Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Senator Jeff Sessions is now a man with a plan
al ^ | J. Pepper Bryars

Posted on 11/19/2014 10:25:39 AM PST by Red Steel

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has long been the conservative movement's voice in the lawless wilderness that is our nation's immigration system.

"What Jeff Sessions is doing is what the Republican Party at large should be doing," conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh said last summer, days after saying "God bless him" for the senator's work to secure our nation's borders.

In 2006, Sessions spoke against the Republican-backed bill that would have granted amnesty to millions of illegal aliens before securing the border they so easily crossed. He then spent the next few years trying to get our federal government to enforce existing immigration laws.

In 2013, Sessions spoke against the Democrat-backed bill that would have also granted amnesty before securing the border, and in the process became, as the National Journal put it, "the loudest voice in Washington opposing President Obama's immigration policies." The friendly yet resolute senator has been successful despite being in an era when Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., stripped the minority of their long-held procedural rights. In short, Sessions won even when he held no power.

In 2015, everything will change when Republicans take control of the Senate and Sessions becomes chairman of the powerful Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the majority controlling the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sessions will no longer be a voice in the political wilderness. He'll be a man with a plan to stop President Barack Obama's planned executive order granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

Last week Sessions appeared on Fox News and said that Congress could "bar any expenditure of money to carry out such an executive amnesty." It will be "very expensive" just to produce the identification cards needed for the plan, he explained. Such costs could be targeted by legislation and then prohibited. With no money to implement the massive program, any executive order would simply be a piece of paper.

In a standoff between the White House and Congress many conservatives believe the Republicans will blink. They always do, but Sessions is different. I don't believe he'll bend or break on the issue. He understands what is at risk, both democratically and constitutionally.

"President Obama will be exercising powers properly belonging to Congress if he makes good on his threat," Sessions wrote in a letter to Reid last week urging the lame duck session of the Senate to act out of its own institutional interests. He warned that executive amnesty would be "lawless" and set off a "constitutional crisis."

He's right. What if every other president who knocked heads with Congress decided to create laws by himself? Where would our republic be? Who knows, but it wouldn't be a republic.

Supporters of executive amnesty claim that the dictatorial-like move is justified because Congress is intractable on the issue. But where in our constitutional does it say that the president is allowed to make laws by himself if Congress is being hardheaded? It doesn't. If the executive and legislative branches disagree, our government is designed so that it's nearly impossible for one side to prevail. Only the Congress, interestingly enough, is allowed to both write and enact a law through a super majority vote. The president, as a single person, should be powerless to act alone except during an extreme crisis, and even then it's only temporary.

Democratically, the message sent from voters last week is clear: we want the border secured before anyone is granted status.

"Republicans in the House and Senate campaigned against the Obama-Senate immigration bill and on the pledge to block President Obama's unlawful executive amnesty," Sessions said. "The immediate emergency facing our new majority will be fighting the President's disastrous planned actions, and we will have not only a Constitutional mandate but also a popular mandate to do so."

Thankfully, with senators like Sessions now in power and leading the charge, the Republicans in Congress will indeed fight back.


TOPICS: Editorial
KEYWORDS: aliens; amnesty; jeffsessions
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-43 next last
I've heard rumbles that the GOP-E want to remove Sessions from the head of the Senate Budget Committee.
1 posted on 11/19/2014 10:25:39 AM PST by Red Steel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Why wouldn’t they...he has a plan to stop amnesty. RINO’s didn’t listen to the public.


2 posted on 11/19/2014 10:27:55 AM PST by RummyChick
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Rush said in essense, the Chamber of Commerce owns these RINOS, and they will take Sessions down. No money to block amnesty with Sessions gone.


3 posted on 11/19/2014 10:29:13 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

I just heard Rush say that. That is very worrisome.


4 posted on 11/19/2014 10:29:25 AM PST by JudyinCanada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel
Want to replace him with Enzi.

We were all told by Freepers that Enzi was a conservative's conservative. So why would the GOPe want to replace Sessions with Enzi???

5 posted on 11/19/2014 10:31:12 AM PST by gov_bean_ counter (Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Actually was just stated by Rush that Sessions would be removed from that position by the new leadership.

??


6 posted on 11/19/2014 10:31:27 AM PST by right way right (America has embraced the suck of Freedumb.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JudyinCanada

Well the GOP-E is not willing to do what they were elected to do it seems.


7 posted on 11/19/2014 10:33:10 AM PST by dpetty121263
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

That’s what Rush just said.


8 posted on 11/19/2014 10:33:34 AM PST by Excellence (Marine mom since April 11, 2014)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Sessions for President in 2016


9 posted on 11/19/2014 10:35:04 AM PST by Democrat_media (call Congress 202-224-3121 to stop Obama's executive order for Amnesty for illegals)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel
Democratically, the message sent from voters last week is clear: we want the border secured before anyone is granted status.

Obama could care less about what the country wants or how they voted. He is proceeding full speed ahead with his mission to trash the country. So far, he's on track. We need to derail him before we all wind up in a national train wreck.

10 posted on 11/19/2014 10:36:22 AM PST by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Jeff Sessions has been everywhere saying once he becomes the head of the Senate Budget Committee, he would make a duty to defund Obama’s amnesty by the control of the purse.
It looks like the establishment is worse than ever versus doing any changes to save this country, if this comes to pass.


11 posted on 11/19/2014 10:36:50 AM PST by Christie at the beach
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

PING


12 posted on 11/19/2014 10:37:02 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

Good thing we all went out and voted for Republicans and showed those traitorous democrats who’s boss - happy days are here again! Wait...what?


13 posted on 11/19/2014 10:37:44 AM PST by Paulie (Get off the grid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Christie at the beach

Our public servants (isn’t that a laugh) are out of control - doing whatever they damn please.

Heard that Boehner etc voted down a plan to require staffers to abide by Obamacare just like the rest of us.

WE THE PEOPLE are SOLD OUT!


14 posted on 11/19/2014 10:39:42 AM PST by Aria ( 2008 & 2012 weren't elections - they were coups d’état .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Christie at the beach

we need to start a Sessions for president in 2016 movement.


15 posted on 11/19/2014 10:42:04 AM PST by Democrat_media (call Congress 202-224-3121 to stop Obama's executive order for Amnesty for illegals)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: gov_bean_ counter

Time to light up the phones and tell them we don’t want Enzi to Chairman. We want Sessions.


16 posted on 11/19/2014 10:49:42 AM PST by lone star annie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Aria

It’s going to come down to R Senate votes to remove Sessions as the Budget Chairman.

I don’t think Mitchy Mick or whoever in the hardcore GOP-E have the Repub Senator votes to do it.


17 posted on 11/19/2014 10:49:55 AM PST by Red Steel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

God, I hope not.


18 posted on 11/19/2014 10:50:30 AM PST by Protect the Bill of Rights
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Red Steel

I hope you are right.


19 posted on 11/19/2014 10:52:45 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: Paulie

Look at it this way. They have to show their cards. They all talk big when they are on the losing side of an issue.

We have forced their hands.


20 posted on 11/19/2014 10:53:38 AM PST by Protect the Bill of Rights
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-43 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson