If push comes to shove, can Obama declare a state of emergency

[Nancy Waterman]

and do what needs to be done without the Congress? If they refuse to participate in government,
and, for instance try to extort things from him in order to raise the debt ceiling, can he do that?

[Nancy Waterman]

1. If he threatens that

would they back down and actually fulfill their appointed roles in congress?

[hughee99]

2. I think he can do some things,

but most of what we'd want him to do has to go through congress. If he does declare a state of emergency because of a government shutdown, he can probably waive goodbye to a second term.

[prolesunited]

3. You want a dictator?

[backwoodsbob]

4. ummm...no...thankfully

imagine giving that power to Shrub.

[Lil Missy]

5. cheney would have done it. n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

18. well, shit then...

good enough for me :sarcasm:

[Axrendale]

6. Yes, he could do it, and he could claim historical precedents for it as well

It's a fact that Americans tend to be highly uncomfortable about, but our country is no stranger to having a Dictator to shepard us through times of crisis. The fact is that at the end of the day the two most revered Presidents in our history: Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, were dictators who ruled this country by unflinchingly employing powers that went well beyond what they were technically entitled to wield by the Constitution. That they were able to do this without harming - instead on the contrary strengthening - the democratic process is a testament to their vision and genius as statesmen.

If Obama were to go down this path, the consequences and long-term ramifications are very hard to determine. Lincoln and Roosevelt were able to wield Supreme Executive Authority more than anything else because of their circumstances - they ruled in times that were defined by crises beyond anything that we are experiencing today.

I don't think that the conditions of our times, serious though they are, are quite enough to justify recourse to such extreme measures. If such a thing were to happen, then we could be looking potentially at an outbreak of societal upheaval that would make the height of the 1960s-70s period look mild and orderly by comparison.

[onenote]

20. can you give some examples of FDR employing powers beyond what the Constitution gave him?

[Llewlladdwr]

7. What's the emergency?

Seriously, what existential threat faces America that would require the President to declare a State of Emergency? To get the support of the military (and most citizens) it's gonna have to be a bit more than "Congress is really, really hard to work with".

[JamesA1102]

8. Do you're solution is dictatorship? nt

[DutchLiberal]

9. He can single-handedly appoint any citizen an 'enemy combatant' and have them assassinated.

No Glenn Beck conspiracy theory. Just one of the many un-Constitutional rights he has 'inherited' from Bush and never reversed.

So if he can pull *that* fascist shit, you think he can declare 'state of emercengy'?

[boppers]

10. Nope, that's the Glenn Beck version.

The actual version is this:
When the Joint Chiefs, or CIA, or other military/intelligence agencies, agree that you are an individual whose capture or death serves the security of the United States, the President issues orders to our various services to deal with you as an individual, preferably capture, but sometimes kill.

Bush did it.
Clinton did it.
GHW Bush did it.
Reagan did it.
Carter did it.

Need me to keep going? Obama's doing the same thing we've done since the '40's. What's changed over the years is the process and legal cover required, but we've had this game going for well over half a century.

[sudopod]

12. I hate this post so much. nt

[DutchLiberal]

15. No, Reagan and HW Bush and Carter didn't it. Not what I'm talking about.

Not the fascist thing I mentioned that was invented by Cheney/Bush. You keep making apologies for Obama. Stick your head in the sand. Put party over principle. Go on, do it!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. What is the emergency

the only emergency I see is the incompetent Republican control of the house. If I were the present congress I would get everything through so it can't be undone by those fools.

[BlueIris]

13. He could try, (not that I'd approve) but he's no longer popular enough

to pull that off.

[MadHound]

14. STOP RIGHT THERE

Sorry, but you are suggesting that he institute a dictatorship. That is not the answer, and that you would propose one simply shows the sorry state of your thinking.

[MrSlayer]

16. I don't want a dictatorship unless I'm the dictator.

I would be an awesome dictator. Otherwise this is not a great or even good idea.

[zulchzulu]

17. Depends on the "emergency"

Perceptually, if the Republicans want to shut down the government, one would hope the mainstream media would humiliate them and perhaps people in the streets would be visible protesting and all Obama would have to do istake the high road.

From Wiki:

A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviors, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale for suspending rights and freedoms, even if guaranteed under the constitution. Such declarations usually come during a time of natural or man made disaster, during periods of civil unrest, or following a declaration of war or situation of international or internal armed conflict.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_emergency

The U.S. Constitution (Article 1, Section 9) http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec9.html

[awoke_in_2003]

19. I guess if he really wanted to prove

that we are no longer a democracy he could do this.

[GSLevel9]

21. not a bright idea... although I appreciate your passion nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. He Could Form A Junta And Wear Military Fatigues Like Fidel

:sarcasm:

[Dr Morbius]

23. President Obama can indeed declare a state of emergency but not for something so trivial...

... as GOP obstructionism. The President cannot declare a state of emergency because the GOP-led House is trying to extort him, because frankly that's politics. If the government gets shut down, you can count on the President to take the high road and publicly humiliate the parties responsible. I don't see that happening; the GOP took it on the chin when Gingrich shut the government down. I think the Republican party learned something they will never publicly admit: the people actually want the government around, no matter what they say. Shutting it down proved very unpopular in 1995 and won't be any more popular in 2011.

I don't think the GOP wants to shut the government down. I think they want to embarrass the President, and will engage in all manner of investigations in order to do so. This guy is no Bill Clinton, though; they won't get anywhere with it.

Please, please refer to the man as PRESIDENT Obama.