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.

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The First Cup is a (sort of) daily post pointing you to some of the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere. If you have a post that you would like considered for the First Cup, send the link to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Looking for a place to do your Thursday reading? These posts are a good start.

The First Street Journal examines the speech by our Luddite like Socialist In Chief.

Doug Ross looks at the same speech and notes it’s paean to Fairness.

And to further examine our clueless current administration (I’m sensing a theme here), Truman North at AOSHQ observes Sweet Baby Jesus on a Popsicle Stick: Obama Administration Classifies Maj. Nidal Hassan’s Terrorist Attack on Ft. Hood as “Workplace Violence”

Finally, you need to read this post by Senator Marco Rubio — Reining in the Feds. Stregulation is killing this country.

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The First Cup is a (sort of) daily post pointing you to some of the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere. If you have a post that you would like considered for the First Cup, send the link to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Wyatt’s Humpday History Highlight looks at Pearl Harbor, of course.

Captain Ed reports on Nancy Pelosi’s Emily Litella walk back on Gingrich “dirt”.

John Hideraker notes that Obama’s reverse Toto moment wasn’t the dumbest thing he said yesterday.

Javier Manjarres at the Shark Tank has a poll asking, “Which Republican Presidential Hopeful Will Best Protect Against Security Threats?”

Speaking of polls, don’t forget to vote in the bRight & Early 2012 Presidential Primary Poll #14 — It’s over in the sidebar.

And Finally, William Teach is in the Holiday spirit this week.

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The First Cup is a (sort of) daily post pointing you to some of the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere. If you have a post that you would like considered for the First Cup, send the link to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Happy Monday! Here’s what’s happening around the conservative blogosphere.

So, you want a comprehensive look at where things stand in the polls. Over at Ace’s read CAC’s Poll Dump (Updated Every Sunday Through Election Day 2012)

Wyatt thinks he’s Indiana Jones

At Hot Air Jazz Shaw asks, Where to now for Cain’s supporters?

Go on over to Mike’s America to see the NRSCC video comparing Obama and Carter.

Finally, go ahead and vote in the bRight & Early 2012 Presidential Primary Poll #14 – The poll is over in the sidebar.

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The First Cup is a (sort of) daily post pointing you to some of the best posts from around the right side of the blogosphere. If you have a post that you would like considered for the First Cup, send the link to lakelandjim at gmail dot com.

Steveegg reviews Phil Kerpen’s Democracy Denied: How Obama Is Ignoring You and Bypassing Congress to Radically Transform America – and How to Stop Him at No Runny Eggs.

Sister Toldjah takes note of the Obama bus route, interesting for where it doesn’t stop.

Another one of my favorite NC bloggers, William Teach writes Angry Man Visits North Carolina, Brings Vinegar about Obama’s Magical Misery tour.

Flopping Aces contributor Curt is less than impressed by The Occupy Wall Street Brain Surgeons

McQ asks Does the unsustainability of the CLASS act finally doom ObamaCare?

Please take a look at this update. Be sure to vote in the latest bRight & Early poll (it’s in the sidebar). I am running for King of the World. Actually, a quest to become the official blogger/tweeter for LEGOLAND® Florida. Read about it here, and please become a fan on Facebook.

If you can…

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Good Morning. I know, I know. I didn’t get one of these (or anything else) posted yesterday. Let’s just say it was an interesting day. For those of you who don’t know what the first cup is all about, it is a few links to great posts from around the blogosphere.

Let’s start by congratulating Wyatt Earp from Support Your Local Gunfighter for reaching 2 Million Hits!

GM Roper offers up an Open Letter To The Republican Candidates For President

John Hitchcock, writing at Common Sense Political Thought, looks at the Obama “Jobs” bill and notes that even the AP is calling the president on it.

Sarah Rumph writes, Herman Cain on Hannity: “I never took a class in political correctness” She has the video, too.

Don’t forget to vote in the bRight & Early 2012 Presidential Primary Poll #13 over in the sidebar.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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