Obama to Forgo Congress in Lifting Most of Embargo on Cuba

President Obama will unilaterally remove most of the embargo on Cuba, according to John Kavulich of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council and White House officials.

According to Mr. Kavulich, by himself, President Obama will remove nearly all restrictions on Cuba and will forgo Congress. The “embargo” will still exist, but it will be in name only.

“The embargo is a container — it’s been that way since President Eisenhower — that’s had regulations and laws put into it and taken out of it and mixed about,” Mr. Kavulich said. “President Obama is saying, ‘I’m going to leave a shell, but it’s going to be a proverbial Easter egg — it’s going to be hollow.’”

Separately, on the President’s orders, the State Department is looking into removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Congress basically has two powers to stop Obama’s illegal activity. The power of the purse or impeachment. Although both powers are quite real, they are also both political powers, not legal powers like a court has. In other words, when Congress uses the power of the purse, Obama cries government shut-down and the people will blame the GOP. If Congress tried to Impeach the President, Obama cries racism, and the support simply would not be there for the GOP yet again. I’m sorry about these realities, but they are indeed realities.

This leaves Congress Two options in my opinion: One, use the power of the purse or impeachment in spite of the downside and bring the country into a complete crisis. This means violence (Those Ferguson demonstrations are warm-ups just in case the Congress goes this route), strikes, cries of racism, accusations about a do nothing congress etc etc. No one knows where this would end up and it would hurt the economy badly.

Obama is such a unique President because his status as the first minority President essentially inoculates him from the political consequences all other Presidents had to face in the past.

Second option is much more subtle and no where near as satisfying in terms of getting even with Obama for not following our laws. That is, churn out good legislation week in and week out that reforms tax law, social security, e-verification, Obamacare etc etc (you know the problems that need to be addressed) and expose Obama for the Poser that he really is as he vetoes everything and anything because his ego simply won’t allow team work with Congress on any matter big and small. In addition to this, relentlessly challenge all illegal executive activity through the courts. The law is not on Obama’s side. It will be slow, but he will lose most cases over the coming years.

Now, for good or bad it is clear our GOP leaders have chosen option 2. Things can and do change of course, but that is where we are. I hate the box we’re in as much as anyone, but the people voted Obama in and Obama is what we go. One day, he may take it too far and finally have political consequences for his actions, but so far the people don’t give a crap. That’s just a fact.

I bet in the past, when changes were made to the embargo, Congress was involved.

Congress it's high time you did your JOB and stood up to this marauding Marxist!

As much as I dislike what just happened with the CR, I agree with you. The massive storm against the government shutdown last year took a year to fade. The other side of the argument is that the government shutdown showed what President Obama really is and all his actions afterwards built up the Tsunami which occurred.

I wish he could be impeached, but there would be riots and towns burning if he was. Although there are many on FreeRepublic who would probably see that as an opportunity.

Yes, the Executive Branch has enormous and nearly unlimited power when it comes to foreign policy, and Freepers are about to get schooled in this fact, unless they are simply in petulant denial. Like the previous poster said, Congress has a very limited set of options on this, and none are likely to be veto-proof.

There are a couple of other options which do not depend on a veto.

Congress can hold up all of his executive branch appointments, that is a third option.

Another option is to hold ongoing hearings featuring Cuban dissidents who can expound on the repressive regime in Havana.

These options all add up to being irritants, but may have a cumulative effect over the next 2 years.

None of these though can compare with the sweeping policy gestures that a President can make from his podium.

I think the cumulative effect is what killed the Democrats in this last election.

President Obama has got to be the most tone deaf president this country has ever had, or else he really does not care in the least what happens to his party. Either way, his actions keep antagonizing citizens until, even thought they tell the pollsters they support his policies, in reality, they vote differently.

If the elections had been on the 6th and not the 4th, we would have had a different senator in VA.

Behind Obama’s unconditional surrender to the Castro’s brothers, is the plot to make the American taxpayers liable for whatever we sell to Cuba. The end of the embargo is their goal. "Because of something called the Export- Import Bank there's no risk whatsoever in exporting to bankrupt, murderous and kleptocratic regimes- worse there' no incentive for the kleptocrats to clean up their act, as would happen under a genuine free-market. Also the World, financed 80% by the American taxpayers will open their vaults to be freely looted by the Castro brothers."

Castro helped to bankrupt the Soviet Union, Obama before leaving want to complete the destruction of United States.

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