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Subscribe to RSSThe phrase of the week at the White House has been "executive action." That's what the administration has termed the announcements the President has made about changes to government mortgage and student loan programs.
The thing is, no one is quite sure what an executive action is. What is clear is that these Presidential moves have not been "executive orders." According to the C-Span Glossary an executive order is "a presidential directive with the force of law” that doesn’t need congressional approval. And the White House clarifies that executive orders are "binding because as Chief Executive the President has the power to command the executive branch."
But the trusty C-Span Glossary has no entry for "executive action" and tonight the White House clarified why, it's because it's kind of a catch all term. "It just means something the executive branch does. The use of any of a number of tools in the executive branch’s toolbox," said one administration official.
Executive actions can include "regulation, enforcement, statements of policy...and numerous other things," the official continued.
So, basically, it's anything the President does that doesn't modify a law. Multiple officials have said this is a continuation of changes President Obama has called for in various departments throughout his presidency.
It's just that this week, the packaging is a little prettier.
Leave a Comment:
It's OUR President telling Congress to go F&#$K themselves...
The MAJORITY of this country is hurting and thank God President Obama not only recognizes that but is willing to say SCREW YOU!
I am so done pussy footing around these a$$holes!
This country is burning while the dickheads in Congress fiddle - and that includes BOTH sides of the aisle!
Signed,
A 99%'er
What a Nasty Redhead.
LMAO!!!!
Unless I'm mistaken, Obama's 'executive' actions do modify existing laws, which requires Congressional approval.
For example, Obama has changed the effective dates for some of his 'student loan' policies written into the law, and anything that Obama does that changes revenues or costs to the taxpayers also requires Congressional approval.
There are some short term exceptions, but not what Obama has proposed.
I am right there with you Feisty!
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
nurse - I have never seen anything like this is my lifetime!
We SENT you to Congress & the Senate - now do your damn JOBS!
President Obama/Biden in 2012 - all the waaaaay baby!
Yes, who needs you, legislative branch? You aren't doing what I want you to do so I will ignore you, go around you and make the laws to suit my agendas. Soon, I will declare myself Emperor and assume all governmental powers. I will do away with the judicial branch as well, who needs them? Bunch of old fogeys in robes, except for the one's I've chosen, but they're not moving fast enough to push my agendas so I will abolish the Supreme Court via my next, all-encompassing executive order.
mygirl, Congress isn't doing anything, that is the problem. If the House and Senate would do their job and work for the people they represent instead of stomping their shoes and saying "no" the President wouldn't have to work around them. But the President CAN work around the nonsense within the law. Stop before you get started mg1, we all know what comes next - "the Republicans have tried to work with Democrats", etc, etc, ad nausea. Change the channel, turn off Fox Noise, and see if you can catch up with reality.
Bush/Cheney pulled many illegal stunts directly in violation of our Constitution. Obama acts within the law, unlike actions taken by Bush/Cheney. Were you as smarmy about the liberties taken with our democracy by Bush/Cheney? Or did you notice.
There are 3 branches of govt. in place for a reason.
The reason is to STOP any one branch from total control.
Obama thinks he's KING.
Not for much longer.
ABO
magnificent50: "Obama acts within the law, unlike actions taken by Bush/Cheney."
You criticize Bush/Cheney?
Nice try but........
Bush went to Congress for authorization for the Iraq war.
Unlike Obama, who think he's KING. OBAMA does NOT go to Congress and drops drones to "take people out." (WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION.)
Give them hell Mr President. We need to force the Radical Right to do their jobs, and stop screwing the American people, in order to save the rich.
LEONA
You talk about the president being king. Well how about the TEA PARTY king, GOD, who makes his people/servants/slaves sign a pledge to try and stop Obama from doing anything that would make him look good or anything he does that would help the American people. He is the one we need to get rid of, but lass he isn't even in the government, he a lobbyist.
magnificent50 "mygirl, Congress isn't doing anything, that is the problem. If the House and Senate would do their job"
They ARE doing their job - part of which is to make sure Obama doesn't spend us into bankruptcy.
Obama's policies all have 3 things in common;
1 - They are expensive and unproven.
2 - They favor unions.
3 - They are not paid for by cutting unneeded spending elsewhere.
Any 'executive action' by George Bush led to immediate calls for impeachment by the loony Left who claimed reverence for the Constitution ...
