Wednesday, July 9, 2014
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
To Impeach Or Not To Impeach
Sarah Palin declared yesterday that it was time to impeach Barack Obama. The last straw, according to Palin, is the continuing border crisis caused in part by Obama’s unwillingness to enforce our immigration laws.
On the other hand, Pat Buchanan has penned a column arguing against impeachment. In Buchanan’s view, impeachment is “a bridge too far” that would only “enrage and energize the Democratic base and cause the major media to charge the GOP with a racist scheme to discredit and destroy our first black president.”
So, my friends, here you have two prominent conservatives with opposing views on this very contentious issue.
Tell me what you think. Should members of Congress try to impeach Obama?
Click here to take part in our online poll.
Plan B?
When House Speaker John Boehner announced plans to file a federal lawsuit challenging President Obama’s extra-constitutional executive actions, it got a mixed response. Some conservatives felt it was a half-hearted measure, while Obama mocked the suit, saying on the campaign trail, “So sue me!”
Reasonable people can disagree on the merits of the effort. But wherever you come down, it appears that Speaker Boehner does at least have a strategy in mind.
According to various reports, the issue of Obama’s executive abuses will be extensively debated in the House beginning next week. A panel of constitutional law experts will appear before the House Rules Committee to discuss possible legal responses, including the speaker’s suggested lawsuit. The debate will culminate in a vote at the end of the month, just before the House adjourns for its August recess.
This is designed to give members of the House time to reflect on the serious constitutional issues at hand, to keep the issue in the headlines and to put every member of the House on the record for or against Obama’s actions. Then they will have to go back home and explain their positions to their constituents during the August recess. That should make for some lively town hall meetings!
Enforcement First!
In yesterday’s report, I suggested how members of Congress who are serious about border security should respond to Barack Obama’s request for $3.7 billion in emergency funding for the border crisis. I’m pleased to report that there are some on Capitol Hill who get it. Consider these excerpts of a press release from Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX):
“This isn’t a funding problem, it’s an enforcement problem. I’d be happy to give the President $3.7 billion to secure the border if I thought he’d actually do it. But time and again President Obama has shown that he cares more about the interests of illegal immigrants than of law abiding citizens. Congress shouldn’t give President Obama a single penny until we see him use the current resources to secure the border, increase interior enforcement, and reduce illegal immigration.”
Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) is asking why the 2006 Secure Fence Act isn’t being enforced. He estimates that only 44% of the border is “operationally secure,” not 100% as required by the law.
By the way, Rep. Bridenstine was recently denied access to Fort Sill, a military base in his district that is being used to house unaccompanied children from Latin America. The Obama Administration has agreed to allow a media tour of the base tomorrow, but has imposed all kinds of outrageous restrictions on recording devices and no interaction between the media and the staff and children. Rep. Bridenstine is rejecting those limits and demanding “unfettered access” to the facility.
Meanwhile, Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) noted that 52,000 one-way tickets to Central America would cost roughly $10 million — a significant savings compared to Obama’s $3.7 billion.
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