Constitutional law scholars on Wednesday told members of Congress they’re a bunch of lily-livered wimps when it comes to dealing with President Barack Obama’s abuses of power, the Washington Post reports.
“Recently, Congress has seemed — frankly — feckless and uncertain as to its authority,” testified Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. “For Congress not to act, in my view, borders on self-loathing.”
He made the comments during a committee hearing Wednesday called “Enforcing the President’s Constitutional Duty to Faithfully Execute the Laws.”
“If you want to stay relevant as an institution,” said Elizabeth Price Foley, a law professor at Florida International University, “I would suggest that you not stand idly by and let the president take your power away.”
The comments come on the heels of Obama’s recent and infamous remark that he would bypass Congress to pass his pet projects.
“I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone — and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward,” Obama had said in January.
Obama has repeatedly changed aspects of his signature Affordable Care Act law, seemingly at will, most notably his decision to delay the employer mandate. Columnist Charles Krauthammer said of the delay: “This is the stuff you do in a Banana Republic.”
And writing for Forbes, David Davenport points out:
He has defined his role as commander in chief in a breathtakingly powerful and detailed manner. For example, he committed the United States to war with Libya without Congressional authorization, an action that both allies and critics agree exceeded proper presidential power. He has claimed authority to target individual enemies for death by drone, including some American citizens located overseas. I’m sorry but the last time I checked, the death penalty for U.S. citizens was reserved to the judicial branch.
When liberal professors join forces with conservative voices, you know times are really bad.
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