Daily Digest for Friday
November 21, 2014
THE FOUNDATION"[T]here is, in the nature of sovereign power, an impatience of control, that disposes those who are invested with the exercise of it, to look with an evil eye upon all external attempts to restrain or direct its operations. ... Power controlled or abridged is almost always the rival and enemy of that power by which it is controlled or abridged." --Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 15, 1787EDITOR'S NOTEWe lead today with special commentary by Mark Alexander rebutting last night's presidential address.RIGHT ANALYSISThe Emperor Strikes BackBy Mark Alexander"All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." --(Article I, Section 1, United States Constitution)
If you missed Obama's well-crafted immigration amnesty announcement to fix "our broken system," that is because his remarks were only carried by Fox News and, of course, across the board on Latino networks nationwide, the target market for this charade. While the administration feigned outrage that its adoring mainstream media networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC -- did not carry Obama's remarks, the White House press did not send out a formal request asking his media boosters to carry his primetime propaganda. Clearly, Democrats would prefer that their lower-income constituents not hear the news that Obama plans to dump 5-10 million immigrants into the labor pool, and millions more to follow, who will compete for limited jobs and drive wages down. Fact is, as I noted in "The Democrats' REAL Immigration Strategy," the Left knows that "labor inflation results in wage deflation." But this political ploy is a win-win for Obama. Republicans will chip away at his order, primarily by defunding and de-authorizing key components of its implementation and issuing legal challenges. Meantime, Democrats will receive credit from both their legal and illegal Latino constituencies for offering amnesty, and can blame those "obstructionist" Republicans for blocking them. Indeed, if Obama really believes any of his eloquent points justifying his amnesty executive order (EO), Congress would have passed and he would have signed immigration legislation back in 2009 or 2010, when the Democrat Party controlled both the House and Senate. After all, in 2008 he promised, "I can guarantee that we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support." But Democrats did nothing. There are two overarching issues with Obama's power play. First and foremost, Obama's action constitutes a direct assault on our Constitution and the Rule of Law it enshrines. His EO is the boldest attack on the separation of powers since the reign of the last imperial president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
George Washington University constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley, a self-acknowledged liberal Obama supporter, has issued severe criticism of Obama's "über presidency" and his abuse of executive orders to bypass Congress. Turley notes: "What's emerging is an imperial presidency, an über presidency. ... When a president can govern alone, he can become a government unto himself, which is precisely the danger that the Framers sought to avoid in the establishment of our tripartite system of government. ... Obama has repeatedly violated this [separation of powers] doctrine in the circumvention of Congress in areas ranging from health care to immigration law to environmental law. ... What we are witnessing today is one of the greatest challenges to our constitutional system in the history of this country. We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis with sweeping implications for our system of government. ... I hope he does not get away with it." Unlike Barack Obama, who has wantonly violated his oath to "support and defend our Constitution," there are millions of Americans who uphold it at risk of their lives. Obama's actions are an affront to the honor of all Americans who have honored their constitutional oaths. Second, while most Americans support providing "guest worker" permits for illegal immigrants, many of whom have been in the U.S. for a generation, the sticking point has been and remains the lack of border security. Obama's EO will invite a massive wave of illegal immigrants across our borders in the coming years. As Charles Krauthammer put it, "This executive action is a giant neon sign on the Rio Grande saying to Central Americans, 'If you wait in line and apply for legal immigration, you're a sap.' ... I would not oppose this if we were serious about shutting the border. ... This is an invitation for mass migration." Of course, Democrats have obstructed meaningful border security for obvious reasons -- they want as many future Latino voters flooding into the country as possible. In leftist parlance, “immigration reform” means providing a jackpot to illegal aliens -- giving them official status so they can work and receive all associated taxpayer-subsidized services like housing, schooling and medical care. Once integrated, the second step is to provide a fast-track to citizenship. In other words, for Democrats, immigration reform means first and foremost seeding a large voter constituency.
