Should suing the President be limited and impeachment reserved for the constitutional definition of “treason,bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors”?
John Boehner is filing a lawsuit against the President for what the GOP calls “Executive overreach.” Since he cannot sue the President for what he might do on immigration before the President does it, he chose the Affordable Healthcare Act employee mandate (over 50 failed attempts to repeal in congress under Boehner).
For months now GOP elected officials have been calling for the impeachment of the President (list includes Sara Palin, Michele Bachman of Minnesota, Ted Yoho and Allen West of Florida, Michael Burges,, Steve Stockman, Louie Gohmert, Randy Weber and Blake Farenthold of Texas, Paul Broun and Jack Kingston or Georgia and Steve King of Iowa).
There have been several suits against Presidents (1974, – Nixon to turn over tapes and paper, 1997 – Clinton for sexual harassment, 1984 – Reagan for his appointment of U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, 2000 bush v gore for election results, 1962 – Kennedy for his driver causing injury to a Mr. Bailey, 2011 – Obama for “violating” the 1973 War Powers Resolution). However they were not for executive orders and President Obama has issued less executive orders than presidents before him.
Impeachments of Presidents have been substantially more limited (Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, both acquitted, Nixon resigned before being impeached)
Both Republicans and Democrats are using this for fund raising and to score political points with their respective base as well as get them out to vote at the upcoming midterms.
Considering the time waste and cost of suing and/or impeaching a president, and considering this Congress is fast becoming the least productive in history, right behind the last one, is this a good use of our resources as a country? Thoughts?
Photo: Ijumo Hayward /Flicker
Remember that the impeachment of President Bush went to the judiciary committee and never emerged. Also remember that the articles for impeachment for President Bush (35 in number) included the Iraq war, Valerie Plame affair, creating case for war with Iran, capture and treatment of prisoners of war, spying and wiretapping inside the US, etc., not executive order for employer mandate of the ACA? there is a very large difference there.
Gee, I just can’t decide. “Since we’re all talking about impeachment now, recall, if you will, when there were efforts underway to try getting George W. Bush impeached. Yes, there were some Democrats who pushed to impeach Bush back when he was in office, just as there are currently some Republicans who’d like to impeach President Obama. In fact, back in 2008, there was a bill sponsored by Dennis Kucinich with this title: “Impeaching George W. Bush, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors.” The bill was co-sponsored by eleven Democrats, among them Texas Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee.”… Read more »
Clearly Dennis Kucinich and Shelia Jackson-Lee are racists. Its the only explanation for opposition according to the luminaries round these parts.
I agree and would add that the lack of ideas, plans, proposals and simple work ethic in this Republican congress is a serious and pathetic issue. As a result attacking the President and his administration and party is a favorite distraction for them. The fact that he is African American plays a role but I think it is more than just that.
It’s ridiculous. It’s obscene. It’s a complete and total waste of time, money and resources that would be far better spent on other, far more important things. It is about revenge, about a certain cadre of old, white GOP men who still can’t get over Watergate and want revenge on the Democrats for forcing out Richard Nixon. And a few of those white men who want the President out of office at any cost, because having a Black president just causes too much cognitive dissonance in their brains, brains which are programmed to believe “Only A White Man Is Allowed… Read more »