The Constitution and President Obama

[FCTP]

The following article was written by Ron DeSantis, a local attorney and author of  Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama.  He will be speaking at the Westside Chapter of the First Coast Tea Party on Monday, September 26th at 6:00 PM.  For more information about this meeting, go to:  http://www.fctpcommunity.org/events/westside-community-group-4

 

 

What is a progressive like Barack Obama to do on Constitution Day?

 

As originally articulated by the likes of Woodrow Wilson during the early 20^th century, progressivism rejected the Constitution's focus on individual liberty and held the Founding Fathers in contempt.

 

Wilson even complained that "divine right of kings never ran a more prosperous course than did this unquestioned prerogative of the Constitution to receive universal homage."  And he boasted about being among the first Americans to "entertain any serious doubts about the superiority of our own institutions as compared with the systems of Europe" and "to think of remodelling the administrative machinery of the federal government."

 

Wilson and his progressive allies wanted to weaken the Constitution's protections against centralized power and facilitate government planning by progressive experts.  They didn't believe in American exceptionalism and looked to statist, bureaucratic governments throughout Europe as models for reform.

 

In many ways, Obama is Wilson's kindred spirit.

 

Like Wilson, Obama is not a fan of the Constitution's basic design.  In his Farewell Address, George Washington celebrated the Constitution's separation of powers as being absolutely necessary for the maintenance of a free society, yet Obama has complained about this important constitutional feature.  During the health care debate, he said he would like nothing more than to bypass Congress and enact "some very elegant, you know, academically approved approach to health care."  At a conference of liberal Hispanics, he pointed out one way to grant amnesty was to "bypass Congress and change the laws on my own," admitting that "the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting, I promise you."

 

Obama's impatience with the Constitution's design stems, in part, from the fact that he views the document as defective.  The Constitution, he has said, "reflects some deep flaws in American culture."  Obama has derided the Constitution as "charter of negative liberties" that restricts government's authority but that does not mandate that the federal government redistribute wealth—something which Obama has dedicated his professional life to achieving.    

 

He has even criticized the famously liberal Warren Court for being insufficiently radical because it “never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society.”  More specifically, he lamented that the Warren Court “didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution.”

 

Since in office, Obama has been quite willing to go where even the Warren Court would not.  His prized ObamaCare law obliterates any discernible limitations to the power of the federal government.  ObamaCare represents one of the “gradual innovations of an unlimited government,” which is something that Founding Fathers like James Madison feared.

 

If ObamaCare was the only policy that Obama enacted, it would represent more damage to the Constitution that has been done by virtually any previous president.  Obama, though, has not limited his damage to ObamaCare.  He has relied on unaccountable czars to implement his polices, implemented a de facto amnesty plan by executive fiat, and scuttled the rule of law in favor of the United Auto workers during the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies—to name just a few of his transgressions.  

 

The Founders knew that elected officials would not always be faithful to the text, history and structure of the Constitution.  Accordingly, they advised citizens to obtain a “remedy” through “the election of more faithful representatives,” who can “annul the acts of the usurpers.”

 

Barack Obama may, consistent with the vision of the Founders, receive his electoral comeuppance in November of 2012.  This will provide an opportunity to reverse his destructive policies and foster a renewed faithfulness to the Constitution.

 

In the meantime, Constitution Day seems to be an appropriate time for Obama to reflect on the damage he has done.

 

 --Ron DeSantis is the author of Dreams From Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama

[Bunny Harrison]

Good job, Patricia -- Happy Birthday to your hubby and know dinner will be elegant!

[Patricia M. McBride]

http://www.healthtransformation.net/cs/newt_gingrich

 

here is another kind of overall I found:

Biography

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, is a member of the Terrorism Task Force for the Council on Foreign Relations, an advisory board member of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, an advisory board member of Common Good, a founding member of Project Vote Smart, and a member of the Committee on the Present Danger. He is also a news and political analyst for the Fox News Channel and writes a weekly newsletter for Human Events. He is the author of twenty-two books, thirteen of which are New York Times bestsellers including Real Change: From the World That Fails to the World That Works (Regnery, 2008) and To Save America: Stopping Obama's Secular-Socialist Machine (Regnery, 2010). Along with his wife Callista, Mr. Gingrich hosts and produces historical and public policy documentaries, most recently, America at Risk: The War With No Name (2010). Mr. Gingrich is also chairman of the Gingrich Group, founder of the Center for Health Transformation, and general chairman of American Solutions for Winning the Future.

Experience

• Founder, Center for Health Transformation, 2003-present
• Honorary Chairman, NanoBusiness Alliance, 2000-present
• Founder, Gingrich Group, 1999-present
• Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 1999-present
• News and Political Analyst, FOX News Channel, 1999-present
• Speaker, 1995-99; Member, 1979-99, U.S. House of Representatives
• Professor of History and Environmental Studies, West Georgia College, 1970-78

Education

Ph.D., M.A., Western European history, Tulane University

B.A., history, Emory University

link:  http://www.aei.org/scholar/20

I am willing to admit I don't have time to finish really looking anything up this afternoon.  Hubby's Bday and fixing dinner :).  I will see what I can find!

[Bunny Harrison]

Patricia - do you have data that Gingrich and his wife have been involved in left leaning practice or thought?

