By now, you've no doubt seen the video of President Barack Obama and President Francois Hollande roaming about the grounds of Monticello. During their tour of Thomas Jefferson's home Leslie Bowman, president of the Monticello Foundation, told the pair that Jefferson loved to survey the landscape from a specific terrace. President Obama said he'd like to see the spot, even though it wasn't part of the day's original game plan.
"That's the good thing as a President. I can do whatever I want," he joked.
Immediately, conservatives pounced on the remark. Obama was revealing himself! Obama was exposing his dictatorial ways! Obama was inadvertently expressing his true feelings about the power of the Presidency!
Honestly, it's astonishing that everyone seems to be so shocked. Barack Obama didn't need to tell you that this is how he feels. You already knew it. In fact, you have a litany of tangible examples.
Obama's Presidency is rife with dictatorial proclamations that have affected a variety of laws. Whether he was directing the DOJ to ease up on immigration or delaying portions of the affordable care act, he's decided that it’s easier to act like a third world Generalissimo than to fight a constitutionally-mandated battle with Congress. Heck, at the time he was making the Monticello remarks, he was knee deep in once again illegally delaying his own signature law.
I'm on record agreeing with his "evolved stance" that DOMA was unconstitutional. There's nothing in the US Constitution that gives the federal government purview over marriage - straight or gay. Until it works its way through the courts, gay marriage is an obvious state's rights issue and (prior to its partial defeat) DOMA was a clear violation of the 10th Amendment. If the President had pressed for repeal on those grounds, that would have been his prerogative - and I actually would have agreed. However, that's not what he did. Instead of going through legal channels, he just issued an edict not to enforce or defend the law.
Throughout all of this, No one in Congress did anything. Sure a couple of Senators have carped about his lawless administration, but there's been no opposition move to force Obama back into constitutional compliance. As long as the paychecks keep coming, the legislature seems more than willing to cede its power.
So, the bottom line is that President Obama is right. He CAN do whatever he wants, because no one in a position of power has ever made any effort to rein him in. Those with the power to do so are either fearful of political fallout, or they'd rather take the easier "go along to get along" route.
His "I have a pen and I have a phone" attitude all but cements the idea that, until we get a Congress with some backbone, none of this appears likely to change.
