General Discussion

longship

(40,416 posts)

8. That's the important question.

Tue Oct 15, 2013, 11:55 PM

Oct 2013

Does POTUS have the power? If you are POTUS are you willing to risk your elected office to affirm your right to take "X" emergency action?

When a Congress or a President gets near to such a line, there may be consequences. The hindside of that is much greater for POTUS, than it might be for Congress. A Presidential impeachment is a very damaging affair. But there is no realistic impeachment other than the ballot box for Congress. The scales are not balanced here, so POTUS has to be careful.

No matter what the outcome of a presidential impeachment, such a thing is not a good thing, even if the people who do such a thing are proven utterly wrong. It is nothing more and nothing less than evidence of a broken political system. When it happens for two Democratic Presidents in a row, it shows something else going on.

Maybe that's what we all ought to be fighting.

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Declaration of a State of Emergency -- can President Obama issue one to prevent default? [View all] Samantha Oct 2013 OP

But isn't that what the Tea Party racists want to happen so their wet dreams of impeachment can diabeticman Oct 2013 #1

It could possibly be more than that Samantha Oct 2013 #3

Obama won't do anything without the blessings of the Congressional GOP. blkmusclmachine Oct 2013 #2

Nope. This cuts to Constitutional powers. By that metric alone, the US House owns this. longship Oct 2013 #4

You do not think he has the power to declare a national emergency? (n/t) Samantha Oct 2013 #5

Well, that's arguable. longship Oct 2013 #6

I just was not sure if you had eliminated the premise of the thread by your response Samantha Oct 2013 #7

Well, impeachment is an important issue. longship Oct 2013 #10

That's the important question. longship Oct 2013 #8

The problem is that even if he declared an emergency and directed the Treasury pnwmom Oct 2013 #9

Even if that were to happen (and I did hear him discuss this) Samantha Oct 2013 #11

Yes. It could be his only option. n/t pnwmom Oct 2013 #12

I am going to save this research in case we need to look at it again Samantha Oct 2013 #13

I agree, the bottom line is the market uncertainty treestar Oct 2013 #15

He would not have to use the 14th amendment but he could if he chose to do so Samantha Oct 2013 #19

I kind of like the idea of using the Sept. 11 terrorism emergency treestar Oct 2013 #14

You and I are thinking the same thing Samantha Oct 2013 #18

It takes 2 to stalemate Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #21

What if one side is engaged in the same sort of activity that a declared enemy has perpetrated? Samantha Oct 2013 #26

How can it collapse the economy if the stalemate is lifted? Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #29

I have no power in the US Government so that second sentence is ridiculous Samantha Oct 2013 #33

I think you understand well enough my intent with my second sentence. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #36

Under what conditions would the SOE be lifted? Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #16

The terms for this are outlined in the Constitution Samantha Oct 2013 #17

So a president gets to unilaterally abrogate congessional power Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #20

It is not convenient at all -- it is the deliberate safety net built into our legal system Samantha Oct 2013 #22

We may be in a "Global War on Terror" (what a joke so-called "Progressives" now applaud this) Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #25

By the way, this is not a "scheme" Samantha Oct 2013 #27

"The National Emergencies Act requires the president to specify the provisions in the law" Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #30

I covered that in the thread Samantha Oct 2013 #32

What underlying violation of law could occur by congress exercise its constitutional power? Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #35

You are not discussing the true bigger picture -- that is what I am doing Samantha Oct 2013 #37

Your page is irrelevant, taken from a non-existent book. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #38

There is no trumping involved - the National Emergency Act does not violate the Constitution Samantha Oct 2013 #39

If we have to accrue new debt to pay old debt then we are bankrupt and the debt limit is irrelevant. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #40

Crime is your word - that is not the word I used Samantha Oct 2013 #41

Do you not think the President should abrograte congressional power when Samantha Oct 2013 #23

Simple answer -- NO Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #24

You exaggerate Samantha Oct 2013 #28

Congress didn't fail anything, anymore than the President failed to sign their bill. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2013 #31

Congress' failure is a matter of continuing debate by the Constitutional experts Samantha Oct 2013 #34