In just one more example of Obama abiding by the laws he likes and disregarding the laws he doesn’t here he is doubling down on a old UN climate treaty:
The Obama administration is working to forge a sweeping international climate change agreement to compel nations to cut their planet-warming fossil fuel emissions, but without ratification from Congress.
In preparation for this agreement, to be signed at a United Nations summit meeting in 2015 in Paris, the negotiators are meeting with diplomats from other countries to broker a deal to commit some of the world’s largest economies to enact laws to reduce their carbon pollution. But under the Constitution, a president may enter into a legally binding treaty only if it is approved by a two-thirds majority of the Senate.
To sidestep that requirement, President Obama’s climate negotiators are devising what they call a “politically binding” deal that would “name and shame” countries into cutting their emissions. The deal is likely to face strong objections from Republicans on Capitol Hill and from poor countries around the world, but negotiators say it may be the only realistic path.
…American negotiators are instead homing in on a hybrid agreement — a proposal to blend legally binding conditions from an existing 1992 treaty with new voluntary pledges. The mix would create a deal that would update the treaty, and thus, negotiators say, not require a new vote of ratification.
He continues to ignore the will of the people he was elected to represent by ignoring the elected representatives. Whether its creating tons of new EPA regulations that damages our economy, recess appointments, Obamacare or releasing terrorists from Gitmo…he doesn’t care.
It’s not a “new” treaty, apparently, if they’re rewriting an old treaty that’s already been ratified. Instead of asking for a new AUMF against ISIS, he could issue an “addendum” or whatever to the 2001 AUMF against Al Qaeda. Come to think of it, that’s his approach on immigration too. The mega-amnesty he’s getting ready to uncork isn’t being presented as new policy, even though it would legalize five million people or more. It’s being presented as a discretionary application of law that’s already on the books.
Turns out every bold new move Obama wants to make as president has already been authorized by statute, as if prophesied. I’m almost grateful in hindsight that he asked Congress to pass ObamaCare instead of deciding that some clause buried in the original Medicare bill allows him to order universal health care by fiat.
The Constitution doesn’t exist to this man. Neither does the rule of law, unless he agrees with it.
When it comes to climate change, President Obama surely thinks he is king, subject to absolutely no advice and consent from our elected representatives.
The President clearly believes that a 2007 Supreme Court decision on greenhouse gases empowers him to completely bypass the Senate, including signing on to what is clearly a new United Nations treaty effectively limiting our domestic greenhouse gas emissions, without the necessary two-thirds vote required by the Constitution. And, while the nations of the world will clearly ignore such a treaty, he will impose whatever regulations he sees fit without approval of Congress. Sweeping regulation without legislative representation borders on tyranny, and it is doubtful that what he is proposing will ever stand a court challenge.
All bow to our king.
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Still I doubt Obama can force Congress to open their purse strings and fund anything from this action.
He is going to look (as history looks back on it) like Woodrow Wilson when he signed a creation of a League of Nations only to be humiliated when Congress wouldn’t go along.
The styrofoam of his stage sets are starting to show.
Let him do it.
Let him prove he thinks he’s king.
Let him undermine the sovereignty of the nation.
Let him complete his journey to the dark side.
Let him hand the Senate to the GOP
That a**hole has spent his entire Presidency committing torture. He’s tortured the Constitution to within an inch of its life. And here I thought liberals were against torture.
Good! This do nothing, corporate owned GOP congress won’t do anything. Time someone acts like a grown up!
@This one: Do anything even if it is illegal and makes no sense? Yep, you are a leftie. This same guy wanted to raise corporate taxes even when he acknowledged that historically it actually reduced tax revenue. The do nothing congress is likely the only reason we are enjoying the little bit of successful economy that we are!
@Nanny G: You’d think it was about time
@This one: Take you own advice!
@This one: The GOP does not “own” the Senate. At present, the Senate is the graveyard where most House bills are sent to die. Get the facts straight.
@This one:
Clueless again.. He has no legal authority to do so.
You were the one who said Putin would back off from Ukriane. CLUELESS!
After so many outright attempts, shouldn’t there be a wall involved…I am not one particularly fond of the “first attempted to overthrow the Constitution is free” policy.
Again, where are the republicans on this issue?