GOP presidential candidates react to obama non-recess recess appointments

◼ Speaking up in defense of the Constitution. - John Hayward at Human Events

The Republican candidates for president have begun responding to President Obama’s illegal appointment of Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which violates both the United States Constitution and the Dodd-Frank financial legislation which created the CFPB. Obama also appointed three new members of the National Labor Relations Board, again in violation of the Constitution.

These actions have been widely, but inaccurately, described in the media as “recess appointments,” but the Senate is not currently in recess. We have that on the authority of no less than… President Barack Obama. As the Heritage Foundation recalls, his vaunted “payroll tax cut” extension was passed by the Senate on December 23, and signed into law by the President on the same day, when the Senate was in pro forma session.

If we grant the President the extra-Constitutional power to unilaterally decree that the Senate is not actually in session, then he has just completely voided his own payroll tax cut extension. Or are the last few desperate partisans trying to defend this outrage prepared to argue that Obama gets to decide whether individual days of a pro forma session count as “recess” or not? Or that the President can sign laws that didn’t actually pass Congress?... Today's Must Read

◼ Santorum: Senate Should Do What It’s “Supposed To” Over Illegal Recess Appointment, Including Suing Obama - The Hill Briefing Room

“I hope that the United States Senate does what they’re supposed to do, and they should go and even take the president to court. This is not something that the president should get away with,” he said.