If President Obama as made one thing clear in his three years in office, it is that he regards the Constitution, Congress, and the American people as impediments to carrying out his agenda. So far it’s been bad. It just got a lot worse.

White House attorneys have concluded they have the legal authority to make a recess appointment despite Republican efforts to block the move, Democrats said Tuesday, and administration officials say they reserve the option to install Richard Cordray as head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without Senate approval.

[...]

[T]he White House has concluded that it can make the appointment even if the Senate has not formally recessed, said one Democrat familiar with White House thinking. “They have decided no one can stop them.”

If this doesn’t outrage people, no matter what their party affiliation, our republic is truly lost. I’m not sure we can even last another twelve months.

Tweet

Heard this on Rush and found the story online — Appeals court rules against Obama healthcare law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An appeals court ruled on Friday that President Barack Obama’s healthcare law requiring Americans to buy healthcare insurance or face a penalty was unconstitutional, a blow to the White House.

The Appeals Court for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, found that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to buy coverage, but also ruled that the rest of the wide-ranging law could remain in effect.

Of course the entire law needs to be scrapped, but removing the individual mandate will eventually do the same thing. It cannot survive without it, and that’s a good thing. Not that any of this is the final word. You can bet on this being decided by the Supreme Court no matter how many lower courts rule.

That being said, I’d still rather see more decisions like this one.

Tweet

Do they think this is a good thing?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to remain in his post and is pleased that he has decided to do that, the White House said on Sunday.

In another 76 weeks they will both be gone.

It’s just going to be a really long 76 weeks.

Tweet

“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

Substitute “Constitutional Authority” for “Badges” and you have the President’s actions on Libya in a nutshell.

President Barack Obama ignored legal advice from top Pentagon and Justice Department lawyers, siding with other advisers who said he had legal authority to continue air strikes against Libya without congressional approval, the New York Times reported on Friday.

Citing officials familiar with the administration’s deliberations, the newspaper reported the Pentagon and Justice Department lawyers argued that the U.S. bombing runs over Libya, under NATO command, were “hostilities.”

As such, Obama would have had to end or pull back the military flights after May 20 since he did not get backing from Congress for them under the War Powers Resolution.

It seems that President Obama isn’t even bothering to hide his narcissistic traits anymore. Here are the symptoms of Narcissistic personality disorder:

Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:

Believing that you’re better than others
Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
Exaggerating your achievements or talents
Expecting constant praise and admiration
Believing that you’re special and acting accordingly
Failing to recognize other people’s emotions and feelings
Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
Taking advantage of others
Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
Being jealous of others
Believing that others are jealous of you
Trouble keeping healthy relationships
Setting unrealistic goals
Being easily hurt and rejected
Having a fragile self-esteem
Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional

How many of those do you see in our Narcissist in Chief? I count at least 10 out of the 16.

How many narcissists does it take to change a light bulb?
(a) Just one — but he has to wait for the whole world to revolve around him.
(b) None at all — he hires menials for work that’s beneath him.

Tweet

Both Paul Ryan and Michelle Bachmann had their turns. This morning let me give my brief response to the President’s SOTU speech. First, like most Americans, I didn’t watch it. I had more important things to do, like putting kids to bed and leveling my hunter on WoW.

However, I have read the prepared remarks this morning. While political pundits and other observers will pick the address apart today, let me offer a much shorter analysis.

Get out of the way.

That, I think, is the message of this past November, and the proper response to the President and the 112th congress.

Much of the speech, it seems to me, described challenges that are caused or greatly enabled by government (although that’s not how it was presented) and then proposes looking to government for the solution to those challenges. As Ronald Reagan famously said, “Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” Obama’s 13 references (according to The Hill) to investment are just that, subsidizing problems.

So, my take on the State of the Union is, I repeat, get out of the way. Quit regulating entrepreneurship out of existence. Stop subsidizing programs and policies that would not exist apart from government life support. I will grant that some innovation has found it’s start in government programs (the internet and NASA inspired technology come to mind), but it has been private enterprise and entrepreneurs that have driven those things to the success they enjoy. Regulation, by it’s nature, stifles such success. To quote Reagan once again, “Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.” It has been said, accurately I believe, that the internal combustion engine could not be invented in today’s over-regulated environment.

Get out of the way. It’s the only way we, as a nation, can move forward.

Tweet

Here is the text of President Obama’s weekly radio address, as prepared (or so I imagine).

SOMEWHERE ABOARD GOLF CART ONE — My fellow Americans, it is clear now that many of you acted stupidly on November 2nd. You rubes just don’t get it, do you? We, (notice how inclusive I am) your betters, know what is best for you. Some have suggested that my too-awesome-for-words health care plan seemed a bit to intrusive to you bitter clingers. It is almost as if you think that you know what is best of you and your family. Some of you have the outdated notion that the money you earn belongs to you. Worse yet, you continue to try to hold on to the notion that our living, breathing Constitution means what it says, rather than what we say it says. Morons.

More recently, you backwater hicks have been all up in arms about our increased airport security measures. What’s wrong with all you gun-totters? I thought you liked security. Yet, all I hear is, “invasive” this, and “inappropriate” that, and all sorts of stupid “does it do any good at all?” questions. Quit yer bellyachin’. We have to look like we’re doing something, don’t we? I am flat out tired of hearing your racist, Islamophobic, why don’t we look for real terrorist rhetoric. CAIR has assured me that what has worked so well for Israel would not work here. That’s good enough for me.