But now it is just peachy keen that Obama wants to 'bypass' the Congress, and do whatever he pleases.
"It just means something the executive branch does. The use of any of a number of tools in the executive branch’s toolbox," said one administration official. Did he whisper this to MSNBC at the weekly meeting of the "Obama Team"?
What's happened booby - did you get kicked out of the moon-bat cave?
Bend over and smell the waffles little dude!
Gosh, Feisty, that comment #3.1 is downright ugly and demeaning and snotty, but then, coming from an Obama worshipper who wants to see him crowned 'Supreme and Dear Leader'and is prepared to follow him blindly, regardless of what he does, it's not surprising. Guess you don't value the Constitution, doubt you're familiar with the Magna Carta and imagine you relish the idea of being part of Obama's royal court.
Gosh - sweet cakes...
Tell me again who the @!$%# died and left you in charge as the moral police.... please....
Having had the displeasure of reading some of you comments - you honey ARE the last ONE who should be casting doubt! ;o)
@mygirl1,
OK, give us a tutorial on the Magna Carta...
Connect the dots to its relevance to the POTUS doing his duty of office as head of the executive branch of the US government.
Ahh, Feisty, I knew you'd be nasty in your response. Typical. Can't have a civil response when someone questions your posts? That reeks of insecurity.
Northstar: The Magna Carta was created to place constraints on the monarchy's absolute power. If you don't understand the relevance, well, I'm not surprised.
@mygirl1
thanks for your short tutorial :"The Magna Carta was created to place constraints on the monarchy's absolute power"
the Magna Carta signed by King John and his Barons in 1215 did limit the kings authority: to tax, to appoint bishops. It reinstated feudal law with the barons having more power. It acknowledge that all freemen would be able to have access to the courts and a trial by jury.
You failed to connect the dots to your outrageous statement that the role of president under our constitution is like a monarchy. Your cute little adjectives about crowns, royal courts in reference to President Obama are silly.
good luck on your SATs...
Feisty,
YOU FORGOT AGAIN what Obama said.....................HE WANTS "CIVILITY." lol
YoU ARE An OBAMA devotee. I guess he didn't send you the memo.
Northstar: So you do understand what a freeman is, and you do understand curtailing the powers of a monarch, which is what the Magna Carta was all about.
You fail to see that the executive orders issued by Obama are an abrogation of the three party system, he is endeavoring to by-pass the legislative branch, which, if you pay attention, is an attempt to bring control of the system into the hands of one man, the President. It is not the job of the President to make laws, issuing executive orders as he is doing, is a means of making laws that bypass the legislative process.
He didn't seek congressional approval for going into Libya, he didn't like that congress, in the senate, no less, killed his recycled jobs bill because it would only hand MORE money to his special interests and so now he wants an end-around of congress. Now, when one man seeks to go around the Constitutionally mandated legislative branch, would you not consider that an over-reach of power?
mygirl1
Yes, it is very important to pay attention...
Start with : www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-action
The president does have powers separate from the Congress. He can issue executive orders that are within the laws passed by the legislature.
the President has not overreached his use of his power. He has in fact been willing to compromise with the Congress on numerous occasion. But the congress is not willing to produce a jobs bill or increase revenue to pay for it.
hence, Gridlock. Do you approve the gridlock, when the 2010 election was all about Jobs ?
The Jobs bills have yet to be brought forward for a up and down vote. The Senate Republicans have threaten a filibuster to move the bill forward. So what they voted on last week was a procedural vote to move forward. It takes 60 votes to do that. Of course it failed.
Not to put too fine a point out here, but, why a 'jobs' bill at all? Remember how the billions of stimulus money AKA: a jobs bill, essentially shored up states to pay pensions and salaries and didn't create too many jobs? Or, how those temporary jobs that were created by the billions of stimulus are now gone, the stimulus money dried up taking those jobs along with it. What he is proposing is more of the same only, like he promised to the Unions when he gave his jobs speech in front of them, this is tailored more specifically to those Unions. So, essentially his 'new' jobs bill will take taxpayer monies to fill union coffers, temporarily stimulate the trade unions and when the money dries up, like it has to, will Obama be coming back for more money? Again?
His compromises? No one ever looks into those compromises, reads the fine print and demands, nope, they don't want to know the entire story. Rather like Bush being blamed for not accepting the Kyoto accords, bad Bush. Of course, no one mentioned that the US was to be made to pay for all the third world development, essentially impoverishing this country to make other countries into major polluters. The devil is in the details, and it's the details that are never brought out for public scrutiny.
bob 188,
Could you give me an example of " executive action" that GB did?
