Trump continuing Obama’s unconstitutional executive order legacy
by David Leach • October 11, 2017
Do you remember when Obama put lawmakers on notice a few years ago, telling them that he would disregard the Constitution in order to advance his agenda? Do you also remember that one of the primary ways he went about doing this was by using his “pen and phone” to issue executive orders and take executive actions on issues like healthcare?
“Since Congress can’t get its act together on healthcare, I will be using the power of the pen to give great healthcare to many people.”
Wait a minute . . . I’m checking my notes . . .
I’m sorry, while it’s true that Obama said something similar, and he did abuse his executive powers, the above quote comes to us courtesy of Donald Trump—not Barack Obama.
 Donald J. Trump
?@realDonaldTrump
Since Congress can't get its act together on HealthCare, I will be using the power of the pen to give great HealthCare to many people - FAST
5:30 AM - Oct 10, 2017
When Obama issued his threat to the Constitution, there were voices in Congress who appeared willing to put the Constitution and the rule of law ahead of partisan politics, but alas, now that Trump is in the White House, these voices have grown silent, or worse, have joined the Trump chorus line, singing the praises of the GOP version of Barack Obama.
One such voice is that of Rand Paul. I wrote a piece a few weeks ago about how Paul was not only open to the idea of Trump using his pen to “fix” healthcare, he became a cheerleader of the idea. In fact, following Donald Trump’s announcement, Paul was so stoked over Trump’s unconstitutional action that he tweeted his approval.
 Senator Rand Paul
?@RandPaul
This will be a great plan & a big deal for millions of Americans. I’ve been working with @realDonaldTrump for months on this. Details soon! t.co
6:55 AM - Oct 10, 2017
Recently, I was castigated by a fellow conservative for not doing somersaults when Trump finally acted on his executive order repealing the birth control mandate in Obamacare. After all, this fulfilled one of Trump’s promises, right?
Actually, no. It didn’t. The promise was to repeal Obamacare, not put a band-aid on it. Besides the fact that Trump’s action does little to protect those effected by the mandate, by choosing to use an executive order, Trump’s actions can, and most likely will, be reversed by a future president. In fact, this is true of everything Trump “fixes” using his pen—from DACA to climate issues.
The GOP used to be the finger in the Constitutional dike whenever progressive government created a leak. Sadly, Trump and the Republican establishment are looking for ways to blow up the dike allowing the waters of tyranny to flow freely.
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