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Use Your Executive Authority, President Obama
In the wake of November's "shellacking," progressives are rightfully
concerned that the next two years may result in little more than total
gridlock. With a Republican-controlled House, the chances of major
legislation making its way to the president's desk are, indeed,
virtually nonexistent.
But the administration's hands are not completely tied. On the
contrary, the president still has the power to use executive orders,
rulemaking and diplomacy to further the progressive agenda without ever
consulting Congress.
Nov 17, 2010
In the wake of November's "shellacking," progressives are rightfully
concerned that the next two years may result in little more than total
gridlock. With a Republican-controlled House, the chances of major
legislation making its way to the president's desk are, indeed,
virtually nonexistent.
But the administration's hands are not completely tied. On the
contrary, the president still has the power to use executive orders,
rulemaking and diplomacy to further the progressive agenda without ever
consulting Congress.
On Tuesday, the Center for American Progress released a report
outlining its expert's recommendations for advancing progressive change
in this new political climate. (The full report is worth the read.) As
John Podesta, CAP's President and CEO noted, "The ability of President
Obama to accomplish important change through these powers should not be
underestimated."
The highlights:
1. Use EPA regulatory authority to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 17 percent by 2020.
2. Launch the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency with aggressive rulemaking to protect and empower consumers.
3. Accelerate the implementation of the Small Business Jobs Act so that small businesses can begin hiring again more quickly.
4. Build a new website that promotes government transparency by tracking all public expenditures in real time.
5. Use the authority of the commander in chief to mitigate DADT's impact should Congress fail to repeal it.
6. Appoint a special commission to assess the government's use of independent contractors like Blackwater.
7. Direct agencies to require automatic mediation to avoid foreclosures where possible.
8. Implement the Affordable Care Act while working with the private sector on payment reforms.
9. Create a national awareness campaign on workplace flexibility.
10. Simplify access to federal antipoverty programs.
Not included in the report, but included in my own list: End the war in Afghanistan.
The president can also use his executive authority to advance labor organizing, as my colleague Chris Hayes points out here.
Progressives should keep this all in mind. Over the next two years,
we are sure to hear the administration tell us that it cannot get
anything accomplished while Republicans controlling the House. Let this
report serve as a reminder that they can. All they need is a little
courage--and some genuine presidential leadership.
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© 2023 The Nation
Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an American editor and publisher. She is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995.
In the wake of November's "shellacking," progressives are rightfully
concerned that the next two years may result in little more than total
gridlock. With a Republican-controlled House, the chances of major
legislation making its way to the president's desk are, indeed,
virtually nonexistent.
But the administration's hands are not completely tied. On the
contrary, the president still has the power to use executive orders,
rulemaking and diplomacy to further the progressive agenda without ever
consulting Congress.
On Tuesday, the Center for American Progress released a report
outlining its expert's recommendations for advancing progressive change
in this new political climate. (The full report is worth the read.) As
John Podesta, CAP's President and CEO noted, "The ability of President
Obama to accomplish important change through these powers should not be
underestimated."
The highlights:
1. Use EPA regulatory authority to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 17 percent by 2020.
2. Launch the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency with aggressive rulemaking to protect and empower consumers.
3. Accelerate the implementation of the Small Business Jobs Act so that small businesses can begin hiring again more quickly.
4. Build a new website that promotes government transparency by tracking all public expenditures in real time.
5. Use the authority of the commander in chief to mitigate DADT's impact should Congress fail to repeal it.
6. Appoint a special commission to assess the government's use of independent contractors like Blackwater.
7. Direct agencies to require automatic mediation to avoid foreclosures where possible.
8. Implement the Affordable Care Act while working with the private sector on payment reforms.
9. Create a national awareness campaign on workplace flexibility.
10. Simplify access to federal antipoverty programs.
Not included in the report, but included in my own list: End the war in Afghanistan.
The president can also use his executive authority to advance labor organizing, as my colleague Chris Hayes points out here.
Progressives should keep this all in mind. Over the next two years,
we are sure to hear the administration tell us that it cannot get
anything accomplished while Republicans controlling the House. Let this
report serve as a reminder that they can. All they need is a little
courage--and some genuine presidential leadership.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an American editor and publisher. She is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995.
In the wake of November's "shellacking," progressives are rightfully
concerned that the next two years may result in little more than total
gridlock. With a Republican-controlled House, the chances of major
legislation making its way to the president's desk are, indeed,
virtually nonexistent.
But the administration's hands are not completely tied. On the
contrary, the president still has the power to use executive orders,
rulemaking and diplomacy to further the progressive agenda without ever
consulting Congress.
On Tuesday, the Center for American Progress released a report
outlining its expert's recommendations for advancing progressive change
in this new political climate. (The full report is worth the read.) As
John Podesta, CAP's President and CEO noted, "The ability of President
Obama to accomplish important change through these powers should not be
underestimated."
The highlights:
1. Use EPA regulatory authority to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 17 percent by 2020.
2. Launch the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency with aggressive rulemaking to protect and empower consumers.
3. Accelerate the implementation of the Small Business Jobs Act so that small businesses can begin hiring again more quickly.
4. Build a new website that promotes government transparency by tracking all public expenditures in real time.
5. Use the authority of the commander in chief to mitigate DADT's impact should Congress fail to repeal it.
6. Appoint a special commission to assess the government's use of independent contractors like Blackwater.
7. Direct agencies to require automatic mediation to avoid foreclosures where possible.
8. Implement the Affordable Care Act while working with the private sector on payment reforms.
9. Create a national awareness campaign on workplace flexibility.
10. Simplify access to federal antipoverty programs.
Not included in the report, but included in my own list: End the war in Afghanistan.
The president can also use his executive authority to advance labor organizing, as my colleague Chris Hayes points out here.
Progressives should keep this all in mind. Over the next two years,
we are sure to hear the administration tell us that it cannot get
anything accomplished while Republicans controlling the House. Let this
report serve as a reminder that they can. All they need is a little
courage--and some genuine presidential leadership.
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