I think Obama should invoke the emergency powers act

[Emillereid]

to save the country:

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


The National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive (National Security Presidential Directive NSPD 51/Homeland Security Presidential Directive HSPD-20, sometimes called simply "Executive Directive 51" for short), created and signed by United States President George W. Bush on May 4, 2007, is a Presidential Directive which claims power to execute procedures for continuity of the federal government in the event of a "catastrophic emergency". Such an emergency is construed as "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions." <1>

[pnwmom]

1. Interesting idea. n/t

[bluestateguy]

2. Yes, and while he's at it he can cancel his health care bill

and then replace it with a single payer system.

[woolldog]

5. lol

[Uben]

3. Lots of options.......

....he could simply instruct the treasury to make two platinum coins worth a trillion bucks each and deposit them in the federal reserve and write checks on them. All legal.

[ZombieHorde]

4. Hmm. Interesting. nt

[woolldog]

6. that would be so cool

if he did that.

[Blasphemer]

7. If it comes to that, he definitely should exercise that option

I would take some pleasure in Obama using a Bush directive to get this done without having to deal with the crazies in Congress. It's not ideal but if the Congress is at a stalemate and the economy is at risk, it's fair for the balance of power to shift to the executive branch.

[Emillereid]

8. While I was making dinner I was loving the irony!

[TTUBatfan2008]

9. The military considers our debt the greatest threat to national security...

Obama is commander-in-chief of the military. He and the military have a duty to protect the security of the people in this country. If the Congress refuses to act, he will have to raise the debt ceiling on his own.

[gristy]

10. That does seem to cover the imminent situation

"that results in extraordinary levels of... disruption severely affecting... government functions"

[Igel]

11. Not there.

I read through the damned thing when it was all the rage to say how horrible it was and that, for sure, * would be seizing control of everything to prevent the 2008 elections.

It's intended for when the structure and authority of the federal government is at risk. Possible scenarios are large-scale riots that make, say, the Southland effectively cut off from Constitutional government; an attack that destroys a quorum in the Senate; something that wipes out the presidency and vice-presidency or a chunk of the federal judiciary, with the Congress in disarray. It usurps the authority of Congress when Congress can't do it; it imposes martial law when the states' and federal police systems can't handle the problem.

The goal is to restore faith in the economy, etc., but primarily to restore and reconstitute the tripartite division of authority.

Using it to remove the tripartite division of authority so that the President can seize control of the country is precisely what everybody accused * of signing it for, what the OP seems to want Obama to do, and what the document signed by *--which replicates the document signed by Clinton, the one signed by Bush I, and the one signed by Reagan--specifically rules out in its text. It specifically says that the Executive branch shall *not* usurp the functions of other branches if they have not been fundamentally rendered unable to do fulfill their roles. "Unwilling" is quite different from "unable." "Unable" means that Congress can't assemble, that a majority are dead or incapacitated or hostage. That kind of thing.

The worst scenarios for a government debt default don't rise to the minimum standards for this EO.