Republicans Float ‘Impeachment Lite’
[su_right_ad]Republicans have done away with the idea of impeaching President Obama, but they are now considering censure. Congressmen Steve King Of Iowa and Raul Labrador of Idaho are behind it.
“I think we should censure the president of the United States,” Labrador said on CBS, days after Obama announced his actions. “I think it’s unfortunate that he did this, I think we need to lay out clearly why this is unlawful.”
Republican House leaders have been mum on how they’ll respond to Obama, and are waiting to gauge the level of enthusiasm for a censure vote on Tuesday during their first full conference meeting since the president announced his actions.
The “censure” strategy has much of the bombast of impeachment — a formal vehicle for Republicans to vent their disapproval of Obama, and throw red meat to the conservative base — without the risks of a politically nuclear confrontation that could backfire on them (not to mention, a guaranteed failure to obtain the two-thirds majority required in the Senate to remove the president from office).But there’s one big problem with this plan: censuring the president might be unconstitutional. Or at least, any censure resolution that would meaningfully punish the president risks violating the Constitution, legal experts say.
[su_thin_right_skyscraper_ad]”If you can put together in the abstract a resolution that does nothing more than express disapproval, I think it’s possible for Congress to do that. But you can’t do more than that,” said Michael J. Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, who has written a law review article exploring the issue. “I think any impact beyond expression would pose a constitutional problem for the attempted censure.”
Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe said a congressional resolution to censure a president is not clearly authorized by the Constitution, “so a strict constitutionalist would say that it’s an action beyond the authority of Congress.”
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Racism, hate, poor judgement and inbreeeding, the goptp.
New Old Gnu December 2nd, 2014 at 2:24 pm
Theryago : ) …. “Racism, Hate, Poor Judgement and Inbreeding” !! … Without any ONE of the FOUR the “Conservative Voting Base” would Shrink by Three Fourths : )
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 3:13 pm
Hi there friend…they do make me angry
New Old Gnu December 2nd, 2014 at 3:24 pm
ANOTHER “Thing” that NEVER Changes about THEM !! : )
Bunya December 2nd, 2014 at 4:01 pm
I’m pretty sure Louie Gohmert is inbred.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 4:17 pm
lol, absolutely
ExPFCWintergreen December 2nd, 2014 at 2:03 pm
The only thing that bothers me about this is that Democrats won’t have the balls to do it to the next Republican president.
mea_mark December 2nd, 2014 at 2:11 pm
What makes you think there will ever be another republican president? The republican party already has one foot in the grave and the way they play with guns, it won’t be long before they shoot the other one off.
mea_mark December 2nd, 2014 at 2:13 pm
Whatever floats their boat. I just hope they are having fun. In 2 years things are going to be a lot different.
crc3 December 2nd, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Yep. Every time they act like children is a strike against them and when the 2016 elections come they are going to be only a shell of a party (hopefully)…
tiredoftea December 2nd, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Repubs love the Constitution! At least until it gets in their way.
New Old Gnu December 2nd, 2014 at 2:20 pm
“Censure” by Republicans who Have NEVER Approved of Obama, either Inhaling …. OR Exhaling will be Entirely Meaningless to any but Those in the “Republican Conservative Base” who’ve Long been Addicted to the MEANINGLESS “Red Meat” they been Fed by those like King and Labrador !!
For the “Thinking Part” of the Populace it’s Nothing More than the BEST Comedy on TV : )
neworleans878 December 2nd, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Come on, Republicans, show some balls! F*ck this wimpy “censure” sh*t, g for it! If you’re so sure Obama’s acting illegally, IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!
But if you destructionists ever get in the White House again, I don’t want to hear NOTHING about the way he or she is treated.
Remember, sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. That is, if the Democrats show any balls themselves.
New Old Gnu December 2nd, 2014 at 2:27 pm
“That is, if the Democrats show any balls themselves.” ………
Little “Danger” of THAT !! : )
crc3 December 2nd, 2014 at 3:15 pm
Boner and The Turtle have nothing and they know it. This is a stall tactic (obstruction) to freeze governing. A waste of time at the taxpayers expense. IMO they are violating the Constitution by not doing their jobs. They are petty whiners that Obama needs to nail at every opportunity through vetoes and executive action….
New Old Gnu December 2nd, 2014 at 3:29 pm
He WILL !! : ) …. They’ve “Backed” themselves Into a Corner …. AGAIN … They, NOW, Control BOTH Houses of Congress !! …… Who’s gonna get “Credit”, Now, when NOTHING gets Done ?? …. BUT they’ve Got NO choice but to Keep telling their Undiscerning “Base” what they want to Hear ….. L’ing M A O : )
Boehner-Monkey December 2nd, 2014 at 3:29 pm
If the GOP follows through with this, it will ensure an enormous bloc of yellow dog voters as well as blue voting Independents in 2016. You have to consolidate your gains before you attack. They also have yet to learn the necessity of being gracious in victory.
Obewon December 2nd, 2014 at 3:33 pm
The GOP has no realistic ideas and no leadership, or their Boehner would bring the 1.5 year old immigration bill to the floor for guaranteed bipartisan passage. Then they could crow about family values keeping U..S citizen families together. Instead today’s repubs are a regional only party catering to know nothing far right functionally illiterate extremists.
William December 2nd, 2014 at 3:45 pm
They got nuthin’
William December 2nd, 2014 at 3:44 pm
Go for it you sanctimonious sphincters. I dare you.
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Uhm… not exactly. He signed a bill into law that passed the house, and the next year he acted on his own to expand it (rather than waste the time that going through the house would entail) to their spouses.
William December 2nd, 2014 at 3:51 pm
“he acted on his own to expand it”
WHAT?
He acted oh his own and sidestepped the Kon-stit-ushun?
I need to call Mark Levine right away.
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 3:55 pm
Within his rights — as was Obama. At issue is when too much becomes too much, re: the number of people involved. What’s the point between “Letting this guy in” and “Incorporating the population of Mexico” that serves to tip the scales?
William December 2nd, 2014 at 4:01 pm
3 million is “letting this guy in”?
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 4:36 pm
No, that’s way further down the line. (I was trying to define the extremes.)
Bunya December 2nd, 2014 at 4:03 pm
I agree. They should go for it. So what if censuring the president is unconstitutional? Since when did the constitution stand in the way of any lunacy they’ve thrown out before?
Detected_as_spam December 2nd, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Where are the two investigations against McConnell’s former campaign manager Jesse Benton, on bribing the Iowa Caucuses? Where is the investigation on Elaine Chao’s family smuggling cocaine all over the world? Where is the investigation filed by ALG into McConnell’s voter fraud?