Barack Obama has been the most divisive President of the United States in modern times. After I type this, Obama’s acolytes are about to call me racist, evil or some type of primitive troglodyte. The mere fact that I feel constrained to begin my criticism of Barack Obama, the leader of our formerly free country, by defending myself proves how far we have fallen.
Shortly after the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government we now had. He responded “A republic, if you can keep it.” For more than two centuries we have been able to do so. Now, I’m not so sure we will.
The first thing every president does, after his inauguration, is take the following solemn oath:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”(1)
Despite Obama’s inflated opinion of himself, these duties are not optional. Politics has been called the art of compromise. That is a phrase which does not exist in his vocabulary.
The constitution specifically requires the president to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” (2) That means all of the laws, not just the ones you agree with Mr. Obama. The current occupant of the White House considers oaths to be minor inconveniences.
The U.S. Constitution charges Congress with the duty of passing our laws. The Executive is supposed to enforce them. Barack Obama and his surrogates now want to do both or neither, depending which is convenient.
When President Obama’s most treasured piece of legislation, the disaster commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” began suffering some entirely predictable problems shortly after passage, attempting to repair this mess was up to Congress. However, rather than risk his prize being repealed, or, perish the thought, listening to other opinions, Obama decided to make politically expedient changes himself. He wasn’t going to let a minor detail like following the law interfere with his plans. As of April 8, 2014, President Obama illegally changed Obamacare 22 times without legislative or judicial consent.
Hubris is certainly not uncommon in a politician, but President Obama raises it to an art form. His disdain for all who dare disagree with him was revealed in his comment to a reporter from The New York Times. The President was asked what he thought about the legal objections to one of his many changes to Obamacare: his haughty reply was:
“I’m not concerned about their opinions,” Obama said of legislators who raised concerns. “Very few of them, by the way, are lawyers, much less constitutional lawyers.” (3)
They are however, elected representatives of the people expressing their legitimate concerns. As a former professor of constitutional law, I’m sure you know that.
One of the many important checks on the President’s power, designed to prevent him from filling certain important government positions with his lackeys rather than competent civil servants, is the requirement of receiving “the advice and consent of the Senate.” Obama treats his constitutional obligation to obtain the Senate’s approval as an irritating detail to be ignored at his whim. According to that pesky constitution, the president is permitted to make “recess” appointments when the Senate is not in session. (4) Obama wanted to fill several important positions with political allies he likely could not get confirmed by the Senate had he followed the law. Although the Senate was not in recess, Obama decided to pretend it was. Filling the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with political lackeys would allow him to pay off his union allies by twisting labor laws to their benefit. However, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court struck down these appointments as unconstitutional. The Administration’s response to this ruling was typically disdainful. The chairman of the NLRB announced that the board disagreed with the decision and, since it had “important work to do,” would continue to operate. (5) The lack of a lawful quorum to act would not be allowed to interfere with the NLRB’s meddling. The Obama administration’s attitude towards any criticism could best be described as “we know better – sit down and shut up.”
There is no disagreement allowed by the current administration, and it accepts no limits on its power. Most damning of all Obama’s crimes is his protection of political allies who physically threaten people who dare try to exercise their right to vote. On Election Day in 2008, members of the New Black Panther Party, some of America’s homegrown terrorists, threatened voters attempting to exercise this sacred right in Philadelphia. These thugs stood at a polling station brandishing weapons and threatening voters. A video of this incident went viral on the internet. How did our respected leaders treat this criminal activity? By overruling members of the Justice Department staff and dismissing most of the charges. (6)
Ignoring laws which he dislikes and illegally inventing new ones are only some of Obama’s abuses of executive power. Woe to he who dares hold opinions unacceptable to Obama in our formerly free country. The Obama Administration has taken to using government agencies as attack dogs to prevent legitimate dissent.
Lois Lerner, the former director of the IRS Exempt Organizations Division has been one of the most vicious of these attack dogs. She used the power of the IRS to illegally deny tax-exempt status to conservative political groups. She even coordinated these illegal attacks with Obama’s allies. In response to a question from one a liberal organization who wanted to know why a particular conservative group had not yet been audited she replied “You should know that we are working on a denial of the application,” (7). Way to go Lois. You just gotta love those impartial civil servants.
Obama’s arrogance and disdain for, well, just about anyone who is not Barack Obama or one of his henchmen is palpable. This article only explores a few of his crimes. It does not address the numerous cover-ups of scandals involving both domestic and foreign policy.
Alas, I fear with have ignored Benjamin Franklin’s stern warning. Legislators on both sides of the aisle are also to blame in the destruction of our republic. By failing to defend the powers of the legislature, they have emasculated our nation. Unless action is taken quickly, the damage may be permanent. The Constitution grants Congress the power to impeach a president for “High crimes and misdemeanors.” Surely, illegally taking from Congress its right to pass laws would qualify. Unfortunately, even if Congress does its job and impeaches the president, he would almost certainly be found not guilty in the subsequent Senate trial. Even before the advent of political correctness, which now makes you a racist should you dare criticize Barack Obama, the only two presidents who had been impeached were also found not guilty, although their alleged crimes were far less serious. However, a likely failure does not absolve Congress of its obligations. The next time a Republican is elected president, the Democrats may suffer a “be careful what you wish for” situation when they try to exercise their legitimate powers.
There has never been an administration in the United States that has openly flouted laws as badly as Obama’s. Additionally, its vicious and illegal attacks on all who dare oppose them are unprecedented in the United States. Richard Nixon with his “enemies list” was an absolute peach when compared with the Obama regime.
References:
1. The United States Constitution: Article II, section 1.
2. The United States Constitution, Article II, section 3.
3. The New York Times, August 7, 2013
4. The United States Constitution: Article II, section 2
5. The Heritage Foundation: February 14, 2014
6. Townhall: March 18, 2013
7. The Wall Street Journal: April 9, 2014
Further Reading
1. The United States Constitution
Article Author: Andrew Grossman
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