Allen West on Obama: 'The Resurrection of an Imperial Presidency'

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

Source: The Weekly Standard

Speaking this morning to talk radio host Laura Ingraham, Florida congressman Allen West, a Republican, blasted President Obama's immigration plan to use prosecutorial discretion not to go after young immigrants who came to the United States illegally. Obama announced his new immigration plan on Friday.

"What country did we wake up in on Friday?," West asked. "It just causes people to ask, where are we? You know, the last time we had this was with King George III, and we didn't like it too much. And I think that you’re seeing the resurrection of an imperial presidency, and the arrogance thereof. To think that you can come out and basically tell the American people that this is what we're going to do ... and don't question me."

The big hold up for West seems to be Obama's decision to bypass Congress and the law of the land. "America is not about ruling by verbal edict or just whims; the president has been elected to enforce the laws of this country. And he doesn't get to pick which laws he likes or dislikes. And I find it very perplexing and ironic that when he had control of the House and Senate, this did not seem like a very important issue."

Read more: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/allen-west-obama-resurrection-imperial-presidency_647435.html

---

Says the party of 'the decider,' warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detentions, torture and invading Iraq based on lies.

[democrat_patriot]

1. OK Allen, than change the law.

Either take away executive orders or draft legislation that deports 11 million people. Do something. Anything.

Or you can shout from the sidelines and whine to Laura Ingraham.

If Rubio came out with it first you'd be praising it. So better yet, just shut up.

[nanabugg]

27. Uh, wasn't Allen FOR all this when Bush did it? nt

[eaglesfanintn]

2. Perhaps I'm confused

If this is the resurrection of the imperial presidency...who was/were the previous imperial president(s)?
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

[freshwest]

36. You're not confused. The GOP are desperate. And often mirror themselves.

Hopefully, many more will catch on like you did!

Welcome to DU.

[WCGreen]

55. I think he was talking about King George being the last Imperial Presidency.

[Blue_Tires]

3. Please -- Don't give that clown the attention he's thirstin' for...

[The Wielding Truth]

8. I agree. Anyone who takes the time to listen to him is wasting that time. He is a fool.

[Amonester]

50. I agree to all that, but everybody sometimes needs 'a good laugh'.

Plus, why would any informed (key word) senior vote for Rmoney's vouchers that clown wants?

http://electoral-vote.com/

[steve2470]

4. If President Obama is "an imperial president", your last R president was....

wait for it....

oh nvm, not worth violating Godwin's Rule.

[coalition_unwilling]

46. Beat me to it! - n/t

[rocktivity]

5. Wrong king, Allen

Actually, it was King Georgie THE SECOND who ruled by executive order. Average per year:

Obama: 25
Bush II: 32
Clinton: 40
Bush I: 33

Source: National Archives


rocktivity

[Bandit]

6. "Love it or Leave it"

How does that little sound bite strike you, Mr. west?

[bluestateguy]

7. When they call him an Imperial President, a dictator, a tyrant.

You know what that means?

It means he's a strong leader.

It is evidence that he is doing something right.

[RKP5637]

51. +++ 1,000 +++ n/t

[AtomicKitten]

56. +++

I wonder though how you would characterize the same rhetoric coming from the farleftwing which sounds exactly the same as that coming from teabaggers such as West. I marvel at the diametrically opposed ideological purists coming to a similar conclusion; the only thing they have in common is using it as a cudgel to try to damage Obama.

[marble falls]

9. I give. Which is it? An "Imperial Presidency" or a "Socialist Peoples Republic"?

These 'Conservatives' need to keep up with the damn talking points.

[Jamaal510]

12. Any insult against Obama works for the Republican base.

[AsahinaKimi]

18. When they are as uneducated as this..

Any word for them would do..just as long as they can make make waves. You have to remember Republicans are kinda like this..



Somebody's Cranky Party needs a nap!

[progressivebydesign]

35. don't forget, today Rmoney said he was Crony Capitalist. Can't keep their 'ists' straight. n/t

[marble falls]

38. The only true "ist" is Mittski - elitist.

[woo me with science]

10. This insanity, this GARBAGE, this deliberate partisan political PSYCHOSIS has to stop.

Last edited Tue Jun 19, 2012, 11:58 AM - Edit history (1)

How broken and incoherent have our politics gotten, when the very same corporate/authoritarian policies persist and grow from administration to administration, but the partisan electorate on each side works itself to the point of disconnection from reality trying to claim it is just the *other* side doing it?


