Hail, King Obama

The Radical Right is now accusing President of acting like a "king". Last time I looked, kings were strong willed people whose slightest whim became law.  How then can the same people accuse the President/King of being weak, indecisive and lazy? The answer is simple. They offer up whatever attack seems to fit the situation best. Their only consistent principle is to always attack the President.

So let's take a look at the "King" charge. Congress has the job of passing laws. The Radical Right doesn't believe in laws, or regulations for that matter. According to their core belief, laws strangle freedom. Speaker Boehner made this position very clear when he said that everyone should judge the success of the House by how many laws they repealed. I'm not sure they were very successful with revoking laws, but they were very good at preventing Congress from doing practically anything else.

So who is there left to carry on the country's essential functions? President Obama in no way acts like a "King." He uses the powers that Congress has given him to administer the laws Congress already passed. Most people want a functioning government, so he is doing whatever he can to keep our country moving forward.

What would happen if President Obama were really acting like a "king?" He would be able to write whatever laws he wanted, and send them off to Congress with orders like, "I want this bill on my desk by Friday." Congress would have to comply.

So what would "King" Obama require Congress to do?  He would direct them to pass immigration reform, to reform tax law, to control emissions, to rebuild our infrastructure, to create research centers around the country to promote innovation, to pass gun safety legislation, and to raise the minimum wage for all workers. These are all items on the President's agenda, which Congress has blocked, despite their popularity with the majority of the American people. Like most Americans, I would love to see them become laws.

But I'm just engaging in wishful thinking. Even the limited actions President Obama can take are too much for the Radical Right. Now, they plan to sue the President to prevent him from doing his job without specific clearance from Congress. This certainly wasn't what the creators of our Constitution had in mind. If the Radical Right gets its way, the Presidency will cease to be a part of the federal power base.

We are all supposed to be happy that the House isn't planning to impeach the President, only reduce his powers. That act of generosity will exist only until they recapture the Senate, which they expect to do in the November election. If that happens, The House will have the Bill of Impeachment ready for action on the first day of the new session.

I think I am making a strong case that November 4th is the most critical election day for generations. The Radical Right will be in power, though they don't believe in Democracy, and they don't believe that laws make us free. And they will impeach the President. So voters, if you sit home this election day, as you did in 2010, you will be condemning America to a very dangerous future. And you will have even more to be ashamed of than the Radical Right.