Two quotes from the 2008 primaries:
I’m not an operating officer. Some in this debate around experience seem to think the job of the President is to go in and run some bureaucracy. Well, that’s not my job. My job is to set a vision of “Here’s where the bureaucracy needs to go.”
—Barack ObamaI think it’s important that we have a President who understands that you have to run the government.
—Hillary Clinton
Whatever you think of Hillary, it’s hard to argue that she was wrong here. An effective president needs more than vision and talk. No wonder Obamacare is such a mess.
You have got to listen to our specimens to really enjoy some humour every day.
I imagine so. 🙂
Unfortunately, Obama has also been directing agencies to take actions that may not be in compliance with the laws. One of these was to postpone implementation of health insurance rules for businesses for a year. There is no provision in the law that allows this. Those rules and regulations are supposed to take effect this year, along with the individual health insurance rules. There are numerous other examples.
In a Congressional hearing this week, a question was put to several people testifying. Essentially, it was what could be done about a president who continually circumvents legal and, possibly, constitutional requirements? As I recall, four of the remedies were:
1) Constitutional convention by the people to amend the Constitution to limit presidential power.
2) Pass budgetary legislation in the house related to the abuses.
3) Impeachment
4) If it gets bad enough, armed revolt. (I kid you not. This was not a suggestion. It was a statement that if abuse of power gets too extreme, the people of the country could eventually take matters into their own hands.)
Yes, he doesn’t believe in following the laws. The IRS is trying to go around the law:
“While the president’s health law is vast and extraordinarily complex, it is in one respect very simple. Subsidies are only to be made available, and tax penalties for not signing up for health insurance are only to be assessed, in states that create their own health-care exchange. The IRS, however, is attempting to enforce tax penalties in all states—including Oklahoma and the majority of the other states that have declined to create their own exchanges.”
So Oklahoma and other states are suing: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304448204579186322449012040
I think Hilary’s quote raises lots of problems about representation and democracy.
I think we need a way to vote on policy – though the US system is a bit more accommodating of this than the Australian.
It’s not going to happen. We’re a republic, not a democracy. Our founding fathers didn’t trust the masses.
Yes, as far as I understand it, the founding father were fans of Rome rather than Greece.
Presidents usually are the spokesperson for an organisation – a mouthpiece being guided by spin doctors and like – yes it is possible he said something untoward which hasn’t been in context or others have let it ride so that he takes the entire “blame”
they occasionally have to have the
a/additional information to add from another interest arena
b/ talk with different groups about common interests, other
c/ talk and learn about different matter
d/ have “last say” but do they usually do not make policy.
If I am unhappy about a general matter, I might write to the President – who has a secretary who might give said letter to President, but on the whole you get a letter back saying “your matter is under review…”
I would expect the President to send my letter to the correct department…if the President wasn’t overwhelmed he/she might check up on it.
But I wouldn’t expect the President of a large organisation (country/whatever) to personally deal with it – make a policy that might or might not fix or fit the laws. But I would expect some debate if was a strong issue…
Blaming Obama is not the answer – he may have “said something” that caused this to happen BUT on the whole Obama didn’t make these changes as such
And I will finish with “it depends” of course on many little undependable things!
I’m afraid Obama has to take the blame for the debacle of the Obamacare rollout. He’s the CEO and the buck stops there. That was the program he cared most about, so it was his responsibility to make sure someone competent was in charge.
Of course, the people who are against Obamacare are happy he didn’t.
Jean, I agree with you that he has to take responsibility for this. He’s the captain of the ship of state and when a ship runs aground, the captain takes the blame.
The President of the United States is not just a spokesperson, not just a mouthpiece. He is the Administrator of the United States government, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Some do the job better than others.