So now we have Republicans twisting themselves into contortions to pretend that they are scandalized by pre-emptive war, indefinite detention, and the police state....completely denying history and reality in their astounding claims that Obama is the sole and only source of the corporate fascism we see being carefully constructed around us....and utterly ignoring the fact that they were cheering on the exact same policies four years ago.

....While on this side we have corporate Democrats pushing equal amounts of self-delusion.....feeding us the ludicrous fantasy that all of these outrages are somehow not being actively continued under Obama, or that they are not as bad under Obama, or that he is helpless to stop them and has not enabled them in any way......and we are asked as Democrats to minimize them and overlook them and completely wipe out of our consciousnesses that we opposed and screamed bloody murder about them under Bush.

What the hell is happening to us? How can we allow ourselves to be manipulated in this way?

Good god, people. We are in serious, serious trouble in this country. The corporatists have purchased our government, and they are systematically creating something that none of us want. And we enable it by participating in this garbage, this fantasyland that allows it all to continue.

We will *never* have a unified opposition to this metastasizing corporate empire and police state until we can stand up, acknowledge, and condemn the wrongs that are being done by both corporate Republicans and corporate Democrats.

[stockholmer]

16. [phone]

, sadly, you are oh so right

[bvar22]

29. Recing Post #10 by woo me with science.

Everything necessary for a righteous OP!

[Dragonfli]

31. That was a very good post that I fear will fall on deaf psychotic ears. + post/rec

[hay rick]

33. Amen.

Appreciate the rant.

[limpyhobbler]

41. I think a alot of people see this, but they don't want to sabotage the Dems for fear of ending up

with the Republicans, who are considerably worse.

We have been choosing between the lesser of two evils for a long time now and the result is things keep getting worse.

There doesn't seem to be any easy way out.

[CrispyQ]

45. There is no easy way out.

You said yourself, "We have been choosing between the lesser of two evils for a long time now and the result is things keep getting worse," and yet that's exactly what many will do again this November.

I don't know what the solution is. What if we got the non-voters engaged - would that make a difference? Or has the system been so corrupted & compromised it can't be changed through elections?

[limpyhobbler]

47. both maybe?

Elections plus other actiivites...

[RKP5637]

54. I'm sadly beginning to wonder if the current system is repairable, because it is

so broken and money/greed/corruption/questionable electronic voting/personal agendas/MSM/banking/wall street/corporations/PACs/lobbyists, etc. (much longer list) have bought the government.

Many people today with money and power really don't give a F about the country or the people, they are in politics for wealth, power and fame.

Being in politics gives them a good bargaining position for more wealth, power and fame. That all said, this is neither an Obama bash nor a democratic bash, I'm speaking in generalities. I just think many today are in it for selfish reasons of wealth, power and fame. This was true in the past, but it seems more prevalent over the past years.

[HiPointDem]

42. wish we could rec posts.

[emilyg]

43. +++++ 100

[struggle4progress]

44. They're aiming at swing voters in the middle: a few percent, some of whom don't pay much attention,

and some of whom would be on our side if they knew what was going on

And what they're trying to do, by constant repetition, is to discourage some of those, who would be on our side but don't pay much attention, in the hopes they just won't vote for Obama

It sounds crazy, but it's not crazy -- it does induce craziness, though, in normal folk

[joshcryer]

62. We only need look in the mirror.

When "progressives" support posts by people like Timothy P. Carney... you got to wonder, who's really the cause for the psychosis?

We must stop allowing right wingers to control the narrative.

[hrmjustin]

11. How did this guy get elected?

He is not capable to say anything that is off script. When he does go off script he goes crazy. what is up with him?

[Jamaal510]

13. He got elected because not enough D's showed up to the polls in 2010.

[hrmjustin]

14. Is't always the case!!! n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

49. is this the time...

when we start blaming liberal democrats again?

[Jamaal510]

57. No, just the Dems who didn't vote.

BTW I'm a liberal Dem, too.

[awoke_in_2003]

59. Sorry, for a while there...

we had a very vocal group that blamed the 2010 elections on "left wingers" staying home.

