President Obama seems on course either to will lose reelection this November or to win by a far slimmer margin than in 2008. He will be faced with a Senate that is far more conservative than it was in 2009, and may even be in Republican control. Odds are that the House will also still be in Republican hands. What then?
If you were hoping that such an outcome would moderate Obama’s views and force him to the negotiating table, think again. As The New York Times reports today, Obama reached “a turning point” last fall, and has since been “seeking ways to act without Congress.” Apparently, Obama coined the branding for this unilateral governance himself: “We can’t wait.”
As the Times notes, Obama’s decision to govern as a dictator evolved over time. At first he limited himself to areas where the administration had honestly tried, but failed, to get new legislation through Congress; on greenhouse gas regulations, on rewriting education policy, and on deportation policy. But after the debt deal negotiations, Obama apparently became frustrated. Since then Obama has acted on student loans and made appointments to the NLRB and new consumer protection board without Senate approval. “Many more such moves are coming,” The Times reports.
What The Times fails to mention explicitly is where the Supreme Court will fit into all of this. It does say, “Obama’s increasingly assertive use of executive action could foreshadow pitched battles over the separation of powers in his second term,” but it does not say where those battles will take place.
Ultimately, many of them will take place in the court room. Industry has already sued Obama over his greenhouse gas regulations and his NLRB appointments. If is only a matter of time before the CFPB is sued too. Challenges to his education and immigration re-writes will also come as possible plaintiffs are affected by those policy changes. If Obama does win a second term, most of it will be spent in front of the Supreme Court defending his unilateral use of legislative and executive power.
Campaign 2012
Romney: With five states set to vote in the Republican primary tomorrow, Romney will travel to New Hampshire Tuesday where he will address the nation at 8 pm with a speech entitled, “A Better America Begins Tonight.” MSNBC’s Chuck Todd is reporting that Sen. Kelly Ayote, R-N.H., could be a Romney vice president pick.
Obama: The New York Times reports that Obama is planning on increasing his use of executive power to act without Congress.
Veepstakes: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told CNN that he would no longer comment on his interest in being vice president, explaining that Romney was now the nominee and that all Republicans should “kind of respect that process.”
Around the Bigs
USA Today, Alleged Secret Service scandal spreads to second hotel: The prostitution scandal involving the U.S. Secret Service has spread to a second hotel, the same hotel where Obama stayed while he was in Colombia.
The New York Times, Administration Torn on Secret Service Scandal Response: Obama has been reluctant to criticize the organization that keeps him safe on a day-to-day basis.
The Los Angeles Times, GSA waste goes much deeper than the Las Vegas junket: GSA Inspector General Brian Miller reports that fraud involving the federal agency’s employers and contractors costs millions of dollars every year.
The New York Times, G.A.O. Calls Test Project by Medicare Costly Waste: Medicare is wasting more than $8 billion on an experimental program that rewards providers of mediocre health care and is unlikely to produce useful results, the Government Accountability Office reports.
The Associated Press, 1 in 2 new graduates are jobless or underemployed: An analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press found that a weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.
The Wall Street Journal, Arizona Immigration Law Faces Supreme Court Test: The Supreme Court will hear the Obama administration’s case against Arizona SB 1070 immigration law this Friday.
The Washington Post, GOP freshman class turned into ‘a monster’ for Boehner, other House leaders: According to “Do Not Ask What Good We Do,” a new book by GQ writer Robert Draper, the freshman class repeatedly created problems for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
The New York Times, Iranians Say They Took Secret Data From Drone: Iran claimed on Sunday to have extracted secret intelligence information from an advanced American drone aircraft that crashed in the country in December.
Righty Playbook
At the Library of Law and Liberty, George Mason University School of Law Professor Todd Zywicki explains way upholding the rule of law is most important in times of crisis.
At The American Interest, Walter Russell Mead mocks a video of New York Times writers pleading to save their defined benefit pension plans.
At The Corner, John Fund celebrates Mia Love’s win in the Utah-4 Republican primary.
Lefty Platbook
Talking Points Memo‘s Josh Marshall responds to New York Times Public Editor Arthur Brisbane’s article claiming that the media, including the NYT, never truly ‘vetted’ Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Mother Jones‘ Kevin Drum tells liberals how to fight back against claims that the rich already pay their fair share.
Think Progress reports that “62 Percent Of Karl Rove’s $123 Million In ‘Crossroads’ Fundraising Comes From Secret Donors.”
