Barack Obama has announced an initiative based on limited things he can do by executive order. So far, it involves changing regulations to make it easier for homeowners to refinance and for students to qualify for student loans. One might hope Republicans would support this, since it involves easing regulations, that they claim to hate so much, but that is not the case. The Republican Party oppose only those regulations that protect citizens from corporate criminals.
After the Senate blocked consideration last week of Mr. Obama’s jobs proposal, the administration has moved to Plan B: bypass Congress and enact change via executive-branch measures. On Monday, the federal government announced new rules for some “underwater” homeowners, to make them eligible for lower interest rates.
The president will discuss the new program in a speech in Las Vegas Monday at 5:30 p.m., Eastern time. Nevada has both the highest unemployment (13.4 percent) and foreclosure rates in the United States, and it’s a crucial swing state in next year’s presidential election.
In the “We can’t wait” initiative, the administration is “taking and highlighting a series of executive actions to show that we’re doing everything we can do to get the economy moving to help middle-class families and create jobs,” said Dan Pfeiffer, White House communications director, in a call with reporters.
At the same time, Mr. Pfeiffer said, the administration will continue to pressure congressional Republicans to pass the president’s $447 billion jobs bill, the American Jobs Act, either in its entirety or piece by piece… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Christian Science Monitor>
Rachel Maddow discusses this issue and more, and interviews Bob Hebert.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Hebert is right. What Republicans are doing is against the national interest and will hurt Americans.
Ed Schultz talks about it, lambastes the Republican Party, and interviews Bernie Sanders and Eugene Robinson.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Virtually all the people, who claim the parties are the same, seem to like Bernie Sanders. Bernie made it clear that they are not. The equivalence does not exist. Bernie is right that it does not go far enough, but there are limits to want can be done through executive order. Eugene Robinson is right that Obama needs pressure Republicans through their constituents.
9 Responses to “We Can’t Wait”
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Bravo for the President! The Grand Obstructionist Party deserves this run-around, and I hope Obama will do everything in his power to circumvent their reactionary obstinance!
I agree, Jack!
I like it. Probably just a coincidence, but Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a book titled “Why We Can’t Wait”
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that it wasn’t a coincidence. I almost used that book cover as the graphic for the article.
Let’s all face it. If it’s good for We The People, the RepublicanTs are against it.
You said it in a nutshell!!
What Phyllis said!!
From Kristen S on the Care2 website (same story) — “. . . Obama has had hundreds of chances to use Executive Orders to fix immigration, to forgive loan debt, to introduce limits on Wall Street and companies’ abuse of the taxpayers… and he has failed to do so, hundreds of times.
This is just an election-bid last-ditch effort to win back his voting base by conceding small victories to the public to appease us in small ways. Typical Obama.”
As I understand it, there are comparatively few items which Mr Obama can deal with by Executive Order. I would think that this is a route of absolute last defense, only to be used when the normal channels through the Congress are blocked. Can it be perceived as a political move? Absolutely, but it is precipitated by the obstructionist acts of a Republican dominated House and a split Senate who don’t give a rat’s ass about the people or the country as long as they head down the road to making Mr Obama a one term president. That is solely where their focus and drive is pointing them. When Mr McConnell, Minority Senate Leader says a year ago that Obama is to be a 1 term president, and another Republican fool states it openly on Twitter, can there be any doubt about the republican’s all consuming hate for Mr Obama?
Using executive orders at this point is not as Kristen says “. . . an election-bid last-ditch effort to win back his voting base . . . ” but is a real attempt to do something for the people and the country to get around the obstructionist Republican/Teabaggers and DINOs.
I agree with Bernie Sanders that Mr Obama needs to keep hammering at the Republicans with each piece of the original AJA, and then when they vote the pieces down, he needs to make it clear to the American people that the lack of movement is the direct responsibility of the Republican/Teabagger obstructionists.
And I called kudos for you there for the way you dealt with that comment.