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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Clarence Page
"We can't wait." Finally, President Obama has had enough of what he rightly calls an "increasingly dysfunctional
He's issued orders that will help an estimated 1.6 million college students pay off their student loans, assist an estimated 1 million homeowners renegotiate their mortgages, help thousands of veterans find a job. He's established an on-line center to help small businesses looking for export markets. And yesterday, he issued an executive order designed to help seniors with prescription drugs that are in short supply, calling on the
By issuing executive orders, the president takes the offensive, instead of waiting on
The tendency is to blame both sides, so the obstructionist strategy works.
But by acting, the president stops banging his head against that wall. Instead, he demonstrates what he is fighting for, where his priorities are - and he exposes what that partisan wall in
Governance by executive order goes back to George Washington, who issued the first order in 1789. Presidents have used executive orders without congressional action for a broad range of actions, better or worse. Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, used executive orders to preserve 130 million acres of natural wilderness and set up five national parks that we enjoy to this day. Abraham Lincoln used an executive order to suspend the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War. Gerald Ford, another Republican, used an executive action to pardon Richard Nixon. Franklin Roosevelt, not surprisingly, issued nearly 4,000 executive orders over the course of fighting the Great Depression and World War II. And Harry Truman used executive orders to desegregate the military.
Of all the presidents since Washington, Obama actually has issued the fewest executive orders. But the Constitution allows a president to protect the nation's interest from a
The leaders of the opposition party have proved their priority is not jobs, not public health for all, not stopping foreclosure, and not stopping onerous loans for students - but is only to stop the president. When
The orders allow the president to take initiative, but there are severe limits. The president cannot appropriate funds by executive order. Any order he issues can be erased by the
Obama's orders can't take the steps we need to alleviate the mortgage crisis or to forestall the coming student loan debacle. He can't put people to work on his own hook. At the end of the day, we still need
But Senate Republicans filibustered to block even a debate on the president's jobs plan (talk about the politics of partisan division). In a stagnant economy, they have stalled action to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance and to keep teachers and cops on the jobs. Ending these programs will cost jobs - and quite possibly tilt a staggering economy back into a recession.
So, the president has no choice but to keep pushing, do what he can on his own, and continue to challenge
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President Obama: We Can't Wait | Politics
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