After going out on a not-so-wobbly limb to suggest that Republicans would push to impeach President Obama if they succeeded in retaking the Senate, George Wills Sunday column read like a real threat. Fed up with what he views as Obamas offenses against the separation of powers, the conservative columnist advocated that Congress sue the executive branch to stop a lawless president. Yesterday, Speaker John Boehner told the House Republican caucus that he was contemplating such a step.
According to Roll Call, Boehner could have an announcement within days on whether the House will file a lawsuit against President Barack Obama, challenging the executive actions that have become the keystone of the administration. The paper reports that the speaker has been consulting legal experts as part of his deliberations. The theory on which Boehner is basing his potential litigation is the same one from David Rivkin and Elizabeth Price Foley that Will highlighted in his Sunday column.
It all boils down to standing, and the courts have been wary of granting legislative standing, as Will noted. But he believes Rivkin and Price plot a viable course for Congress to follow to successfully sue the president. All it requires is 1.) one branch of Congress to authorize the suit, 2.) proof that Congress has been injured by Obamas executive actions, 3.) no private entity has standing to bring suit, and 4.) Congress has no chance of reversing the presidents action by repealing the law.
The President has a clear record of ignoring the American peoples elected representatives and exceeding his constitutional authority, which has dangerous implications for both our system of government and our economy, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement. The House has passed legislation to address this, but it has gone nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, so we are examining other options.
At the end of his column, Will advocates for the courts to allow Congress to sue the president if only to keep it from utilizing the cumbersome and divisive blunderbuss process of impeachment. He says such a move should be a rare recourse. Then there was this key line: Furthermore, it would punish a president for anti-constitutional behavior but would not correct the injury done to the rule of law. For many Republicans, the punishment of impeachment is exactly what they want. This lawsuit threat is just the first step.
MORE: Speaker Boehner's Obama impeachment dress rehearsal - The Washington Post
Boehner and McConnell have done nothing but obstruct - so now they are planning to impeach the first black president for trying to govern in spite of their obstruction. Is it hatred for Democrats? Is it racism? Is it a combination of both?
According to Roll Call, Boehner could have an announcement within days on whether the House will file a lawsuit against President Barack Obama, challenging the executive actions that have become the keystone of the administration. The paper reports that the speaker has been consulting legal experts as part of his deliberations. The theory on which Boehner is basing his potential litigation is the same one from David Rivkin and Elizabeth Price Foley that Will highlighted in his Sunday column.
It all boils down to standing, and the courts have been wary of granting legislative standing, as Will noted. But he believes Rivkin and Price plot a viable course for Congress to follow to successfully sue the president. All it requires is 1.) one branch of Congress to authorize the suit, 2.) proof that Congress has been injured by Obamas executive actions, 3.) no private entity has standing to bring suit, and 4.) Congress has no chance of reversing the presidents action by repealing the law.
The President has a clear record of ignoring the American peoples elected representatives and exceeding his constitutional authority, which has dangerous implications for both our system of government and our economy, Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement. The House has passed legislation to address this, but it has gone nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate, so we are examining other options.
At the end of his column, Will advocates for the courts to allow Congress to sue the president if only to keep it from utilizing the cumbersome and divisive blunderbuss process of impeachment. He says such a move should be a rare recourse. Then there was this key line: Furthermore, it would punish a president for anti-constitutional behavior but would not correct the injury done to the rule of law. For many Republicans, the punishment of impeachment is exactly what they want. This lawsuit threat is just the first step.
MORE: Speaker Boehner's Obama impeachment dress rehearsal - The Washington Post
Boehner and McConnell have done nothing but obstruct - so now they are planning to impeach the first black president for trying to govern in spite of their obstruction. Is it hatred for Democrats? Is it racism? Is it a combination of both?