BO: When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system. MA: But he didn't, as I have already outlined. BO: Families who enter our country the right way and play by the rules watch others flout the rules. MA: And Obama is now rewarding the latter group with amnesty. BO: Business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them far less. MA: So now, all those jobs can go to people who are willing to do them for far less. BO: It's been this way for decades. And for decades, we haven't done much about it. MA: As noted, Democrats have obstructed border security measures for decades. BO: Over the past six years, deportations of criminals are up 80 percent. MA: Actually, more Demo smoke and mirrors. Obama changed how "deportations" are counted. BO: Overall, the number of people trying to cross our border illegally is at its lowest level since the 1970s. MA: Obviously that is because it is evident, even to prospective illegal immigrants, that Obama's economic "recovery" policies are a colossal failure and the prospects even for low paying jobs have dried up. BO: There are actions I have the legal authority to take as president -- the same kinds of actions taken by Democratic and Republican before me. MA: Actually, those "actions taken by Democratic and Republican presidents" are in no way comparable to Obama's EO, as noted by legal scholars both liberal and conservative. On his three point plan: BO: First, we'll build on our progress at the border with additional resources for our law enforcement personnel so that they can stem the flow of illegal crossings, and speed the return of those who do cross over. MA: No, "build on our progress at the border" is more double talk for obstructing efforts to "stem the flow of illegal crossings." BO: Second, I'll make it easier and faster for high-skilled immigrants, graduates and entrepreneurs to stay and contribute to our economy. MA: As noted, this really means "receive all associated taxpayer-subsidized services like housing, schooling and medical care" and join the ranks of dependent Democrat voter constituencies. BO: Third, we'll take steps to deal responsibly with the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live in our country. MA: That means, in the end, figure out how to provide them fast-track citizenship.
BO: We're a nation of laws. MA: The audacity of including those words in an announcement to abjectly violate those laws falls squarely into the BIG Lie propaganda category. BO: It's not who we are as Americans. MA: Barack Obama is wholly unqualified to advise Patriots "who we are as Americans." BO: Their ... hopes, dreams and patriotism are just like ours. MA: Again, Obama is wholly unqualified to advise Patriots "who we are as Americans." BO: We expect people who live in this country to play by the rules. MA: We expect the same of our president. BO: To those members of Congress who question my authority ... I have one answer: Pass a bill. MA: Actually, passing a bill comes first. You have no authority to legislate. BO: That's not how our democracy works... MA: Indeed, it is not. BO: Let me tell you why I ... feel so strongly about [immigration]. MA: No, tell us why you did nothing about it in 2009 or 2010 when your party controlled the House and Senate? BO: [Immigrants are not] taking a dime from the government. MA: Seriously? BO: Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger -- we were strangers once, too. MA: So now Obama is citing Exodus 22:21 from a government podium? Can he do that given the whole "wall of separation" thing? I wonder if his mentor Jeremiah Wright added that line for him? BO: What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal -- that all of us are created equal. MA: Unless you're Obama, in which case you are above all others. In his 1796 Farewell address, George Washington declared: “Citizens by birth or choice of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” But the motive behind Obama's "immigration reform" is to advance the Democratic Party's signature political "divide and conquer" strategy. Let's see if Republicans can challenge Obama's constitutional assault without self destructing. Pro Deo et Constitutione — Libertas aut Mors Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis  Mark Alexander Publisher, The Patriot Post Comment | Share For more, visit Right Analysis. 
TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKSAs Many Amnestied as Jobs CreatedBarack Obama is offering amnesty by executive order to some five million illegal aliens. The Daily Caller reports the significance of that number: "President Barack Obama's unilateral amnesty will quickly add as many foreign workers to the nation's legal labor force as the total number of new jobs created by his economy since 2009. The plans ... will distribute five million work permits to illegal immigrants, and also create a new inflow of foreign college graduates for prestigious salaried jobs, according to press reports." But there's another angle. According to Mark Alexander in "The Demos' REAL Strategy," Obama does not actually intend to provide work status amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Alexander notes, "Labor inflation results in wage deflation. ... Democrats really don't want to dump millions of immigrant laborers, who are willing to take low wages, onto their dependable American low-income constituency, because that will, in effect, drive wages even lower, undermining the Democrats 'living wage' rhetoric." More...Comment | Share Obama's Not Radical -- Until He Does SomethingDemocrats always downplay their policy proposals as merely "practical" until they're enacted -- then it's the biggest deal since sliced bread. National Review's Jonah Goldberg writes, "Here's the problem. This is the way this president and his fans always sell his policies. They mock, ridicule, snark, smirk, wink, and guffaw at any notion he's a radical or an ideologue when the action he wants to take is under debate. It's just a modest this, a pragmatic that, an incremental the other thing. But once it's a fait accompli, it's a Big F'ing Deal -- to borrow a phrase from the vice president. Right now, what Obama wants to do is par for the course for every president. Why, it would be weird if he didn't give 5 million people amnesty. But I have no doubt that in the minutes, days, or, at the most, weeks to come I will be getting emails from the DNC telling me this a bold, historic, revolutionaryComment | Share Activists Say 'Thanks, but It's Not Good Enough'Granting amnesty to five million illegal aliens is great and all, but activists always want more. "Today's victory is tremendous, but to be real, it is incomplete," United We Dream managing director Cristina Jimenez said of Barack Obama's executive order. "But too many of our parents, LGBTQ brothers and sisters and friends were left out. United We Dream doesn't agree with that decision and we are determined to fight for their protection. Our community sticks together. This is a long-term struggle. We will continue organizing until our entire community can come forward and enjoy the full rights of citizenship." It's never enough.Comment | Share Pelosi: Amnesty Just Like Emancipation ProclamationNancy Pelosi has a (revisionist) history lesson for us. Barack Obama's coming amnesty is just like another famous order: "Does the public know that the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order?" she asked. "People have to understand how presidents have made change in our country." Evidently, this is now a Democrat talking point. As we've said before, the Emancipation Proclamation freed no one, so perhaps in that sense, Obama's lawless behavior will have similar results. Pelosi added, "[E]very time I'd say, 'You wanna give me a clue as to what might be happening?' He said, 'It's not going to be as much as you want.' But in any case it's going to be great." No, it's not.Comment | Share This Immigration Order Is Really Just an 'Olive Branch' to GOPRep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) says Barack Obama's immigration order really just means he's a good guy who cares: "The president is not changing the law, he is simply extending a [sic] olive branch to the Republicans and to America showing that he has a compassion and the ability to be responding to the cry of so many." He loves immigrants and he loves Republicans too, so can't we all just get along?Comment | Share For more, visit Right Hooks.
TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
 OPINION IN BRIEFJustice Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948): "A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company."Columnist Mona Charen: "Conservatives care deeply about process, while progressives care only about outcomes. If they can achieve their goals through legislation, they will. If not, they will look to the courts or the federal agencies to implement their preferred policies. However vehemently conservatives oppose abortion, for example, they can accept it if democratically enacted. What is unacceptable is judicial imposition. Now the left is adding presidential fiat to the category of powers it will cheerfully accept if it produces outcomes they favor. This is not constitutional government. This is not separation of powers. This is strong-arming. The left is fond of imagining that its opponents are corrupted by money. But there are other ways to be twisted. The will to power is arguably more dangerous than the love of money. It is not just the president -- he and his entire party have surrendered to it." Comment | Share Columnist Michael Barone: "A better idea is to start all over again rather than patching immigration acts that are now 90, 49 and 28 years old. The United States should follow the successful examples of our Anglosphere cousins, Canada and Australia. They reserve most immigration slots for high-skill applicants who qualify under their point systems. The result: They have more immigration than we do as a share of their populations, and they also have higher test scores and more economic growth. Conservatives might note that both have conservative governments. America always needs high-skill immigrants. And we don’t need to tie them to specific employers. Let them make their way in what is still, despite over-taxation and over-regulation, our free enterprise system. The country will be richer for it. There is something in a high-skill immigration system for both political parties. Republicans could talk about whom they’d let in, not whom they’d keep out. Democrats could finally endorse a policy that would produce economic growth. All high-skill immigration policy lacks is a lobby. Maybe some members of Congress will step forward and fill the gap." Comment | Share
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. |
Friday, November 21, 2014
THE PATRIOT POST 11/21/2014
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment