White House Advisers Searching for Ways to ‘Bypass Congress Altogether’

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/17/bush-bypass-congress/

White House Advisers Searching for Ways to ‘Bypass Congress Altogether’

Bush is “struggling for relevancy in the same way many other second-term presidents have,” Newsweek observed recently. “But Bush’s burden seems much harder than other presidents in recent memory.” 71 percent of Americans see Bush as a “lame duck” president, and 58 percent “wish the Bush presidency were simply over.”

U.S. News reports that conservatives have seen the writing on the wall and are now advising Bush to “jump start” his final two years by pushing through as much as he can by executive fiat:

With President Bush unable to get much traction so far in moving his agenda through Congress or in improving his job-approval ratings with the public, White House advisers are casting about for ways to jump-start his final two years, including issuing executive orders to get things done without having to ask for support from the Democratic-controlled Congress.

“He should get a list of the executive orders for the last 200 years, as a guide, and choose what he wants to do,” says an informal Bush adviser. One proposal that fiscal conservatives are pushing is to halve all capital-gains taxes, as a way to encourage investment and job creation.

Some conservatives argue that even if Bush somehow regains his political footing, whatever he might work out with the Democratic majority in Congress wouldn’t be very good legislation, so he should go the executive-order route and bypass Congress altogether.

Bush has already begun to implement the strategy. Last month, Bush signed Executive Order 12866 to put political appointees — rather than experienced civil servants — in charge of regulatory agencies. The order would “give the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.” Columbia Law School professor Peter L. Strauss said the move “achieves a major increase in White House control over domestic government. … Having lost control of Congress, the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch.”

[sutz12]

1. Resignation comes to mind...

I'm sure there wouldn't be any resolutions, binding or non,opposing that. :)

[williesgirl]

2. These fuckers won't stop at anything. They should be in jail. recommended

[donco6]

3. Well, Hitler did it, Mussolini did it, Hirohito already had it,

Sure George - go on, take over the country - kick out Congress - set up a true military-backed dictatorship. Why not?

I wonder if anyone would notice - I mean, ANS isn't in the ground yet. She could be the second "Twin Towers"!

[AndyTiedye]

4. Impeach Bush and Cheney, and Bush's pResidency Will Be Over

58 percent “wish the Bush presidency were simply over

[Fridays Child]

5. Does he have to literally spit in the eye of Congress to get impeached?

Wake up, Dems! A burning bag of dog shit has been set on the front porch of each and every one of you, and the perpetrator didn't even run away and hide. He's standing on the lawn, thumbing his nose at you all.

GET SPINES!

[babylonsister]

12. How can the Dems not 'get it', is my question.

It's getting beyond the ridiculous if it wasn't there already.

[Fridays Child]

14. Yep. It's absurd, to say the least.

It pains me to say it but I have to wonder how different some our Democratic representatives are from the Republics. Are they timid and concerned only about re-election? Do they become terminally tin-eared, the second they step inside the beltway? Is it all about lobbyists and corporate supporters? What is it? :(

[FiveGoodMen]

60. You really do have to wonder what's wrong with them!

[Double T]

6. Someone better put bushco in check before HE sells off or gives away.........

the rest of our country. Example: One proposal that fiscal conservatives (aka robber barons and criminals) are pushing is to halve all capital-gains taxes, as a way to encourage FOREIGN investment and FOREIGN SLAVE WAGE job creation.

[TomClash]

7. Fascism knows no bounds

The whole lot of them should be tried for war crimes anyway.

[AtomicKitten]

8. * don't need no stinkin' Congress

[Double T]

9. Certainly NOT when you're the self appointed supreme dictator.

[journalist3072]

10. In a way, this is a good thing

If Bush has decided that he will use the Executive Order route to get pass the Congress, then the next President that takes office on January 20, 2009 can just undo what Bush has done. They can issue their own Executive Order undoing Bush's damage.

(Remember, Bush undid a lot of the GOOD things Clinton did, by issuing his own Executive Orders the day he took office.)

[babylonsister]

11. Can we afford to wait til 09?

:scared: He flat out scares me.

[Bobbieo]

13. The whole administration flat out scares me too. I wonder

if we will have an '08 election!!!

[frogcycle]

21. i'd say it is even money - at best

they may not have planned to finalize the coup this fast, but the stumbles in Iraq and the 2006 election may force their hand. They'll have to go ahead and make their move, whereas they may have not originally planned to declare their full blown takeover for several more years. With any luck, that will flush them out before they are fully ready, and a counterinsurgency will still be possible.

[Bucky]

43. I've heard equally dire predictions about the '02 and '04 elections

Bush is more con artist than thug. They won't cancel elections. His history tells you more than his raw potential for mischief

[frogcycle]

46. bush is not capable

but he is also not calling the shots

the PNAC crowd is, and they are not ABOUT to go quietly into the night

They have been playing it carefully as long as they had a willing and gullible public and docile media.

