the United States.”
May 5, 2010: “Anybody who tells you … that I can
wave a magic wand and make it happen hasn't been paying attention to how this
town works.”
July 1, 2010: “[T]here are those … who have argued
passionately that we should … at least ignore the laws on the books... I
believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair.”
October 14, 2010: “I do have an obligation to make
sure that I am following some of the rules. I can't simply ignore laws that are
out there.”
October 25, 2010: “I am president, I am not king. I
can't do these things just by myself. … I can't just make the laws up by
myself.”
March 28, 2011: “America is a nation of laws, which
means I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law.”
April 20, 2011: “I can't solve this problem by
myself. … I can't do it by myself.”
April 29, 2011: “Some here wish that I could just
bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how democracy works”
May 10, 2011: “They wish I could just bypass
Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how a democracy works.”
July 25, 2011: “The idea of doing things on my own
is very tempting. … But that's not how our system works. That’s not how our
democracy functions. That's not how our Constitution is written.”
September 28, 2011: “We live in a democracy. You
have to pass bills through the legislature, and then I can sign it.”
September 20, 2012: “What I’ve always said is, as
the head of the executive branch, there’s a limit to what I can do.”
October 16, 2012: “We're … a nation of laws. … And
I've done everything that I can on my own.”
January 30, 2013: “I'm not a king. I am the head of
the executive branch of government. I'm required to follow the law.”
January 30, 2013: “I’m not a king. You know, my job
as the head of the executive branch ultimately is to carry out the law.”
February 14, 2013: “The problem is that I’m the
president of the United States, I’m not the emperor of the United States.”
July 16, 2013: “I think that it is very important
for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative.”
September 17, 2013: “My job in the executive branch
is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. … But if we start
broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law…”
November 25, 2013: “The easy way out is to try to
yell and pretend like I can do something by violating our laws. … That’s not
our tradition.”
March 6, 2014: “And I cannot ignore those laws any
more than I could ignore … any of the other laws that are on the books.”
August 6, 2014: “I’m bound by the Constitution; I’m
bound by separation of powers.”
Look, I am not so naïve as to take at face value
that which occurred in House yesterday. To
do so would be very foolish to say the least.
The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. I’ll not, nor should anyone else, be appeased
by mere words, no matter how convincingly they may be uttered. We have not yet arrived at that point where
we can actually trust our leaders, they will bear watching over the coming
months, and very closely. So while this
recent bill may seem to be what is needed, close attention must be paid to what,
I am quite sure, is some very fine print.
We must demand that real action be taken, and in very short order, if this
country is to survive. But I worry about
the priorities of our leaders.
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