In Contempt of the Constitution

Today Obama did something that is unprecedented in our history. It seems presidents have been pressing for more and more power as is the nature of men. Our founding fathers understood this and so put checks and balances in the way to prevent any branch from grabbing too much power.

What he did was what he called a “recess appointment” though in reality congress wasn’t in recess. This is yet one more thing demonstrating Obama’s contempt for the constitution. Congress was not in recess, they simply weren’t there for ONE day. To Obama this was as much as he needed.

The reason Obama gave for this is about as weak as they come. A White House spokesman said, “The White

House countered by arguing Obama circumvented Congress only after senators stonewalled the nominee for months” So if you think about it what they’re saying is that if Obama doesn’t like the decisions of congress he has a right to circumvent them or simply ignore them. He’s also implying that congress should just fall in line. No matter what the reason for them denying the confirmation of this man doesn’t really matter. They still need to give their consent or the person doesn’t get appointed. Obama could see there was no recess any time soon and so decided to use the one day off the congress was taking and simply declare it a recess himself so that he could appoint someone the congress not only wouldn’t confirm but voted against.

Obama seems to have shown on a regular basis his contempt for the constitution and his desire to ignore it as an irrelevant or at the very least and out of date document. He seems to hold a great deal of distain for American history and for the founding principles of our nation. He has said as much on several occasions. Though I know not even FOX News wants to call him what he is, at this point there is less and less doubt that he is either a communist or a socialist, both of which are only slightly different shades of the same color.

Once again we have a spineless congress who are willing to take no more action on this than to use it as a news and campaigning issue, but not willing to confront Obama in some legal or concrete way on the way he’s trashing the constitution.

I find it amazing that the media puts some qualification on what the recess appointments in the constitution are about.

Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution states:

He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law  vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.
This section is quite clear on the appointments of the president. It say only if the vacancy occurs during the recess of congress. Well this vacancy occurred before the recess of congress and there was also no recess. This is clearly a constitutional violation.

I would also ask, "Why is it that none of the appointments ever expire. They are only meant to be temporary and congress still has to give their consent, or maybe it's just considered consent because they don't demand they step down or at least vote on them. To me this is a big thing, but again congress is falling down on the job of keeping the executive branch in check.

This is not something congress should just let go of, neither is it something they should just gripe about on the evening news as though that will make any difference or mean anything to the president. In this respect he has a very Islamic view seeing this behavior as only weakness giving him license to do yet more of the same.

It is little wonder that Congress is held in such low regard by the people. The congress shows contempt both for the people as a whole, though they butter up their own constituents, and for the constitution they have sword to uphold and defend. This is a very serious issue and we need to do something about it.

It is more important now than ever that we vote out every member of congress who is falling down on the job! We need to stop thinking it is everyone else's congressman that is falling down on the job and recognize that it is probably ours as well.

Ask yourself, "What has your congressman done for the nation as a whole that you are so excited about that you want to give them another 6 years?"

If you can't think of something then it is probably time you voted that person out. I for one cannot think of anything either Dianne Feinstein or Barbara Boxer has done that we shoudl vote either of them back in office, yet Californians continue to do just that.