[Solly Mack]

15. Says the war criminal.

[onehandle]

17. Dear Rep. West's District.

Do you have any clue how idiotic this tool makes you look?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

28. Thankfully, Florida District 22 will be free of him come November.

The brave, courageous Allen West saw the polls showing he could not win in that district so he high-tailed it out of there.

Unfortunately, Florida District 18 now has to be worried that this guy could become their rep.

[hay rick]

32. Thanks for nothing.

I've been volunteering for Patrick Murphy's campaign. Even with all his money, I think Allen West is very beatable.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

39. I'd like to think so too.

The guy has made so many outrageous statements over the years that it's a gift basket for any candidate running against him.

His base is very loyal to almost a cult-like following, but I'd like to think it's a small percentage of the overall population. The guy has zero appeal to independents and Democrats. Since those demographics stayed home in 2010, that's what got Allen West in. But with this being a presidential election year, I think turnout amongst independents and Democrats will be higher, so that bodes well.

[hay rick]

40. I've been phonebanking and have talked to a lot of people.

His supporters are zealous, but for every West fan I talk to, there is another person out there who says he has not heard about Murphy but is prepared to vote for anybody but West.

West's shenanigans are clearly not accidental. Like Palin, he's a media whore. The constant exposure helps him raise money but hurts him with a lot of voters. It seems to me like he is trying to impress the same voters- his tea party base, over and over again. If there is any kind of turnout I think he's in big trouble.

[kitt6]

19. To Allen West. The

end of Uncle Tom-ism.

[Turbineguy]

20. He should stick to

winkeling out the Communists.

[skamaria]

21. Two words.

Clayton Bixby!

[and-justice-for-all]

22. HAHA!!!he is a clown!!

Shrub gets us in those to waste of money and Obama is trying to get us out and Obama is the Imperialist??? Shut your hole West.

[donnasgirl]

23. This idiot

Is the reason all of the democrats better get off their lazy asses and go to the polls,if you do not don't ever make another complaint.

[awoke_in_2003]

24. Read the constitution, Allen

Enforcement of the law falls under executive power, asshat

[jmowreader]

25. Oh, you mean war criminal Allen West?

This is the lieutenant colonel who was given an Article 15 (nonjudicial punishment) for conducting a pistol-point interrogation of an Iraqi his unit captured and beat half to death. Lieutenant colonels don't do things that merit Article 15 punishment--he's probably the first light-bird I ever heard of who got one. They either serve honorably, or they REALLY fuck up and get court-martialed.

What Allen West has to say about anything is immaterial.

[roman7]

30. thank you

[lunatica]

26. Laura Ingraham. Enough said.

She's been scraping the bottom of the barrel too long.

[progressivebydesign]

34. starting to sound like an echo chamber. Same old BS, same old people, they're losing their grip.

Seriously.. I think that they realize that they've been losing their audience for this type of nonsense... only the truly unstable or ignorant believes that shit anymore. I see them on FB commenting sometimes, but it's a small group of people.

They are from: Oklahoma, Arizona, Alabama, usually. Sometimes you get an outlier in Michigan. They usually repeat the stuff that was going on fox and am radio that week. 99% of the time they have many Christian references on their page, many times a drawing of Jesus often with a flag or eagle in the illustration. A good number have attended a christian college, which is sort of odd and makes me wonder what they taught. Really, I see less of the salt of the earth types going for this crap, and more the born-again tea baggers.

Seriously.. people are starting to figure shit out.

[Bradical79]

37. He's mentally unstable.

You're not the one confused. This is the same guy who claimed to have had higher security clearance than the president. Most people who claim such a thing would be undergoing intense psychiatric evaluation. The Republicans though decided he'd be better off in Congress.

[wordpix]

48. Who is Allen really speaking for? Who are his rich puppetmasters?

Follow the money trail.

[Scuba]

52. Scuba on Alan West: The ramblings of a nut job.

[emulatorloo]

53. Funny, Romney gets more Nixonian by the day

[and-justice-for-all]

58. He is mentally damaged...nt

[Generic Brad]

60. Please let him be the GOP convention's keynote speaker

Please, please, please! Open up that can of crazy in prime time!!!

[gtar100]

61. Standard Repug strategy - accuse Dems of the exact thing they do.

The republican party is so full of shit. It'd be a joke if their actions didn't have such terrible consequences.

[sendero]

63. Did you sleep through 2000 - 2008?

Or are you just another idiot hypocrite?