Dictatorial Overreach

Dictatorship can be characterized as the capricious rule by the political party in power rather than rule by impartial law. Obama is setting a pattern of attempting to imitate Hugo Chavez in abusing the powers of the executive branch to undermine the rule of law and play favorites.

Obama started his Presidency thinking he had been elected Mayor (of Chicago), not President. Look at the arrogant tone from two years ago.


The most recent and most egregious examples of overreach include:

"I'm making a list. . ."

• Obamacare implementation. Everyday we are surprised by some new waiver or re-interpretation of the law that we were previously unaware of. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Katherine Sebelius is alternately bullying insurance companies, Chicago style or issuing blanket waivers from the law depending on her mood, apparently. 222 favored unions and businesses have received waivers on the types of coverage they can provide. This is a feature, not a bug, as the administration has built a system that allows it to play favorites and thereby reap political support in return for those waivers. Explain how the Soviets fundamentally operated any differently.
• Regulation of Power Plants for CO2. The EPA has announced that it will move forward with regulation to limit greenhouse gases from power plants and refineries. However, their approach exceeds their authority. If CO2 is truly to be regulated, then the EPA must apply the rules evenly across the board to everything that emits above certain limits. That would include every vehicle on the road. Further, they have yet to prove in court that CO2 is a hazard, since it is already in the atmosphere. The only court case, Massachusetts v EPA, specifically called on the EPA to regulate automobile emissions for CO2 or show cause as to why they would not. So the EPA's decision doesn't even accord with the only Supreme Court case on the subject.
• Net Neutrality. As I previously pointed out, the FCC is clearly exceeding their writ, according to both the Congress and the Courts. But why let that stop a naked power grab.
• Gitmo detainees. I criticized Bush for the conduct of military tribunals to try unlawful combatants held at Guantanamo Bay, because Congress had not passed the necessary regulations to allow a lawful tribunal to proceed. But in 2006, Congress passed the appropriate law. However, that-hack-Holder (all one word) decided he was going to hold civilian show trials. I say show trials, because the administration stated that the prisoners would not be released even if found not guilty. This was to show the supposed superiority of our civilian courts. In the latest twist ". . . the Obama administration is working on an executive order authorizing the indefinite detention of certain terrorism suspects the administration deems too difficult to put on trial but too dangerous to release." Even George Bush wasn't so cruel. Why can't they apply the law that was passed? No seizing power for the executive is much more the Chicago Way practiced by the One.

Maybe we will make this a regular feature, as the administration has certainly set a trend. Sorry to those who think I exaggerate the threat, but this is how dictatorship can come about, through the steady erosion of the rule of law and constitutionality.