[Patricia M. McBride]

I didn't mean he sounded left leaning, but he has been involved in a few things that tend to be that way since he was the speaker (both he and his wife have been involved in should I say).  I worry somewhat about Romney on the global warming front as he does claim to believe in global warming (heaven help us).  And as you said there is Romney care which he says is nothing like the program he put in place now.  The thing is what if he put something in place nationally and then, another Obama look a like got in and changed it?  Whatever the next president does, he MUST change things enough so another Obama can't do what this Obama has done.  Power must be taken away from any departments that are left when the cutting is finished, and this time, the republicans MUST keep their word and get rid of the dept of education so it can be used as Obama has to propagandize the children of our country.  I don't know how we can trust any of them, because I see it pretty much like I see what is happening locally.  They promise things to get elected, then, a few hundred people write about their cause, and the folks that elected them are forgotten and they jump on the band wagon for the few that wrote about their special program or special interest.  We have to be able to trust people to do what they said they would do, and that does not seem to be happening!

 

[Bunny Harrison]

Thanks Patricia.  As I have listened intently to the nominees I have not heard anything from Gingrich that is left leaning.  Just as I've not heard globalism from Santorum.  I fear there may be some left in Romney (e.g. his MA med care), certainly none in Bachman or Palin.  Cain must be more consistent, and so on.  We do have our homework to do!

[Patricia M. McBride]

Bunny, you are right about Newt.  He also has a history of holding Clinton's feet to the fire, and in spite of Mr. Clinton taking credit for all the financial improvements, if it were not for Newt Gingrich and his plan, Mr. Clinton would not have gotten a second term.  Clinton, unlike Obama, knew when the game was up and went along to get along and as it turned out, the republicans and the democrats got along and not only kept the country rolling along, they vastly improved things.  I would never give Clinton credit for what he was forced to do, but I would think it paints a clear picture of why things are not going well now.  The republicans in the house are more than will to meet Obama half way and discuss things............he only wants things 100% his way, so it will not work...........but I digress :).  Newt, from the scuttlebutt is quite a bit further to the left than he used to be?  If anyone knows different or knows something about this, sure would love to hear it.  Certainly, he is a very smart man and he could pin Obama's ears to the wall in a debate of any kind on almost every subject.  The divorced thing does not bother me at all anymore than Ronald Reagon being divorced did (I wasn't planning on marrying the guy or having a relationship where  something like that might be important).  He could be another Reagon if he was still the same guy that got our country set to rights during the Clinton years (but is he?).  He did well in the debate, and he sure has had some answers to some of the problems, but would he do everything he can to get rid of wasteful spending and do what he did before and get people off welfare and working???

[Bunny Harrison]

There is one among the nominees that does have the knowledge and guts to return our nation's course to meet our Founding Fathers' standard and that is Newt Gingrich.  He has baggage -- so did several of our presidents in the past.  However, most of the baggage has to do with his marital history, which is very personal and as in Clinton's case  personal didn't matter to the People.  President Reagan, for one, was thought to have baggage as he was a divorced man.  Mr. Gingrich was absolved of any ethical wrong doing, only after he resigned as Speaker.  My feeling is perhaps it would be good to have one in office who knows, loves,  and respects our Constitution and our history; knows how Congress operates from the inside, and is capable of "cleaning house" providing the People give him a mandate.  As Billie and the membership of our Tea Party, I pray Nature's God will protect our country from future

Wilsons and Obamas.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Duane, certainly, we will all be careful to ask exactly what kind of change the person talking about it has in mind.....................no one knew what Obama meant, and he was very careful not ot lay his plan out too!

 

[duane myra]

Proverbs 24:21 says to not associate with those given to change. The only change I want is when I don't have exact change.

[Patricia M. McBride]

Roma, you have outdone yourself.  I also went and read your posts on the education site and WOW is the only optimal word!  Thanks for doing a great job and have reposted 2 of your write-ups to my facebook page.

 

Steven, although I agree with you, I don't see anyone who is dynamic enough to beat Obama that would also do as you state.  What needs to be done can't be done over night or it will have much the same impact as Obama's policies and throw things into chaos.  I think we do have some good people running though and at least a few of them have it right in that we need to cut the size of government and spending.  We need to pull the reins back in and remove any power from all these departments that have been causing taxes to increase and writing rules that carry the weight of law.  We need to flat out close down Dept of ed, eps, and several others and turn it all back to the states (and stop taking the money away from the states and laundering it through the government to pay those who work in these departments............that in itself might do great things for some of the states).  So much needs to be done.  I think Romney is brilliant, and he could and would fix the economy, but my concern with him is that he is not dynamic and won't shutter anything.............he will just make them work which is what most of the long term elected republicans have a history of doing.  I don't know about Perry, but he claimed he only went to that biddleberg (or whatever it is called) one time as a guest, so I don't know, but I don't like the vaccine thing even if it didn't get put in effect.  Certainly Perry is dynamic, and I don't think anyone would mess with him as they do with Obama (Mr. Weak Knees let's get along cum ba ya).  I won't mention Ron Paul as he is as extreme to the right as Obama is to the left and as the founders indicated, to far in either direction is going to be a problem (tyrany on one end and anarchy on the other).  I like Cain, but he has changed some things on his platform and no longer has the fair tax but some variation (which turns me off totally).  I don't know how you feel, but I want the IRS gone.  So many things need to be undone or fixed, where do we go and who do we trust?  Michelle Bachmann certainly says she would do it, but can she beat Obama?  And can she handle foreign policy in such a way that straightens out the mess Obama has made or can she choose someone who would...............Where is Condi Rice when we need her?