The simple answer is, of course he can’t. And that is because we operate under a system that is governed, for the most part, by the United States Constitution.
There are specific Constitutional duties set forth for the President of the United States. Included in these duties however, are specific restrictions. According to the constitution, the President – although his office is one branch of government and is considered one of the most powerful positions in the world – cannot make legislation. Introducing bills or legislations that could eventually become law, rest solely in the hands of Congress. And more specific, any bill or legislation that has to do with finance or revenue, must begin in the House of Representatives. This too is laid out in Article 1, section 7of the Constitution, that states – All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.
So what’s a president to do when government is divided, when he and his party controls the Senate and the opposing party controls the House of Representatives? What can the President do when the unemployment rate hovers around 9.1%, representing over 14 million people looking for work? What can he do when the arm of government responsible for revenue – in this case, the Republican controlled House of Representatives – refuses to do their job and is content to just watching the economy go down the toilet?
What’s a president to do? Exactly what President Obama has done.
Realizing his constitutional limits, he proposes jobs solutions and negotiates with the enemy in hopes that they will work with him in good faith to get people back to work and get the economy and country moving in the right direction again.
This President have been criticized on many occasions by members of his own party for negotiating with the enemy. They question the President’s ability to “get things done” or “fix the economy.” We have all seen the weekly, sometimes daily polls asking participants if the country is moving in the right direction, and the pundits all wonder aloud whether the President can right what is wrong, “fix the economy,” and reduce unemployment before the next election.
These questions of course, all deal with revenue, and the President’s hands are tied by a sacred document called the Constitution. His duties are specific, his restrictions are precise. And with a Republican party determined to hold the American worker hostage, we can just be thankful that the general unemployment numbers are at only 9.1%
It is time that the pundits and the American people realize what is happening. There is a Republican agenda at play here, and it is to make sure this economy fails, to bring down the middle class, and thus, to bring down this presidency.
We must realize who the responsible party is, and we must draw a clear distinction between them and the irresponsible Republicans in Congress.
