Ed Morrissey
HotAir.com
2/23/2012
I guess we can call this Hope for No Change:
In an interview with Univision, a seemingly confident Obama said he’ll have more time to work on hot-button issues like immigration in his next term.
“Well, first of all … my presidency is not over,” Obama, who just a few months ago described himself as an underdog in the presidential race, said in a telephone interview.
“I’ve got another five years coming up. We’re going to get this done,” he said. …
“I would have only broken my promise if I hadn’t tried,” he said. “But ultimately, I’m one man. You know, we live in a democracy. We don’t live in a monarchy. I’m not the king. I’m the president. And so, I can only implement those laws that are passed through Congress.”
It’s not a monarchy? You could have fooled us, considering the edict that Obama issued last month that tells religious organizations that they can no longer choose to follow their conscience and doctrinal faith in deciding whether to give away contraception for free to their employees. That mandate relies on a law passed by Congress as a cover for executive diktats, but the rule itself didn’t depend on Congressional action, although Congress might act to rescind it.
But the argument is specious in another, more concrete sense. Obama had dominating Democratic majorities in 2009 and 2010, and could have chosen to press forward with his own plans on immigration reform…
…Obama made his choice…
Read the entire article at HotAir.com
Related: Obama: ‘When Congress Refuses to Act, Joe and I Are Going to Act’
In keeping with his “We Can’t Wait” initiative, President Barack Obama has once again asserted that if Congress does not enact his policies in the future, he will continue to forge ahead on his own.
“When Congress refuses to act, Joe and I are going to act,” Obama said on Tuesday, with Vice President Joe Biden at his side…
…Obama issued a presidential directive calling for a 50-percent increase in the number of federally purchased bio-based products, including items such as paints, soaps and detergents that are developed from farm-grown plants, rather than chemicals or petroleum bases.
The White House also announced the Rural Jobs Accelerator. It is a national competition that will provide about $15 million for projects already appropriated to the USDA, the Economic Development Administration (EDA), Delta Regional Authority and the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Further, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor signed a memorandum to connect community colleges and technical colleges that support rural communities with the materials and resources they need to support the training of Health Information Technology (HIT) professionals that work in rural hospitals and clinics.