But, since the recent election was a big serving of “Posterior on a Platter”, I guess I should pretend that I’m listening.

I have signed, effective Monday, an executive order merging the TSA and the AMA. In the days to come you will see radiologists, proctologists and gynecologists joining the ranks of our airport security teams. Not only will you be safer flying, you will be having invasive, private, procedures publicly performed on you at the same time. Your naked body will be seen by a radiologist as well as a security screener, their friends, and visitors to You Tube. Someone is bound to notice that abnormality on your scan, aren’t they? You can’t have too many eyes on these things, I say.

And I haven’t forgotten those of you who want to skip the free, “let’s see what she’s got under there” scans. You will be able to grab your ankles while we look for either a bomb or polyps. Which ever we find, it’s a win-win for you! And many of you ladies just don’t “feel your boobies” like you should. Our trained sweater-puppy patrol will fix that, unless your a Muslim woman in a burqa, then it’s just wrong. Men, we’re going to “touch your junk”, so just get over it. Ignore the “man, he sure is Irish” comments and move on.

So there you have it. I am teh awesome. I would say that I killed two birds with one stone, but PETA won’t let us use that expression any more.

Next up, I will tackle unemployment by having the big guy (you know, Soros) find jobs for those recently fired public servants at NPR. As you can see, I never rest. What? You found by ball? Hold on, I’m almost done here. Where was I? Oh yeah, I never rest. And what’s that other thing I’m supposed to say? That’s right. God bless America. (Can I still say that? You’re Sure? OK.)

It just makes you proud, doesn’t it?

Tweet

Let me provide a crystal ball into the way President Obama is going to lead for the next two years by way of an analogy:

Imagine, if you will (my Florida readers should have no troubles doing this), the driver with out of state plates you’ve been following for two miles down the highway who has their right turn blinker on the whole way. That will be the President. We’re going to hear plenty of “right turn rhetoric”, but the only movement from the current direction will be a last minute left into Denny’s for the early bird buffet.

Tweet

President Obama’s field trip to Wall Street yesterday can be explained this way: It’s like telling your wife, “You’ve really let yourself go, now get over here and give daddy a little sumpin sumpin.”

Both bills, he said, represent “significant improvement on the flawed rules” that are in place today, “despite the furious efforts of industry lobbyists to shape them to their special interests.”

“I am sure that many of those lobbyists work for some of you,” Obama said. ” But I am here today because I want to urge you to join us, instead of fighting us in this effort.”

Drew M. summed it up pretty well:

This speech is the worst of Obama…bad policy married to cloying rhetoric. All his ‘false choices’, get beyond selfish politics, I’m not an ideologue, it’s just common sense, BS designed to hide his extreme policies.

Yup.

Tweet

The Bower in Chief made what is arguably the most clueless statement on America’s superiority ever.

It’s there, about a minute in.

“whether we like it or not, we (United States) remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, we get pulled into it.”

(video via Freedom’s Lighthouse h/t Ed Morrissey)

Ed says,

The phrase “whether we like it or not” usually connotes a negative to which an audience has to resign themselves. To give one example, no one ever hears, “Whether you like it or not, you’re going to get a banana split with your choice of toppings,” or “Like it or not, I’m going to get naked now.”

Now, I might argue with Ed on the second example. If the phrase was uttered by, say, Nancy Pelosi or Helen Thomas, then it would be entirely appropriate, while spoken by someone like Catherine Bell, not so much. That small difference aside, Ed is exactly right in another use of the phrase.

Because whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with Obama as C-in-C for the next two years, nine months, and five days.

The fact is, most of us are thrilled that we are a “dominant military superpower” and that being so helps keep us safe. It is disturbing that our President finds that to be a negative.

So, what are some other inappropriate uses of the phrase whether we like it or not? Leave yours in the comments.

Tweet

Not every magician is David Copperfield. For every Copperfield, David Blaine, or Penn and Teller their are dozens of lesser known (to be kind) magicians working comedy clubs and kids birthday parties. Beyond that group is your uncle who pulled a quarter from your ear (you may know how he did it, but you want the quarter anyway) and your little brother who thinks he’s a magician because he says, “Ta Da!”

A key to being a good illusionist is mastering misdirection. The greats pull it off and you’re none the wiser. Little Billy thinks that misdirection consists of, “look over there!”

President Obama’s skills fall somewhere between your Uncle Joe and your baby brother. His latest act is his new found interest in offshore drilling. Sarah Palin isn’t fooled.

Many Americans fear that President Obama’s new energy proposal is once again “all talk and no real action,” this time in an effort to shore up fading support for the Democrats’ job-killing cap-and-trade (a.k.a. cap-and-tax) proposals. Behind the rhetoric lie new drilling bans and leasing delays; soon to follow are burdensome new environmental regulations. Instead of “drill, baby, drill,” the more you look into this the more you realize it’s “stall, baby, stall.”

As a former mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut probably never said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Sorry, Uncle Barry. It’s not going to be us.

Tweet