Posted on 09/05/2011 8:20:58 AM PDT by upchuck
I can't remember a more stunning rebuke of a president by a congressional leader than House Speaker John Boehner's refusal to agree to President Barack Obama's demand -- er, request -- that he summon a joint session of Congress to hear the president's latest speech on the economy at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Obama's request was regarded as a clever move by some wiseguys in the left blogosphere because that was the exact time of a long-scheduled Republican presidential candidate debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Take that, you guys!
But Boehner smoothly responded that with Congress reconvening late that afternoon, the security sweep necessary for a presidential visit would be impossible and invited the president to speak Thursday. White House officials quickly agreed, scheduling the speech at 7 p.m. EDT to avoid overlap with the first game of the National Football League season.
Not such a big deal, some people are saying. I disagree. I think it illustrates several of the weaknesses of this presidency.
One is a lack of regard for the Constitution. Congress is a separate branch of government, set up by Article 1 of the Constitution, which is not about the executive branch as Joe Biden said in the 2008 vice presidential debate. (Media outfits that dispatched dozens of investigative reporters to Alaska were apparently incapable of discovering this obvious error.)
Before last week, presidents and congressional leaders always agreed privately on scheduling presidential addresses to joint sessions before any public announcement was made. But it appears that no such agreement was made here, just a brusque announcement that had to be retracted.
Another weakness on display was contempt for public opinion. White House press secretary Jay Carney said it was just "coincidental" that the president wanted to speak at the same time as the debate. It was just "one debate of many that's on one channel of many."
But those with memories that go back beyond last week may recall that in May 2009, Obama scrambled to find a venue for a speech at exactly the same time as former Vice President Dick Cheney was scheduled to speak at the American Enterprise Institute on detainee questioning issues. Cheney coolly watched Obama on television and then delivered his own speech.
Ham-handedly trying to bigfoot the opposition is a habit with this president, not a coincidence.
A third Obama weakness is his propensity to charge his political opponents with playing politics when he is doing exactly that himself. In previewing this latest jobs-and-the-economy speech, Carney said that Obama will make the case "that politics is broken and that politics is getting in the way of the very necessary things we need to do."
This from the president who has brushed aside one bipartisan initiative after another, from the health care initiative of Sens. Ron Wyden and Bob Bennett to the recommendations of his own deficit commission, headed by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson.
Instead, he has taken a purely partisan course on one issue after another -- and heaped blame on Republicans. He invited House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to his speech at George Washington University and then lambasted him harshly.
Obama has been so consistently blaming Republicans in recent months for not approving the free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that it came as an utter surprise to his deputy press secretary, Josh Earnest, that he hasn't sent them to Congress yet.
The fourth weakness is failure to come up with policies that address situations appropriately. Press briefings suggest that Obama next week will call for an extension of the payroll tax holiday and of unemployment benefits. A case can be made for both, but neither has invigorated the economy yet.
We also hear that he may call for more infrastructure spending. But as the president himself told us, laughing, there aren't actually any shovel-ready projects.
The New York Times reports he may call for "school repairs and retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency." This sounds suspiciously like the weatherization program under which Seattle got $20 million and produced just 14 jobs.
Democrats have criticized Obama on the speech-scheduling flap. James Carville said he was "out of bounds." Salon.com's Cenk Uygur sensed "the audacity of weakness." It reminds me of a phrase describing a character in the 1980s TV series "Dallas" -- "blustering, opportunistic, craven and hopelessly ineffective all at once."
The Audacity of Dope.
Still saying Obama is going to cancel...
James Carville: White House ‘Out of Bounds’ Over Speech Flap.
In the end, I think Obama will blink...but not until State of the Union or October 2012.
That would again raise his status to "savior"...because ignorant people are just that.
DeMint wants him to detail his plans in writing. We don´t need yet another speech.
I have long enjoyed Barone’s political commentary and voting analysis...he is a genius in that regard. His commentary, until about a year ago, was always from the perspective of one who analyzed voting trends..i.e. what would this specific act mean..how would it translate electorally. He has had some sort of epiphany..he has become one of Obama’s harshest critics in the media..I like it..
There is no way that BO was a Constitutional lawyer. No way. He knows nothing about the constitution. Has there ever been proof shown that he did this? I doubt it.
‘It reminds me of a phrase describing a character in the 1980s TV series “Dallas” — “blustering, opportunistic, craven and hopelessly ineffective all at once.”’
He’s talking about Cliff Barnes, right? [If so, an excellent comparison for Obama. Both come across as hopelessly and somewhat ickily effete.]
ROTFLMAO!!
And the MSM ignored the fact that President Reagan asked Speaker O’Niell for permission to address a joint session of congres and O’Niell said “No.”
My understanding is that he was a “lecturer” NOT a full professor...and that the college wasn’t interested in offering him even that position until someone got a phone call and they reversed course.
I do find it interesting that not one student who took his “class” has come forward to mention the fact. Wonder how many sections he actually taught or was it just another make-work project?
Of course, like everything else in his life, the records from that time are not available and no one from the media seems to have any curiosity about it! Is that just convenient?!
He's a constitutional lawyer the same way a safe cracker is a locksmith or a hacker is a programmer. He taught the young Alinskites in his classes how to circumvent the constitution.
Yes but the GOP nominee had better be "100% clean" according to Tingles Matthews on "Spitball"
In exchange for a small honorarium (a couple hundred bucks) and a resume enhancement, you teach a small class of 1Ls a few introductory basics. If you do it right, it's hard work. If you just goof off (as I'm sure our goof-off in chief did) it's no work at all, but they usually disinvite you.
He probably taught one small section of 10-12 students. No idea for how long. He may have been so bad that they just kept him on the rolls (in deference to that phone call) but didn't require him to actually teach. And since he's a world champion goldbrick, I'm sure that was fine with him.
The way I read it was that Reagan asked O'Neill for permission to speak to the House, O'Neill said no to that, with the explanation that the proper venue would be to speak to a joint session.
Yep!
The number of resume enhancements that this guy was handed is overwhelming. Of course, now that he has a “real” job and is actually implementing all his flawed policies is the reason our country/our economy are collapsing!
That’s what happens when you’ve been told your whole life that you’re brilliant but no one has actually expected results from you.
The point is, President Reagan ASKED for permission.
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