SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
House Speaker John Boehner. (Photo: Talk Radio News Service)
John Boehner's Kabuki Dance
Maybe he needs to get around more.
Aug 13, 2014
If John Boehner is so worried about the president's executive orders, why didn't he sue George W. Bush?
What a hoot to see House Speaker John Boehner up on his hind legs, braying like a goofy mule as he declares that by golly he's filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama for "aggressive unilateralism." Or, was it unilateral aggressivism?
Whatever.
The Ohio Republican says it's an outrage that a president would issue executive orders to set policy without the approval of Congress -- at least on things that Boehner doesn't approve of.
"Everywhere I go," spaketh the speaker, "I'm asked: When will the House stand up on behalf of the people to stop the encroachment of executive power under President Obama?"
Really? Everywhere? That's the question he gets?
Maybe he needs to get around to more places. I think he'd find that most people are more concerned about the imploding middle class, rising poverty, inequality, climate change, surges of violence in the Middle East and former Soviet Union, and even the failure of Boehner's own "leadership" to address these real-life issues.
Nonetheless, Boehner is suing Obama for his "effort to erode the power of the legislative branch."
Let's check the numbers. So far, Obama's White House has issued 183 presidential orders. Yet George W. Bush was far more outrageous, using this power 291 times. Did Boehner try to sue George W. for aggressive unilateralism?
No. Boehner endorsed his fellow Republican's executive orders, even writing to Bush in 2008 pleading with him to exercise that presidential power for a national emergency -- in this case, exempting a "historic steamboat" in his home state of Ohio from safety regulations.
And what about Ronald Reagan's 381 executive orders, Richard Nixon's 346, Dwight Eisenhower's 484, Herbert Hoover's 968, and Teddy Roosevelt's 1,081?
I happen to oppose the use of these orders -- but I also oppose using them to play crass partisan politics, as this goofy speaker is doing.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
This column was distributed by OtherWords.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
If John Boehner is so worried about the president's executive orders, why didn't he sue George W. Bush?
What a hoot to see House Speaker John Boehner up on his hind legs, braying like a goofy mule as he declares that by golly he's filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama for "aggressive unilateralism." Or, was it unilateral aggressivism?
Whatever.
The Ohio Republican says it's an outrage that a president would issue executive orders to set policy without the approval of Congress -- at least on things that Boehner doesn't approve of.
"Everywhere I go," spaketh the speaker, "I'm asked: When will the House stand up on behalf of the people to stop the encroachment of executive power under President Obama?"
Really? Everywhere? That's the question he gets?
Maybe he needs to get around to more places. I think he'd find that most people are more concerned about the imploding middle class, rising poverty, inequality, climate change, surges of violence in the Middle East and former Soviet Union, and even the failure of Boehner's own "leadership" to address these real-life issues.
Nonetheless, Boehner is suing Obama for his "effort to erode the power of the legislative branch."
Let's check the numbers. So far, Obama's White House has issued 183 presidential orders. Yet George W. Bush was far more outrageous, using this power 291 times. Did Boehner try to sue George W. for aggressive unilateralism?
No. Boehner endorsed his fellow Republican's executive orders, even writing to Bush in 2008 pleading with him to exercise that presidential power for a national emergency -- in this case, exempting a "historic steamboat" in his home state of Ohio from safety regulations.
And what about Ronald Reagan's 381 executive orders, Richard Nixon's 346, Dwight Eisenhower's 484, Herbert Hoover's 968, and Teddy Roosevelt's 1,081?
I happen to oppose the use of these orders -- but I also oppose using them to play crass partisan politics, as this goofy speaker is doing.
Jim Hightower
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the books "Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow" (2008) and "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos: A Work of Political Subversion" (1998). Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be - consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
If John Boehner is so worried about the president's executive orders, why didn't he sue George W. Bush?
What a hoot to see House Speaker John Boehner up on his hind legs, braying like a goofy mule as he declares that by golly he's filing a lawsuit against President Barack Obama for "aggressive unilateralism." Or, was it unilateral aggressivism?
Whatever.
The Ohio Republican says it's an outrage that a president would issue executive orders to set policy without the approval of Congress -- at least on things that Boehner doesn't approve of.
"Everywhere I go," spaketh the speaker, "I'm asked: When will the House stand up on behalf of the people to stop the encroachment of executive power under President Obama?"
Really? Everywhere? That's the question he gets?
Maybe he needs to get around to more places. I think he'd find that most people are more concerned about the imploding middle class, rising poverty, inequality, climate change, surges of violence in the Middle East and former Soviet Union, and even the failure of Boehner's own "leadership" to address these real-life issues.
Nonetheless, Boehner is suing Obama for his "effort to erode the power of the legislative branch."
Let's check the numbers. So far, Obama's White House has issued 183 presidential orders. Yet George W. Bush was far more outrageous, using this power 291 times. Did Boehner try to sue George W. for aggressive unilateralism?
No. Boehner endorsed his fellow Republican's executive orders, even writing to Bush in 2008 pleading with him to exercise that presidential power for a national emergency -- in this case, exempting a "historic steamboat" in his home state of Ohio from safety regulations.
And what about Ronald Reagan's 381 executive orders, Richard Nixon's 346, Dwight Eisenhower's 484, Herbert Hoover's 968, and Teddy Roosevelt's 1,081?
I happen to oppose the use of these orders -- but I also oppose using them to play crass partisan politics, as this goofy speaker is doing.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.