I do agree that it is "peachy keen" that Obama is acting as president.
As for "by passing Congress"? You mean those folks that we elected to legislate? You mean those folks who have a great part time job with great benefits t hat work 3days a week,three week a month? You mean the Senate who had the week off?
Obama does not have to by pass them.. They are not there, they AOL!
Northstar,
The Congress was voted in, each and every member. The GOP won in a landslide in 2010.
Just because you dont agree with their politics......GUESS WHAT, you are on the LOSING side OF THE ISSUES.
Elections have consequences.
Obama can't be KING and can NOT bypass Congress.
Read the Constitution.
Then tell the GOP/TP to get off its high horse and do something besides pander to the 1%.......there is another 99% of us out here.
Kathryn,
The 99%, as you call it is a falacy.
There are Republican , Democrat and Independents who vote ( each get roughly 30% of the voters) .
There is NO 99% who agree with the OWS.
The OWS has many factions and it certainly does NOT represent 99%. LOL
Leona,
Humor is a wonderful gift.
You do know that the 99% /1% has to do with income distribution in the US. It is not about the percentage of political party support of voters in general.
Northstar,
Thanks for the compliment about my humor. It helps when dealing with liberals. LOL
Yes, I know it's all about wealth distribution. (I disagree with demonizing rich people.)
I simply replied to the comment that the GOP "panders " to the 1%.
I vote GOP and I don't feel they "pander to the 1%."
The ideology is not 99% vs 1%. That's all I'm saying.
Leona,
You vote GOP. I vote for the Democrats. We are both middle class. We both have a sense of humor.
We can agree to disagree..
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Northstar,
Thanks, you too........but.......you have a sense of humor??
LOL
Leona, spell much? falacy? really?
Northstar, so you are actually saying the President can act as dictator when the Congress is not in session?
You libs got so negative about Congressional salary, only when the GOP took over the House and elected more Senators in 2010. Phonies all.
bob,188...
No I am not saying in any way that the President ca act like a dictator. You are just to that conclusion.
Please go back and read the introduction to this thread. Any presidential action, order, memorandum, would fall under the executive powers given the president in the Constitution.
ttp://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions
The White House website lists these actions. He signed two of them today. Both about helping small business by streamlining fed agencies web sites to make them more user friendly for export business by US firms.
As to your last point about Congres. I am not critical of their salaries. I am critical of their lack of urgency to get a jobs bill passed, push the super committee to do their job, to do anything but waste time. Remember when we were in crisis over the debt ceiling in the summer? It was last minute crises action. then they took the whole month of August off. Well the debt ceiling issue will be back again. And the congress does not seem to be in any hurry.
Why is that Bob? I think it is because the whole thing is broken, a bipartisan gridlock that only they can fix now. We the voters can attempt to fix it in the next election.
So, wait a minute- all this yammer about changing some government websites?
Woohoo- that ought to jump start the economy!
The point of this article is that all Obama is going to do is yammer a lot- which he does, anyway- and make it sound like activity.
The result? Well, not much. I can just see him going out boasting about streamlined websites - that he, personally, accomplished, with no help from congress.
Every day he becomes more ridiculous.
President Obama now understands that the obstructionist Teapublican Congress has nothing to offer this country except denigration of the President himself and fiscal ruin of the country. So the only alternative they have left him if he is to save the middle class and this country from the continuation of the egregious policies of the Teapublicans is to take them out of the equation.
So they only themselves to blame for the executive actions that the President has no choice but use to give the 99% a chance to achieve what is their right.
So finally I am starting to believe in change again that the President was talking about in 2008. And I also see him continue his change in 2012
Anybody jumping to the conclusion that the president doing anything within his power to do as head of the executive branch is somehow dictatorial is crazy, paranoid, and prejudiced against democrats. This newest form of prejudice in our country that seems to have taken shape the most during Clinton is really ticking me off. We need civil debate, compromise, and the willingness for people to let politicians represent their constituents and their constituents' interests without demonizing them as evil anti-religious, anti-capitalism, etc. etc. Its false, and stupid, simplistic, and insulting.
