Obama to Republicans: 'So sue me'
(CNN) - President Barack Obama dared Republicans to follow through on their threats to bring a lawsuit against his administration over his use of executive action.
"Middle-class families can’t wait for Republicans in Congress to do stuff. So sue me," Obama said Tuesday at an event in Washington.
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"As long as they’re doing nothing, I’m not going to apologize for trying to do something."
Obama’s defiant attitude comes as House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, plans to propose legislation that could bring a lawsuit against him for implementing executive actions that the GOP contends amounts to a breach of his constitutional power by side-stepping the legislative process.
Obama: Boehner's lawsuit is 'a stunt'
Recently, Obama has ramped up his use of executive authority as a way to bypass a deeply divided Congress, avoiding inaction on issues the White House has made hallmarks of the President's second term agenda.
On Monday, Obama said he would start "a new effort to fix as much of our immigration system as I can on my own, without Congress."
Poll: Can Obama get the job done?
At Tuesday's event, Obama continued to harp on congressional Republicans to pass legislation - this time pushing them to invest in transportation.
Standing in front of Key Bridge, which connects the city's Georgetown-area to Virginia, Obama continued his stepped-up rhetoric hammering Republican for obstructing action in Washington.
Obama proposed a long-term highway construction bill earlier this year that he says would spur job growth.
"It’s not crazy, it’s not socialism," Obama said of his transportation proposal. "It’s not the imperial presidency - no laws are broken. We’re just building roads and bridges like we’ve been doing for the last, I don’t know, 50, 100 years. But so far, House Republicans have refused to act on this idea."
CNN's Mike Ahlers and Rene Marsh contributed to this report.
Related: Obama’s ‘day in life’ offers opening to tout message and slam Republicans
Mr President,please be gentle American love you.
So thios is what we have come to as a nation: A President who issues playground dares.
"Since the Republicans took the majority of seats in the House, the House has passed 240 bills – 40 of which were specifically aimed at job creation..."
Yea, and they all went something like this.... We need to provide multi-billion dollar tax cuts to the people who least need them (the 'job creators' who have NOT created jobs, rather they have stuck these giveaways in their Cayman Island accounts while the unemployment lists grew) in order for them to create 'jobs' and these new jobs should not be minimum wage jobs, rather the slav... er, staff will be paid in 'Corporate script' which can be applied towards Corporate housing and the Corporate store. In fact, we should just allow our Maste.. er, our sponso... er, the job creators (who already have 95% of the weatlh) to just be free from ALL taxes...(Heck, we should GIVE them tax subsidies) and while we are at it we should just give them immunity from ALL US laws. Oh yea, and Obama needs to confess to personally killing those people in Benghazi...
Then they cry that mean old Harry Reid wouldn't pass their 'Jobs' Bill.
Give it a rest....
Under House Speaker John Boehner’s watch and leadership the Congressional Approval has Sunk to Record Low – what does this say to America and world?
A country divided will fall. Our nation is in peril. It was obvious from the beginning that the Republicans had no intentions of working with the President.They have not changed their minds nor their tactics. Republicans will not help the American voters. They will not help Veteran's, women, or children. So who does that leave to help? Republicans help themselves and those that think and act like them. Many on this forum are not even considering compromise. They want the President to be impeached or charged with treason. The other half think he is doing fine. The poisonous rhetoric is driving a bigger wedge between "We the People." I think the worse of this obstructionist type of behavior by Republicans is that the world is watching and laughing at us all. We have given our children and grandchildren a terrible legacy of abject intolerance. May God have mercy on us all.
Ancient Texan
Schoolyard bully shouting infantile schoolyard taunts. He ignores the fact his EO overreach has been pointed out by the SCOTUS by 9-0 in one case and 5-4 in others and continues to ignore the will of the people that sent the Congress to do their wishes and plans to do his agenda alone. Even Professor Turley (staunch liberal) says Obama is overreaching and endangering the system of government our founders established.
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Isn't your esteemed Professor Turley a paid FNC contributor?
The house GOP should sue itself for receiving a paycheck and doing nothing.
Um, I'm pretty sure they are suing you. They announced it like just the other day. You OK dude? You're starting to sound a little crazy.
