Posted on 11/18/2010 10:10:08 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
The liberal Center for American Progress doesn’t believe significant GOP gains in the House and Senate should stop the President from implementing more of his polices. The group released a report Tuesday suggesting ways Obama can bypass Congress to accomplish a progressive agenda, and it cites the president’s power as commander-in-chief to make its point.
“I think most of the conversation since the election has been about how President Obama adjusts to the new situation on Capitol Hill,” Center for American Progress head and former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta told the Daily Caller. “While that’s an important conversation, it simply ignores the president’s ability to use all levels of his power and authority to move the country forward.”
How does one “move the country forward”? In the center’s report, Podesta explains that Obama can use executive orders, rulemaking, and even the armed forces “to accomplish important change” and that such means “should not be underestimated.”
What exactly does Podesta think the president should use such powers to “accomplish”? Among others, the report suggests “job creation,“ ”quality affordable health care,“ ”sustainable security,“ and ”a clean energy future.”
The report cites specific goals such as mitigating the effects of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, supporting a Palestinian state, and reducing greenhouse gasses by 17 percent by 2020.
“The U.S. Constitution and the laws of our nation grant the president significant authority to make and implement policy,” Podesta writes. ”Congressional gridlock does not mean the federal government stands still.”
Statement from John D. Podesta November 15, 2010
In the aftermath of this month’s midterm congressional elections, pundits and politicians across the ideological spectrum are focusing on how difficult it will be for President Barack Obama to advance his policy priorities through Congress. Predictions of stalemate abound. And some debate whether the administration should tack to the left or to the center and compromise with or confront the new House leadership.
As a former White House chief of staff, I believe those to be the wrong preoccupations. President Obama’s ability to govern the country as chief executive presents an opportunity to demonstrate strength, resolve, and a capacity to get things done on a host of pressing challenges of importance to the public and our economy. Progress, not positioning, is what the public wants and deserves.
The U.S. Constitution and the laws of our nation grant the president significant authority to make and implement policy. These authorities can be used to ensure positive progress on many of the key issues facing the country through:
* Executive orders * Rulemaking * Agency management * Convening and creating public-private partnerships * Commanding the armed forces * Diplomacy
The ability of President Obama to accomplish important change through these powers should not be underestimated. President Bush, for example, faced a divided Congress throughout most of his term in office, yet few can doubt his ability to craft a unique and deeply conservative agenda using every aspect of the policymaking apparatus at his disposal. And, after his party lost control of Congress in 1994, President Clinton used executive authority and convening power to make significant progressive change. For instance, he protected more great spaces in the lower 48 states than any president since Theodore Roosevelt, established for the first time significant protections for Americans’ medical privacy, and urged the creation of the Welfare-to-Work Partnership that enlisted the help of 20,000 businesses in moving more than 1 million welfare recipients into the workforce.
The upshot: Congressional gridlock does not mean the federal government stands still. This administration has a similar opportunity to use available executive authorities while also working with Congress where possible. At the Center for American Progress, we look forward to our nation continuing to make progress.
Read the full report (pdf)
Download the executive summary (pdf)
Download the report to e-readers and mobile devices from Scribd
To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:
Print: Megan Smith (health care, education, economic policy) 202.741.6346 or msmith@americanprogress.org
Print: Anna Soellner (foreign policy and security, energy) asoellner@americanprogress.org
Print: Raúl Arce-Contreras (ethnic media, immigration) 202.478.5318 or rarcecontreras@americanprogress.org
Radio: Laura Pereyra 202.741.6258 or lpereyra@americanprogress.org
TV: Andrea Purse 202.741.6250 or apurse@americanprogress.org
Web: Erin Lindsay 202.741.6397 or elindsay@americanprogress.org http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/11/executive_orders.html/#statement
Dont worry, did you read the replies?
This one said it best:
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Posted on November 18, 2010 at 12:55pm
Hey Podesta…my SON is in the armed forces. He AINT going to take those kinds of orders. Get over it — our military belongs to US! They are our sons and daughters. You will never have control of our military, you progresso libtard commies.
“They are our sons and daughters”
GO AMERICA!
Ebola.
On crack and steroids.
PAGING HENRY BOWMAN! PAGING HENRY BOWMAN! PICK UP THE NEAREST RED PHONE!
PAGING HENRY BOWMAN! PAGING HENRY BOWMAN! PICK UP THE NEAREST RED PHONE!
This line sends chills up and down my spine:
How does one “move the country forward”? In the center’s report, Podesta explains that Obama can use executive orders, rulemaking, and even the armed forces “to accomplish important change” and that such means “should not be underestimated.”
“should not be underestimated.”
“should not be underestimated.”
“should not be underestimated.”
“should not be underestimated.”
That is a direct threat.
Scratch a “progressive” and a fascist bleeds.
“President Bush, for example, faced a divided Congress throughout most of his term in office, yet few can doubt his ability to craft a unique and deeply conservative agenda using every aspect of the policymaking apparatus at his disposal.”
Huh? “a divided Congress throughout most of his term in office”? I suppose if you count McCain, Graham, Snowe, Collins, Voinovich, Murkowski....
“yet few can doubt his ability to craft a unique and deeply conservative agenda”!!! What? The Presciption Drugs program? Not touching Social Security and Medicare? No Child Left Behind? The Bailout? That part where he said the free market doesn’t work?
This is very serious.
“Seven Days In May” scenario?
If DADT is repealed will HIV+ Gays be allowed to join the military since I believe it is illegal to not hire a person who is HIV+.
” The advantage is EO can be undone by the next sitting President. “
In the ‘Absolutely Worst Possible Scenario’, the ‘next sitting President’ might come to power in 20-30 years after a protracted - possibly bloody - struggle for succession...
Can anyone recall someone who has worked directly with the President on a day to day basis advising the use of military on its own people? What other time in history has this counsel been given?
You can be sure that everything Podesta says has been OK'ed by Soros.
I get a very suspicious and sick feeling whenever anyone says we need to “move the country forward”.
They want to use the armed forces to push their agenda off onto the rest of the country. Stop or minimize enforcement of DADT to make homosexuality more acceptable. Then the next time that civil unions or gay marriage comes up, then they point at the military. They want to use the military as a wedge.
Look for G&L “quotas” in military promotions. Perhaps discrimination lawsuits for whatever for G or L servicemembers. He might be able to order PX/BX/NEX to have GLT observance month or something similar.
To quote an American patriot: “Let’s roll.”
How does one “move the country forward”? In the center’s report, Podesta explains that Obama can use executive orders, rulemaking, and even the armed forces “to accomplish important change” and that such means “should not be underestimated.”
PING!
If this person’s son doesn’t take those kinds of orders he will be court-martialed.
Just like Lt Col Lakin.
The people deciding the lawfulness of the orders Lakin disobeyed refused to include the Constitutionality of the orders as one of the elements of lawfulness, even though that criteria is specifically mentioned in Article 92 of the UCMJ.
That means that if this person’s son disobeys an order he can scream all he wants about the unlawfulness (unconstitutionality0 of the order, but RIGHT NOW, as we speak, the precedent is being set to totally remove the actual elements of Article 92 which define Constitutionality as one criteria for lawful orders.
Those who have tee-hee’ed the “birther” issue are shooting themselves - and their military sons and daughters - in a much more serious place than just their foot.
Considering that ‘community’ is not known for monogamy and fidelity, it doesn’t matter if they are HIV+ at the start, there is a high chance they will acquire it at some point later.
And if they will force this on the military, they will force the induction of people with capability reducing diseases.
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