Posted on 05/07/2010 3:37:08 PM PDT by fightinJAG
The NYT reports this morning that Barack Obama, like many presidents before him, is now seeking line-item veto authority.
President Obama, in his latest effort to signal fiscal responsibility against the rising debt, plans this month to ask Congress to give him and future presidents greater power to try to delete individual items from spending bills.
In doing so, Mr. Obama will join a long line of his predecessors who have sought either line-item veto power or, after the Supreme Court in 1998 ruled such a veto unconstitutional, some other rescission authority that passes muster. Congress once again is unlikely to be receptive, though growing antidebt sentiment could give the proposal life.
Of course cynics like me would say Now why would someone who has racked up a trillion or two in debt be suddenly interested in vetoing spending items from his own party? The answer, I believe, is: he isnt. The more likely scenario is that Obama is preparing for an increasingly-likely GOP takeover of the House and Senate, and (more importantly) he may be positioning to fight Republican efforts to repeal the now-passed healthcare reform legislation.
Since Obama is certain to veto any legislation to repeal HCR, the only real way for Republicans to push through a rollback would be to attach repeal measures to spending bills that Obama would not be likely to veto in total. A line-item veto would provide the means to cut those items while leaving spending intact. Now if a GOP-controlled Congress simply fails to fund HCR items, this obviously is irrelevant, since he could not veto what does not exist. But if the Republicans used other means to repeal, the line-item veto could provide Obama the ability to eliminate them.
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
Hey!
Finally, there is one thing that I can agree with Zer0!
(Not that he would use the authority wisely.)
Actually...just to avoid funding various piece and parts of it...basically kills off the entire mess. If the IRS doesn’t get additional manpower...things go downhill fast.
he better be
because its coming
or at least IT BETTER GODDAMWELL BE COMING REPUBLICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he better be
because its coming
or at least IT BETTER GODDAMWELL BE COMING REPUBLICANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the rate he and his ilk are moving, that may be the unpleasant result of his actions
Repeal is irrelevant! Any federal version of health care is unconstitutional since Article 1 Section 8 does not specifically grant Congress the power to regulate health care! The people are not bound to comply with an unconstitutional act!
bttt
There's NO SUCH THING!
Why does this keep coming up every 10-15years? It's contrary to the Constitution. Period.
“Contrary to the Constitution” defines this bumbling administration.
Dat homey goin' down!
Waaaaayyyyy Down.
Still, repeal would be nice. Although this article floats the idea that it might be better for the GOP to simply refuse to fund Obamacare. Then they don’t have to enact anything and there is nothing to veto.
I suppose this could be done as a stop-gap measure until we get a new president.
>Repeal is irrelevant! Any federal version of health care is unconstitutional since Article 1 Section 8 does not specifically grant Congress the power to regulate health care! The people are not bound to comply with an unconstitutional act!
88
I agree, but there’s the other ignorant, idiotic half of America that once they see IRS, they start to piss their pants. Repeal is needed as well..
Of course cynics like me would say "Now why would someone who has racked up a trillion or two in debt be suddenly interested in vetoing spending items from his own party?" The answer, I believe, is: "he isn't." The more likely scenario is that Obama is preparing for an increasingly-likely GOP takeover of the House and Senate, and (more importantly) he may be positioning to fight Republican efforts to repeal the now-passed healthcare "reform" legislation.
Line item veto is just as unconstitutional as Barry’s signature on anything.
If he wants a line item veto, he can return a bill intact and recommend it come back for signature without the offending piece.
Otherwise, why have legislation, from a supposedly deliberative body, that has co-equal powers and can check anything from the White House.
Either he sign in full a bill or it is not a bill.
Either his citizenship at birth was whole or it was divided.
What do you mean? /s/s/s
“No controlling authority...”
Line-Item veto or no, there is little Obama could do if a GOP House simply refused to fund Obamacare or refused to pay the salaries of Obamacare staff.
There is no way to veto a “line” that doesn’t exist.
Agreed, and I think that’s an idea worth mulling. However, the politics of the matter probably make refusing to fund Obamacare a higher mountain to climb than even repeal. I could be wrong about that, obviously. I guess the bottom line is, though, that what strategy is settled upon will be influenced by what is politically possible at the time as well.
My mama always told me that folks who take the Lord’s name in vain are peabrains.
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