I fully expect an emergency of catastrophic proportions and declaration of emergency, martial law, whatever it takes, when push comes to shove. they are NOT going away without arrest and jail. And Bill Kristol is still spouting forth to a willing and receptive audience.

[dos pelos]

45. Economically,coups are bad for business.........

Want to see massive flight of foreign capital out of the US?Want to see NOBODY buy US Government bond offerings?Want to see NYC wither and blow away?Have a coup.Declare martial law.Have some real serious political instability.If you have that kind of instability here and want simultaneous economic vitality,you'd better have the rest of the world at war.Bush, Cheney,Rove may be stupid enough to grab at power.They would be checked by those whose financial interests would be trampled by such a move.It won't happen.Our great selling point as a country where business can be conducted is based on political stability and the rule of law.Property rights,at least those of business,are respected.Too much wealth is at risk for Bush to be allowed such a move.

[Independent_Liberal]

16. No we can't! I wish other DUers would get it!

They'd rather sit back and take the abuse until then.

[kestrel91316]

29. He could just issue executive orders establishing martial law,

suspending the courts and legislature, repealing all taxes on his buddies and jacking up earned income taxes EXCEPT for the wealthy, suspending elections, summarily executing all dissenters, and I SWEAR TO GOD the sheeple would go along with it and Congress wouldn't say "Boo!"

I don't put anything past this psychotic SOB. And I am already losing confidence in our "new majority's" willingness to stand up to him.

[fooj]

15. Why is this war criminal still occupying OUR house?

The treasonous, rat bastard belongs in jail.

[w4rma]

17. "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I told all four that there were going to be some times where we don't agree with each other. But that's OK. If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.

(END VIDEO CLIP)
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0012/18/nd.01.html

[wake.up.america]

24. That statement in itself demonstrates his warped view of the world.

[Amonester]

35. **'s been "advised" to change the word, and use "decider" instead...

for a while, until they see where the chips may fall (polls). Now since monkey IS a lame-duck pRetzeldent forever, he won't care using the Real word again.

Different words, same criminal behavior. :grr:

[Lugnut]

18. So....

What else does he have to do before impeachment is on the table?

[Kablooie]

19. So what else is new?

This is just more of the same.
And even our new Congress doesn't seem to have any power to do anything about it.

Yawn. We live in an asshole's dictatorship. Accept it.

[wake.up.america]

20. I'm burned out. It's depressing when one looks beyond the tip of their nose...

[MGKrebs]

22. He hasn't even TRIED to get anything through the Dem Congress yet.

He's not even willing to TRY to craft something that might be palatable to the other 70% of the country.
Same old shit; it's always all or nothing with him. My way or the highway. Can't see any deviation from extremes. What a complete loser.

[Prophet 451]

23. Impeach the bastard

Really. Comtempt of Congress is an impeachable offence.

[Morgana LaFey]

25. Hmm, if they succeed that ought to add a decade or two to

how long the American electorate will refuse to allow Republicans to be in power again. Anyone disagree??

[Joe Chi Minh]

28. Do you not think that would already be the case? Indeed, that

they might, even now, be obliged to start an all together new, more principled party, since their legion of habitual talking points and would-be put downs have become the butt of widespread ridicule. People such as John Kerry have taken the trouble to actually analyse them, to see if they contained any sense, and just showed them up to be, at best, incredibly shallow, empty slogans. Indeed, more generally, he has pointed out that they are like weapons aimed at themselves. "Support the troops... like Halliburton and the Pentagon do...".

Otherwise, even fifty or sixty years sounds an improbably brief time-frame for any kind of recovery.

[Morgana LaFey]

31. I said ADD a decade or two...

I perhaps should have been more explicit. I think -- and in fact, it's been reported right here -- that the GOP is done for a while. How long? I think at least 20 years; you think, what 50 or 60?? My point is that IF BushCo succeeds in thwarting the will of Congress, it'll add 1 or 2 decades to whatever "out years" they've already accumulated for themselves. Sorry I wasn't clearer.

[Joe Chi Minh]

32. My point was really that, imo, 20 years wouldn't begin to reflect the situation

for them, so that the threat of an additional decade or two on top, would be kind of inapplicable/meaningless.

But thanks. It's just my opinion.

[Morgana LaFey]

33. Ah, okay. Got it (now). nt

[Cobalt-60]

50. Last time it was an entire generation

The Republicons love of and guilt for the great depression gave such offense that they had to wait for nearly everyone alive at the time to die to weasel their way back in.
I think their party has earned oblivion this time.

[Joe Chi Minh]

59. As Hunter S Thompson intimated, this is worse than anything in the

past. Nixon's administration was positively enlightened, in comparison!

