Yesterday, we learned that his DACA program was going to be rescinded because it was - like so much of what Obama implemented - created via unconstitutional executive overreach. Democrats are doing their best to scream "racism" but, whatever you believe the motive to be, it's hard to argue the given reason. Heck, it's a point that candidate Obama made repeatedly.
During his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama spent a fair amount of time reminding everyone that the constitution largely prevents Presidents from ruling by executive action, order, or memo. Executive overreach was a dangerous slippery slope that could destroy the rule of law. Back then, of course, he was talking about the alleged executive overreach of the Bush White House. Bush's popularity was in the cellar, trashing his administration was red meat for left wing voters, so Obama hammered on the point.
Then he was elected.
Suddenly, Obama had a "pen and a phone." He decided that his own previous standard no longer applied. "If Congress wouldn't act," he would do whatever he could to push his agenda - even if that meant ignoring his oh-so-deeply held belief in the separation of powers. Suddenly, such limits were inconvenient, so he did his best to ignore them.
Beyond being unconstitutional, the problem with governing this way is that everything you do becomes ephemeral. If Congress doesn't pass a law, the President's efforts - for better or worse - are subject to the same stroke of a pen that implemented them.
DACA was created via executive order back in 2012. Obama has called the decision to end it "cruel" and "self-defeating." As usual, his outrage is patently, provably, phony.
Obama himself admitted that DACA was a "temporary stop-gap measure" during the very speech where he announced its existence. It was never supposed to be permanent, and it wasn't a path to citizenship...
So, it appears that Trump has proven the former President right. Executive overreach is unconstitutional, DACA was a temporary, and it won't provide a path to citizenship for illegals. Obama might be happy to be vindicated, if he'd ever really believed that.
The simple fact is that Obama's orders usually fell into two categories. Things he did to create political wedge issues, and agenda holy grails that no sane congressman would vote for. This one appears to have been a bit of both.
The simple fact is that, in Obama's mind it was permanent and it was a path to citizenship. Hillary was going to win the 2016 election and she'd either continue the program, or pass massive, sweeping, amnesty that rendered it a moot point.
What could go wrong?