Also I am so tired of Republican talking heads claiming that the president is not leading and then complains when he is working to do what he can as a leader. Do Republicans want him to sit on his butt and twiddle his thumbs or do they want him to earn his pay? I forgot, today's Republican lawmakers claim that the government is always ineffective and never works so they CAN sit on their butts, twiddle their thumbs, play golf, and benefit from all the perks. Whatever happened to the good old Republicans who really knew what personal responsibility and hard work were instead of these debutantes?
With all the representatives of the Republican party acting over and over in bad faith on everything and out of nothing but party prejudice, some new form of -ism like racism or sexism, it is so hard to remain independent. I want the old pre-Vietnam war Republican party back. I might still not agree with everything, but people won't be blaming everything on the French, hippies, and Soviets. Some people really need to look at the world as it now and base their judgments on policy rather than party loyalty and stop getting stuck in the past.
Eurydice,
I have 2 responses to your seminar, lol..............
1. Republicans were voted in in a landslide in 2010. That was in order to BLOCK Obama policies.
2. There are 3 branches of govt. for a reason. ONE branch alone can't rule. You may NOT like it but elections have consequences.
VOTE GOP again in 2012!!
Hey.Republicans where are the jobs?Talk is cheap.
Rich,
the jobs bills are sitting on Harry Reid's desk.
stop asking that tired old fake question.
Or in Mr. Obama's back pocket. You know how intent he was during his campaign, driving for jobs for every American, so that he can sleep well at night.
Seen any of them yet Rich? Or, are they somewhere hidden in those 'jobs saved or gained' reports from his administration?
But then again, didn't Harry Reid say the other day the private sector is doing fine creating jobs, it's the public sector where new jobs are needed.
Mitch McConnell made the mistake of his life when he declared on the Senate floor that priority #1 was making sure this president is a failure.........kinda like "Remember the Alamo", fightin words......I am behind the President 100% and let him know it by sending letters and e-mails telling him we have his back. Obama/Biden 2012
Hey Kathryn,
Let's replace the Repub. idea of "making Obama a 1 term President" with the idea that .......
Republicans want to make SOCIALISM a One termer.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT Obama's 9.1 % UNEMPLOYMENT AND $15 TRILLION DEBT ?!
Come on ! All the gop has done is run their mouths about what Obama has't done!
PUt together a JOB's plan or get out of the way!
The actions Obama has proposed are reasonable and needed!
The actions Obama proposed are the same overspending, socialistic statist idiocy that got us 9.1% unemployment and trillions in debt
Wake up to reality. Obama is a massive failure as President.
Obama has his late night cocktail with Moochie in the White House and says to her: It's good to be King!
According to Norquist that is exactly what they want any president to do.
Grover Norquist Tells Morning Joe what qualifications are expected of the next Republican President /Excerpt from video transcript
"The good news is the next republican president only needs a forefinger and the pen and the capacity to hold a pen. he doesn't need to come up with ideas. we have a republican house, we will have a republican senate, they will fix the tax code and send him stuff to sign. he can fly around in a cool big plane and hang around at the white house and he can sign the legislation that Boehner and Mitch McConnell send him, and we'll be fine."
give 'em hell barry!
give 'em hell barry!
hey Mother Cluster,
Maybe you're asking too much of "Barry"?
Barry tried for 3 years and FAILED.
Maybe it's time for him to return to Chicago Gangster UnderWorld.
His friends/criminals ( ex Gov.Blago, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayers , etc.) are waiting there to welcome him,unless they're still in jail , that is....
He can work for ACORN again ........just remind him that ACORN changed it's name because of their corruption.....but "Barry" won't mind that.
@Leona...You are quite an ignorant woman! You and the rest of these idiots keep talking about this President has failed over the last 3 years. Failed to do what exactly??? Pull a miracle out of his ass?? I'm assuming, you think, every president before him succeeded at everything they did??? It's sad that you are so stupid. I never assumed that this President was going to be able to fix things overnight or even in four years. That would make me an idiot, like you, for even believing that notion. I am so thankful that my mother didn't raise Democrat or Republican and to think for myself! All my adult life, I've voted both Republican/Democrat. I don't view myself as either. I look at all candidates. The Republican Party that used to exist is no more. It has been taken over by a bunch of nuts, high on POWER and who simply want to destroy everything and everyone in sight. The Republicans I used to vote for were honorable people who compromised and who reached across the aisles to put country before party. This group in congress isn't even a party. They are a bunch of clowns that just spew hate and discontent.