But not only that. Who's to say they have ever got back into power without crucially significant fraud?

[Hawkeye-X]

54. Republicans should be in PRISON.

Not free. They need to make it illegal to be Republicans in the US.

[malikstein]

26. Would these be the same people

who were yelling "dictator" when Chavez asked the Venezuelan legislature for permission to issue decrees to streamline his nationalization program for a limited period of time?

[Prophet 451]

62. It's only "dictator" when it's a leftie

When it's someone on the right doing the same or worse, they're a "decider" or just a marvellous president.

[rodeodance]

27. and it is a Congressional RECESS time-----watch out.

[flying rabbit]

49. Recess!

Yay! playtime for the king!

[man4allcats]

30. Is it impeachment time yet?

Silly me. I'd have thought it would've happened long ago.

[merci_me]

34. I suggest the brave decider strap on his codpiece

dust off his "mission accomplished" aviator costume, hop his friggin ass into his old Vietnam plane and bomb Iraq/Iran, whichever Cheney tells him is best.

It's up to him and his puppet master fly off into the wild blue yonder and get their first glimpse of being "heros"...........not to mention a LOT of "friendly fire".

[HuffleClaw]

36. the funniest part was....

"halve all capital-gains taxes, as a way to encourage investment and job creation."

hilarious.

[Bucky]

42. Actually such a tax cut would create some jobs

Thank of all those extra tellers the banks in Switzerland and the Bahamas will have to hire. Could be dozens!

[peacetalksforall]

52. Don't forget jets - more jobs manufacturing new jets so the legal depts and

comptrollers for corporations, individuals, fund managers, et al can fly to foreign banks to set up offshore licenses and bank accounts. Offshore licenses to get around laws that apply to U.S. licensed businesses that require compliance to environmental rules - for one example.

[ejbr]

37. Unfuckingbelievable

But the Democratic "heavy weights" (Clinton, Obama) will hem and haw, caring only for their political future rather than their constituents. Fucking pathetic.:thumbsdown:

[Auggie]

38. "Increase his control of the executive branch" equals constitutional crisis

[kath]

39. Can you say "dictatorship"??

I knew you could.

[sueh]

40. Paging Speaker Pelosi...put impeachment on the table...NOW!!

we cannot take this shit anymore!!

[Turbineguy]

44. Bush wants impeachment

it will take him off the hook. It will make all his problems go away. He cannot solve the problems he has created. He cannot take anyone elses solution. Impeachment puts him as well as the rest of us out of his misery. Those in the Senate who support him, really do not. They merely extend his suffering in order to hold on to their own power.

I worked in a company where they hated me. I was surround by enemies. Stupidly, I did not quit. Three years in purgatory. And I could not afford to get out. They finally fired me. What a relief! When it was over I got a much better job (I doubt that Bush will, but there's a lot of idiots who will pay to listen to him speak).

[Bucky]

41. "Pushing to halve all capital-gains taxes" vs. US Constitution Article 1 Sect 8

Section 8. The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes...

Just for the amusement, I want to see Alberto "no authorization for habeas corpus" Gonzalez punch his way out this paper sack. Laying taxes is indisputably the duty of Congress. If the president tries to do this by fiat, he's in for the quickest judicial spanking since Roy Bean retired.

[Beelzebud]

47. Oh fuck it, just declare yourself king and get it over with...

[mrJJ]

48. Sen Reid MUST prepare to go "nuclear"

Sen Reid will be forced to go nuclear. It is the one and only tool he has left in the tool box.
Its a play right out of the GOP playbook... destructive? yes... But worth the cost in the long run.

http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/legislative_issues/federal_issues/hot_issues_in_congress/confirmation_watch/nuclear_option.htm

[Contrite]

51. What's he gonna do? Sign an order that abandons Congress?

Or simply one that abandons the entire Constitution?

[peacetalksforall]

53. It was only two decades ago that they got away with thumbing their

noses at Congress - Iran Contra - piece of cake for them. Got off easily. Most people only associate the guilty with a few minor names and subsequent pardons.

Congress - high up on their agenda.

They will end up proving to EVERYONE that we are now of the corporation, for, and by the corporation?

[Spinzonner]

55. Way to defend democracy, shrub

[FatDave]

56. You know what I want to know?

How bad does it have to get before Canada will grant me refugee status?

[humbled_opinion]

57. I guess escalation was the Bi-partisan answer? NOT....N/T

[Eurobabe]

58. Boston Tea Party anyone? 1600 Penna Ave.!

Citizens should arise and remove these poseurs themselves -- Congress, do you see what you are dealing with? This is an outright violation of the Constitution and usurpment of power by the Executive Branch!!!

[sakabatou]

61. Autocracy... is that what these people want?

Or some other government like it?

[bleedingheart]

63. Apparently Bush forgot he swore to uphold the Constitution

this is such bullshit.