RUSH: All right, some people in the e-mail have taken exception with my description of Obama as “lawless” and acting outside the Constitution. Let me share with you a quote, and this is from a video. It might have been from yesterday out in Ohio, but it’s within the past couple days. Obama said, “When Congress refuses to act — and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk — then I have an obligation as president to do what I can without them.” He got applause. “I have an obligation to act on behalf of the American people. I’m not going to stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people that we elected to serve. Not with so much at stake, not at this make-or-break moment for middle class Americans. We’re not gonna let that happen.”
Now, the Founding Fathers said this is exactly what’s supposed to happen! It’s called “the separation of powers,” and it’s to make sure that things like this do not happen, that an all-powerful executive does not run roughshod over the government. But President Obama has just said: Because the Congress won’t do what I want them to do I’m gonna do it myself. That is extraconstitutional! That is not the way this government was set up. It was not the idea of the Founders. That’s acting outside the Constitution, and there’s no question about it — and the Obama campaign is claiming he’s doing all these recess appointments and things like this “to help the economy.” Reuters again: “Hammering populist themes that show him to be a champion of the middle class, aides say the president will keep taking steps to show voters he’ll make moves on his own to help the economy if Congress refuses to act.”
If Congress “refuses to act,” it is his job to sit down and talk to ’em and make ’em act and get them to vote the way he wants. He does not have — unless they grant it to him (and they’re doing it, by the way) — the authority to run roughshod over them. But if they don’t stop him, he can do it. We can’t. Congress has to stand up for itself. Now, the Democrats run the Senate. I think they’re happy for this to happen. Dingy Harry loves for this to happen because they’re sitting there blaming it on the House Republicans who have no role in this. It’s an election year, so blame the Republicans for it. Folks, it is clearly lawless. If you regard the Constitution as law, this is lawless behavior by an out-of-control, rogue executive. This is what happens in banana republics, tinhorn dictatorships. In places like Venezuela, this is what happens — all under the guise of populism and helping the middle class.
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RUSH: Cheryl in Reno, Nevada, great to have you on the EIB Network. Hi.
CALLER: Hi. Thank you. First, I have to tell you your tea is everything you’ve ever said it is.
RUSH: Oh, thank you. I appreciate that.
CALLER: I ordered some just before Christmas and I got it and it’s great. I just want to say, I don’t think these people should be able to just walk away from their house because it’s so-called “underwater.” Ever since they started that makes me so mad. Nobody’s ever guaranteed that their house was gonna be worth more than what they paid for it, it was just a given for a long, long time. But you buy a new car, what’s it worth when you drive it away?
RUSH: I know, I know. But Cheryl, we live in a culture now where the left has been working for years to take as much risk off as much of life as possible. They have been characterizing events like people being underwater in their houses as terribly unfortunate and unfair and we must do something about it. There’s not a majority sentiment, but there’s a popular sentiment in the country for bailing out people and institutions. You know, if capitalism were really in play here, none of this would be going on. Capitalism’s getting a bad rap. Capitalism is not at play. Capitalism was not in play during the TARP bailout, during Obama stimulus, and it’s not at play here with this potential mortgage bailout, either. Now, I understand exactly what you’re saying. We’ve got a cultural problem here.
CALLER: Yeah, I don’t know. And one other thing I wanted to say. I think that ruling that he signed over New Year’s about the military being able to detain people…
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: It sounds like that’s just another get even with everybody for like Arizona and the other states that want to control the illegal —
RUSH: I am glad that you brought that up because I got an e-mail that night from a member of Congress from Texas by the name of Louie Gohmert, and Louie said that that’s not accurate. I was reading Jonathan Turley in the UK Guardian, and Jonathan Turley is for the most part a leftist. He’s a lawyer, legal beagle, and he was writing of this thing as though it was an outrage, and I reported what he said about it. Louie, a member of Congress who dealt with this while it was being debated, wrote me a note, a pretty long note saying it really doesn’t say that, the power to detain citizens without charge, without evidence really isn’t in the legislation. He was pretty adamant about it and he’s a member of Congress.
CALLER: Well, maybe it’s not quite as bad as it sounds, then.
RUSH: No, and he’s a good guy, too. Believe me, he’s not prone to defend Obama for the sake of it. He’s like anybody else, he wants to get it right. So I’m glad you reminded me of that ’cause I’ve got the big note here but I forgot to pass that on.
CALLER: Okay, thank you.
RUSH: Okay, Cheryl.
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RUSH: Snerdley, I’ll bet you something. I want you to do a test. It may not work with you. Your friends are all conservative. Dawn, I want you to try this: I want you to send ’em just an e-mail without any opinion in it that says, “Did you hear Obama is going to refinance everybody’s mortgage and make it more affordable?” I want you to tell me the reaction you get. I’ll bet you what you’re gonna get, “Oh, that’s a great idea!” (interruption) You think your friends would have the same reaction? (interruption) Your friends, Snerdley, would…? (interruption)
Your politically attuned friends? (interruption) The conservatives! I mean conservative friends. I want you to send it to your conservative friends and without — I don’t want you to put — “Gosh, can you believe this? This is outrageous!” Don’t put any of that stuff in there. Just say, “Did you hear Obama is thinking of just forgiving everybody’s underwater mortgage?” You say that, and I will bet you that a lot of people will say, “Oh, what a great idea,” illustrating the trouble we’re in. People do not know about separation of powers, do not know about the Constitution, do not know that such dictatorial powers are not permitted, do not know that they are going to be paying for it. You wait. Try it! I dare say, I’ll betcha some of my friends would have that reaction.
Some of them. Most of mine, Snerdley, wouldn’t. As opposed to yours. Now, it just keeps getting better. This is from TheHill.com: “Obama to Launch Summer Jobs Initiative — President Obama today will unveil a summer jobs initiative that the White House says is already on track to create 180,000 work opportunities in the private sector in 2012.” Well, who could oppose that? 180,000 work opportunities! Of course the question is, “Why do we need this.? I thought you already saved the economy. I thought we’re back from the brink. I thought we did the stimulus!” People aren’t gonna say that. “Oh, wow, he’s really gonna do it! He’s gonna create jobs.” When all this stuff happens, folks, please remember: I warned you, and I warned you so you wouldn’t get depressed, so you’d know it’s coming. You might get depressed anyway.