Posted on 06/19/2012 6:30:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
When Congress, split seven ways from Sunday on the question, squelched legislation granting resident status for those formerly called "illegal aliens," President Obama said, in effect, so what? -- we'll do it anyway.
And so he did it anyway, announcing last Friday the birth of a new immigration policy affecting an estimated 800,000 illegals. These illegals -- according to the president, who invokes the right to "prosecutorial discretion" -- get exempted from deportation for two years. The new policy renders them legally untouchable, in spite of their illegal status.
The situation moves beyond factuality. Up becomes down, hot becomes cold -- by presidential directive, it is as if the country for whom the policy has been constructed was another nation entirely: less like the United States, more like the Wonderland in which Alice discovered the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and other self-definition experts.
The president gets to make up his own reality about rules and limits on power. "'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'" Mr. Dumpty, meet Mr. Obama.
Not that any doubt exists as to what goes on here. An election goes on. Obama wants a bumper crop of Latino votes in Florida, Virginia, Nevada and elsewhere. He thinks he knows one way to get them: namely, get off the topic of the economy and win a reputation for decisive action, as well as compassion, in an area of policy the country, let alone Congress, still hasn't figured out how to address.
The new policy has two additional advantages: It obliges Mitt Romney, at the risk of offending voters on both sides of the immigration question, to put his own cards on the table respecting treatment of illegals.
Practically speaking, despite Republican talk of a lawsuit challenging the president's right to devise and impose his own policy on immigration, the policy Obama has enacted has only a short distance to gallop without constitutional fodder. If it lasts until Election Day, that's good enough. Let it go at that point.
It's not only possible, but it's also desirable that the president take some well-deserved raps for wiping his feet on general understandings of the limits on presidential powers. However, the number of raps he actually receives is unlikely to be large. The commentators and bloggers who drive our national conversation in the Internet era understand that this matter doesn't turn on constitutional and political science considerations, rather -- as they know -- it turns on political necessity.
Somewhat more to the point, it fits the modern style of discourse and action: Don't respect rules, procedures and formulas; get out in front -- just do what it takes, and when critics try to pull you back, either pretend they're nuts or that you haven't heard them.
It's the age of personal expression after all -- no fooling around with the unenlightened. Just do it. Which was, come to think of it, the classic expression of the 1960s ethos of protest and direct action: Don't ask questions -- do it. Good old Jerry Rubin stuck the exhortation on the dust jacket of his book purporting to explain the ethic of get-out-my-way-everybody.
Rules? Laws? Constitutions? Precedents? It's just leftover garbage, all of it, from the historic tyranny of dead white male fascist pigs. The kids of the counterculture would show us what to do: namely, fight the cops; take over the dean's office; make love, not war; burn down the ROTC building; and instruct professors and parents as to their native stupidity.
The habit of defiance turns out to be fun, the way loose, rule-less ways of doing business always starts out as fun. The habit grows and spreads, of course, spoiling older notions of respect and restraint and duty. The end comes to justify the means. The culture -- as a whole -- sneezes, catches cold, and comes at last to redefine its motives and pastimes as personal: none of anybody else's business.
"'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master -- that's all."
And our Congress is doing what? Nothing!!!!! Are they afraid to stand up to this President? The American people aren’t.
It's the Liberal 'cult of destruction' at work, as usual-but NOW...accelerated!
800,000 new America haters ready to hit the streets for Barry demanding “immigration reform” without having the fear of being deported.
Impeach him before November
This is just a sample of what everyday would look like if he is reelected.
He changes his stance on "gay marriage" to rake in more money from rich homosexuals, and instantly anyone who doesn't share his new opinion is a bigot.
He announces he won't enforce the law (despite his oath of office) and anyone who doesn't applaud is an anti-Hispanic racist.
The illegal aliens are not all Hispanics, but those who will benefit from his new policy will probably be almost all Hispanics--European and Asian illegal immigrants probably came here on their own instead of being brought into the country illegally as children.
800K is a phony number, more like 1.6M. What follows is the illegal parents get legal because they shouldnt be separated from the “kids”.
WHO came up with this 800,000 number? WHEN did they come up with it and WHERE are the 800,000? Is it a number just picked out of the air?
Were there any “kids” in danger of being deported WITHOUT their parents? How about the parents? Are they going to be deported now that we know they HAVE kids here illegally? The dems haven’t wanted to separate families, right? Doesn’t it follow that the parents are illegal? So the parents get deported but the kids stay here?
Does this pertain to any other nationality or is it just illegal Mexicans??
Sorry - so many questions - so little time!! I have a splitting headache that I can’t see going away until November...
Guess I’ll write to the WH and ask them - that reply ought to be a hoot!
Well, if Romney were a game player, he could take the stance that if he is elected, he will make the 800k instant citizens....let the Dems whine about that one,,,the illegals won’t know which way to vote,,oh wait,,they aren’t supposed to be able to vote.
Of course, it would be challenged,,and not upheld but then Romney could say “I tried.”.....but it would get past the election. I’d love to hear Obama sputter against that
My primary concern re: my congressman will be immigration, both legal and illegal and it will determine my vote for him. He’s already on board with the economy, budget, etc. but if he fails in this he doesn’t get my vote in November.
We had TWO Senators here in Georgia that jumped on the McCain/Bush Amnesty Bandwagon (initially)....they quickly got bitch-slapped off that wagon. Changed their tunes but not their hearts - neither will ever get my vote again.
If we do not control legal immigration and STOP illegal immigration and remove the invaders from this country, we are undone. It is just a matter of time, and that time isn’t decades.
Good point.
We really need some clear standards on what things can be done through the executive branch, and what things need legislation to deal with.
So Obama has taken a piece of the illegal alien problem and says he has executive authority to deal with it.
Realistically, unless he’s challenged, this act expands presidential powers.
Whatever happened with the expected challenges against his recess appointments to government agencies, which weren’t really recess appointments because the Senate was in session. Was that ever challenged? Are those people still in office? If so, then Obama in that case also expanded presidential powers.
Good point.
We really need some clear standards on what things can be done through the executive branch, and what things need legislation to deal with.
So Obama has taken a piece of the illegal alien problem and says he has executive authority to deal with it.
Realistically, unless he’s challenged, this act expands presidential powers.
Whatever happened with the expected challenges against his recess appointments to government agencies, which weren’t really recess appointments because the Senate was in session. Was that ever challenged? Are those people still in office? If so, then Obama in that case also expanded presidential powers.
There are clear standards on the powers granted to the executive branch.
baraq is just ignoring them.
And no one is effectively challenging him.
The more he gets away with, the more lawless he will become. He has gotten a free pass to ignore the laws intened to prevent a dictatorship and has a media who is actively protecting and supporting him.
The repubs just stand there with their mouths hanging open.
We are definitly in a jabberwocky word.
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