Posted on 12/10/2011 1:30:55 PM PST by bkopto
Senate Republicans blocked confirmation votes on two of President Obama's most high-profile nominees this week one for a seat on a federal appeals court, the other to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Traditionally, the end-of-the-year holidays have allowed presidents to bypass Congress and give such thwarted nominees recess appointments. But an angry President Obama is quickly leaning that this might not be the case this year.
Obama insisted, "I will not take any options off the table when it comes to getting Richard Cordray in as director of the consumer finance protection board."
The only way the president can make a recess appointment for Cordray is if Congress is actually in recess. And ever since late May, Congress has remained in permanent session, mainly because Republican lawmakers want to prevent any more recess appointments.
Donald Ritchie, the Senate's official historian, says several presidents have used a constitutional provision that allows them to convene a session of Congress.
"But there is this other provision that says, well, if the two houses themselves can't agree on an adjournment, the president can adjourn Congress," Ritchie says. "It's just that no president has ever exercised that constitutional authority."
Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch says taking such a measure "would be a very unwise political thing to do."
Hatch doubts President Obama would actually exercise his constitutional power to adjourn Congress in order to make recess appointments.
"It would make him look like he's stupid, because as much as he hates Congress, or ... [as a] more fair statement, might hate Congress, he still needs it," Hatch says.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
The fun thing about this is:
The Democrats used this against Bush and it is coming back to haunt them.
About time the Republicans started playing hardball.
O would do it and the GOP would not do anything about it except complain.
Repubs = 1, Commies = 0.
Good move Repubs — NOW DON’T STOP!!!
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and at the end of Interregnum in 1660. It sat from 1640 until 1648, when it was purged, by the New Model Army, of those who were not sympathetic to the Army's concerns.
Damn right. Don’t stop now!
You betcha!! Thats all you get!!
This is GREAT!
This has the additional benefit of allowing them to stick by their Keystone Pipeline proposal, while Obama keeps them in town to pass the Payroll Taxcut Extension.
Thus, Obama has NO HAMMER regarding the taxcut extension, and his tactic leaves him powerless to inject recess appointments.
Write your congress-critters and tell them to “Support the Keystone Pipeline”!
>http://www.contactingthecongress.org/<
This is a great idea, which is why we can be certain that the Stupid Party won’t actually follow through on it.
Does Obama dare to think he is Cromwell dismissing the "Long Parliament"?
Does Obama dare to think he is Cromwell dismissing the "Long Parliament"?
Give us Holder’s head for Christmas, or as our Happy New Year, as well as blocking Zero’s anti-American, anti-Constitutional appointees, and it really will be a good year. Thanks bkopto.
Keep slamming this unrepentant, American-despising Marxist until he is in on Marine One, flying away from the Capitol on 01-20-2013. Just imagine that day, as cameras catch Hussein’s lowered head and a bitter, furious Moochelle furrowing her brow at him in disgust, as they head back to Chicago in disgrace. DON’T LET UP UNTIL THAT VERY MOMENT! Full throttle!
I dare Obama to force a recess of Congress to install his cronies. That’ll go over really well with the electorate in 2012. /s
That is much too cerebral for anyone who would still vote for Obama.
The ultimate irony would be if he adjourned Congress from Hawaii. But then, Chicago Thugs are liable to do anything for power.
The new Tea Party members have enough signed up to keep the House, and therefore the Congress, in session for a very long time specifically to block recess appointments. They demonstrated this earlier in the year.
Somehow I don't remember the NPR article on this when the Dems did it. /s
The President has the power in such a case to adjourn Congress "to such Time as he shall think proper," so he could adjuourn them until November 7, 2012, and rule by executive order.
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