When George Stephanopoulos pressed Paul Ryan on impeaching President Obama, the Wisconsin Republican crumbled, fell apart, and admitted that he only has a difference of opinion with the president.
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Transcript:
George Stephanopoulos: Now you’ve had a pretty tough reaction to this. Suggesting the president is “circumventing the Constitution.” Do you really think his proposals are unconstitutional? You know, his rate of using executive orders is far behind President Reagan, President Bush, President Clinton.
Rep. Paul Ryan: It’s not the number of executive orders. It’s the scope of the executive orders. It’s the fact that he’s actually contradicting law, like in healthcare case, or proposing new laws without going through Congress, George, that’s the issue. So this is why concern we have an increasingly lawless presidency where he is actually doing the job of Congress writing new policies and laws without going through Congress.
Presidents don’t write laws. Congress does, and when he does things like he did in healthcare. Delaying mandates that the law said was supposed to occur when they were supposed to occur, that’s not his job. The job of Congress is to change laws if he doesn’t like them, not the presidency. So executive orders are one thing, executive orders that actually change the statute, that’s something totally different.
Stephanopoulos: Well, if you think he’s lawless, circumventing the Constitution, are you going to move to impeach?
Ryan: No, I’m look, we have a difference of opinion, clearly, and some of these are going to get fought out in court. You have some court challenges with respect to religious freedom going to the court this spring, but I am concerned about this trend, such as what he said at the State Of The Union, that if Congress doesn’t give me the law I want, I’m going to go do it myself. That’s effectively what he said. That is not the way our Constitution works, and by the way, when we get sworn in, whether it’s a president or a congressman, you swear to uphold the Constitution, and I think these executive orders are creating a dangerous trend, which is contrary to the Constitution.
George Stephanopoulos caused Paul Ryan to back peddle off of his lawless president rhetoric pretty quickly when he asked about impeachment. Circumventing the Constitution quickly became a difference of opinion between Ryan and the president.
Notice that when President Obama disagrees with the Republicans it is a symptom of a lawless presidency. The real reason why Republicans don’t want to hear the I-word is because they know that Obama isn’t violating the Constitution at all.
Ryan was lying about what President Obama said at the State Of The Union. The president never said if Congress doesn’t give me the law I want, I’m going to do it myself. What he did say was, “But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require Congressional action, and I’m eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still – and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Where he can constitutionally take steps to act unilaterally, that’s what he will do. He never said that he was going to make his own laws. That statement is a figment of Paul Ryan’s imagination, which is designed to reinforce the notion that President Obama is acting outside of the Constitution.
George Stephanopoulos did a great job connecting the dots, and asking the logical question. If you really believe that Obama is lawless, then why not impeach him? Paul Ryan finally went on a program where somebody wasn’t going to let him push the lawless dictator nonsense without being held accountable.
Ryan’s rhetoric is all empty hot air that’s designed to play to the Obama haters. Paul Ryan folded like he always does when he get held accountable for his statements. Ryan is a budget guru whose numbers don’t work, and a crusader against a lawless president who lacks the cajones to impeach.
Paul Ryan is the very definition of an empty suit, and he is the current leader for the Republican nomination in 2016.
Note: For more about the real reason why Republicans are talking impeachment, check out the Politicus Podcast below:
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
