Seems to me that the Unitary Exec/Imperial Presidency doctrine

[Jackpine Radical]

only makes sense if they never plan to permit anyone other than one of their own sit in the Oval Office. I mean, in the normal course of events, you would pretty much expect the Dems to have a good chance of getting back in the White House in 2008, so if you now take steps to arrogate all kinds of power to the Executive Branch, you may have only 2 or 3 years to wield that power before your opponents get their turn at bat, and they might then be on the supercharged throne for 8 years, using all that power you gave them to do any number of things things you really don't like. So why would you set things up like this for your political enemies? Well, you wouldn't. The fact that they're doing this seems to mean that they never intend to have a fair political process again. Either that or they have something so drastic in store for us in the next 2 years that would make it all worth it to get that power for a short period of time.

The more I think about this, the more I keep going "Holy Shit!" Please, somebody talk me down.

[troubleinwinter]

1. You got it here:

"they never plan to permit anyone other than one of their own sit in the Oval Office."

[leeroysphitz]

3. They sure have not been ACTING like they expect anyone else

to hold power in this country. I hope we can prove them VERY wrong.

[Flabbergasted]

2. Yeah that's how it is unfortunately

[KT2000]

4. Supreme Court decision

12/12/2000 -
Ohio - 2004

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Yah. I know.

[regnaD kciN]

6. Or...

...they know that appointees like Borkemada and Roberts are hypocrites who will invoke "unitary executive" to give carte blanche to Republican presidents, but who will find all sorts of reasons to impose limits on any Democrat occupying the Oval Office.

:grr:

[WinkyDink]

7. Wouldn't matter.

The SCOTUS would declare the Dem president's actions to be unConstitutionaland therefore worthy of Impeachment.

[High Plains]

8. We need a Unitarian executive!

[Jackpine Radical]

10. Now, that I could go for.

I identify emotionally with UUism, even though I'm not active. The only kinda religion I could conceivably make it in is one with no prescribed belief system. (I'll generate my wn delusional system, thank you.)

[dgauss]

9. Two points, as I see it, that might talk you down but depress you:

1) The current administration is molded by the goals and methods of modern Corporate America, which is a bottom-line, short term gain, grab what you can, don't be distracted by non-productive moral concerns, fuck the future kind of mentality. The upside of considering modern politics in this way is that it doesn't leave much room for long term evil machinations - they're undercut by the more practical and widespread interests of immediate greed. The downside is pretty much everything in the first sentence.

2) The current administration, and Republicans in general, know that even if power swings back and forth from Republicans to Democrats over the next century they (Republicans) will exploit the potential of imperial presidential powers in a way that Democrats wouldn't. Advantage Republicans.