Former ‘SNL’ star Victoria Jackson blasts 'Glee'

Washington Times ^ | March 21, 2011

[PLMerite]

I love that commercial.

[HIDEK6]

OK, he’s still a smelly hippy.

[Tublecane]

“What if Obama wanted to fund an army in South America without Congressional approval? Would you still maintain the ability to care less?”

Yes. So long as, like the Reagan administration, he didn’t use Congress’ money. That is, so long as he didn’t use profits from arms deals to an evil nation in order to negotiate with terrorists. However, that would be another issue altogether from him wronging Congress.

“Once our all but imperial Presidency gets ‘the power of the purse strings’ all bets are off.”

Congress maintained the power of the purse string during Reagan’s administration. The CIA, NSA, or whatever, did not embezzle funds. They transferred money from the shady Iran arms deals, which were in the black. Congress could, and certainly someone should, have gone after that abomination. But the Iran part was not what they thought would bring Reagan down like Watergate brought Nixon down. That, and only that, is why the Contra part was presented as such a big dang deal.

Those deals were a bad thing, never should have happened, and an argument can be made that the Contra funding was tainted by fruit of the poisonous tree. But that does not somehow mean the White House violated Congress’ sacred prerogatives. Because, as you say, Congress merely has the power of the purse strings. It possess no authority to outlaw funding from other sources, be they private organizations and individuals, foreign nations, or, yes, shady arms deals.

Moreover, don’t give me any “imperial presidency” crap. That may or may not describe Obama, but had nothing to do with Iran-Contra. In that case, you had an utterly confusing series of advances, retreats, and stutter-steps consisting of pressuring the Sadinistas, supporting the Contras, abandoning the Contras, acquiescing to the Sadinistas, brokering peace between them, writing the whole situation off, and so on. It’s not as if Congress was ever very clear on its intentions. The laws eventually controlling their “gotcha” game were just as tricky. Which is supported by the fact that nothing substantial came of them

Or at least nothing along the lines the Democrats wanted. That’s partly because of Oliver North’s PR victory, but mostly because they were crap laws. Laws which, by the way, never would have passed had they not been buried in a giant finance bill that would have caused Reagan great pains to veto. They were nothing more sacred than the day to day, back and forth partisanship dominating Washington since forever. And not to join in the partisanship, but it was much ado about nothing (again, on the Contra side, if not on the Iran side) motivated by (Democratic) Congress’ interest in gotcha games.

[allmendream]

“It possess no authority to outlaw funding from other sources”

Sorry, but funding “from other sources” AT ALL is forbidden under the Constitution. All bills for the raising of revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.

Our Executive branch CANNOT raise money on its own, and then spend that extra Constitutional money as it sees fit beyond the purview of Congress - that gives it ‘the power of the purse’.