In a recent interview with CBN news, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul referred to Obama as acting like a monarch. He said, "I'm against having a king. I think having a monarch is what we fought the American Revolution over and someone who wants to bypass the Constitution, bypass Congress -- that's someone who wants to act like a king or a monarch."
"I've been opposed to executive orders, even with Republican presidents. But one that wants to infringe on the Second Amendment, we will fight tooth and nail."
"And I promise you, there'll be no rock left unturned as far as trying to stop him from usurping the Constitution, running roughshod over Congress, and you will see one heck of a debate if he decides to try to do this."
These comments have received quite a bit of play around the internet. Here's one article that has been written about them. The king analogy does not seem that outlandish. Obama has shown a propensity to bypass Congress if they are not on board with what he wants to accomplish: on gun control, appointing officials, the economy, or a couple months later on the economy.
As Theodore Roosevelt said, "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does NOT mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."
Lest you think this to be solely an article about President Obama, similar things were rightly said of Obama's predecessor as well. Congress has not declared war since World War II, yet the executive has sent troops into harm's way on numerous occasions. Executive orders have gone beyond ensuring that the executive branch runs smoothly and have introduced essentially new laws into being. Signing statements have allowed presidents to alter or comment on laws as they sign them into effect. The president can now order drone strikes against U.S. citizens in foreign countries without due process of law.
This concentration of power in the hands of the executive branch is worrisome for those who believe that strong checks on each branch of government are essential for the preservation of the republic and the prevention of tyranny. What do you think about Senator Paul's remarks? Feel free to comment below.
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