I do hope the President is able to take some steps towards solving the immigrant problem. It's clear (on this issue, anyway) that the GOP does not have consensus within their OWN membership, let alone any agreement that could be reached with congressional Democrats.
Action is needed, but Congress is paralyzed. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Obama can do, within the bounds of legal 'executive actions.'
Boehner its called the Constitution and if you have any issue with the president and his job than do yours: Its called impeachment. unless you don't have the balls and want to circumvent the congress and the constitution.
Americans' approval of the way House Republicans in Congress is handling its job has dropped to the lowest in ~40 year history.
Put him on the stand – he'll probably plead the 5th just like Lerner.
He'll probably look you in the eye and say you can keep your doctor – the pathological lie he told 300 million Americans
to action > words, you are right he is not playing cat and mouse, he spends a great deal of time playing golf, a whole different game. The same game I wish I had time to play as frequently.
Defintion of the current White House:
Relatives, by the name of CONGRESS that have moved in with you, that you just can't stand and can't get out of your house.
Snap out of it, GOP. You're all turning into Nixon and Agnew as fast as you can, and it's not going to end well. Learn well that most of us are moderates and not far-left fanatics as you prefer to pretend. All this 'pretending' makes you seem psychotic; we're not Socialist Muslims and we happen to know that. Can you just not understand stuff, or are you psychotically opposed to reality? Whatever, you just seem crazy and we're not voting for you. Hillary has won already anyway.
barryinlasvegas
If a white president would have said this CNN and the rest of the MSM would be demanding that congress impeach him.
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Actually, a black president said it after years of right wing media pundits demanding that Congress impeach him.
The people who criticize Obama for being ineffective and worse, cannot see the forest for the trees. It's incredible and disturbing. These people are the real source of degradation in our society and the blood is on their hands. I never thought I'd see such an angry and mindless mob mentality take over this country, the way it has in my lifetime.
Republics have opposed everything President Obama has supported even ideas they supported in the past. Current republics are simply ignorant hypocrites and a vast majority are racists. They (current republics) are pathetic!
Ancient Texan
JohnRJohnson- The Republican Congress has been busy, passing 240 + bills but the "obstructive" branch is Harry Reid's Senate.....refusing to even debate any of the bills and 'tabling' them. The president is an unethical bully...period.
How many of those are about repealing ACA. Half, more?
king obama. imprerial rule. dictator. communist. maxist. elitist. socialists .... all the other ist. Do republican sheeps even realize they don't use their own words and just parrot out repub radio talking points. Its said to see alot of "free minds" brainwashed so easily. If u are republican and cannot even admit that your party has been the most inept congress to date, i weep for you. They had one goal, to destroy obama by any means necessary even at the cost of the america people. The stooped to name calling and questioning birth. They have no limits. They oppose just to oppose. I bet you they are trying to stall progress until when a repub gets into the WH so that they can pass alot of the bills as thier own and take credit for recovery. His first time he tried so hard to compromise. Glad he is giving them the finger now.
here is political rhetoric at its finest. Obama is not helping the middle class because Busg AND Obama ELIMINATED them. Congress did not raise the minimum wage because NOBODY should be getting $10-$12 an hour to flip burgers! Obama does nothing to inspire any manufacturing or service businesses unless you count the $5 billion of invested companies that CHINA reopened! Both sides of the aisles are horrific liars. Obama is no different.
I am middle class, and I desperately want Obama sued/impeached. The man is systematically destroying the middle class in America.
and seems to me he threatens to veto any thing that is not 100% his way, he talks a lot about working with the other side yet has not shown that ability it is either 100% his way or no way. Any proposals the GOP has sent to congress can't even get a vote from Reid's control over the senate. This notion that Obama can do what he wants and bypass the house is BS and the Supreme court has said as much. He is President not KING. If the President continues to thumb his nose at the constitution and the rules in place then GOP has 1 of 2 option sue (take it to court) or Impeach
Bush has done almost twice as many executive orders as obama. and if the congress cannot function we cannot sit idely by for 8 years. somebody has to do something
Hatred for Mexicans aka “illegals”, phony religious objection to coverage for “abortion” pills, sore-loser partisan politics (I’m surprised someone hasn’t blamed the impending hurricane on Obama). Makes me glad I live in Canada – the real home of the free.