◼ Obama’s Indifference to Law Echoes Famed Plot Of the Writer O. Henry - BETSY McCAUGHEY/NY Sun
The difference between the Republican Party and the Democrats today is over the rule of law. When President Obama appointed judges without Senate approval, made environmental law without Congress, and rewrote his health law two dozen times, Republicans protested that Mr. Obama was shredding the Constitution.
Most Democratic lawmakers turned a blind eye to the Constitution they swore to uphold. Last Thursday, Mr. Obama opted for lawlessness again, dictating broad changes to immigration law. He made them banana-republic style: one man ruling with the stroke of his pen.
The phrase “banana republic” was invented by the American fiction writer O. Henry, in exile a century ago in Honduras. It was a country where laws were changed frequently by petty dictators. Mr. Obama says he’s acting alone because Congress waited too long. But the Constitution vests all legislative powers, including immigration and naturalization law, with Congress. It doesn’t say “unless Congress waits too long.” There’s no timetable.
Republicans are condemning Mr. Obama’s latest power grab. Predictably, only a handful of Democratic lawmakers have said they were worried about the president’s dictatorial approach. Most are applauding him for getting something done. The framers of the Constitution were worried about presidential power grabs. They were steeped in the history of European despots, and invented a system of checks and balances to keep power-hungry presidents in line.
The problem today is bigger than one lawless man. Democratic Party leaders – half of the nation’s political establishment – talk a lot about rights, but not about the rule of law. The Constitution isn’t on their radar. No matter where you stand on immigration, this growing indifference to the Constitution is alarming. It’s given Mr. Obama license to pursue his dangerous course and future presidents to do likewise. KEEP READING
