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
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Mr. Obama has made himself look bad. No President has a right to take that much power and walk in that office and ignore the people voted in by us, Bypass laws and authority and do anything he chooses. If a Republican President did half as much as he has he would be impeached fast. I say Sue and if that don't work Impeach him. Folks better wake up if this kind of power is unleashed on Dems they won't be so happy then.
Once again, Obama make Boehner look good – am Boehner isn't good.
The woman hating, middle class GOP is all but dead, good riddance.
The woman hating, middle class hating GOP is all but dead, good riddance.
This is the hope and change I know all Americans were hoping for from our President.
By all polls, Bush and the Republicans are the worst ever. You can delude yourselves, but history never forgets!
"The President of the United States is to have power to return a bill, which shall have passed the two branches of the legislature, for reconsideration; and the bill so returned is to become a law, if, upon that reconsideration, it be approved by two thirds of both houses" ~ Federalist Papers
Congress passes laws, presidents enforce them – the president has a qualified negative, it’s called the veto, to stray beyond that is to rule as a king. Because, only a king may disregard laws, because an emperor has an absolute negative influence upon laws ...our presidet, not so much.
Fact is that Americans have reacted negatively toward House Republican politicians' in Congress inability to work together to find solutions to challenging issues facing this nation.
I am not from USA and I can tell that Obama is the President that leave the WH with the greatest opinion from other countries. Most of the world does hate USA because you guys are selfish and your mind is closed. It's sad to see how afraid of change you guys are... I wish the next President will be like Obama and he'll tell the Congress (who act like elementary school kids fighting over a ball) to fuck it self.
Obama is becoming more whining with every speech and every slap down by SCOTUS. He sounds like a frustrated spoiled child saying "You can't make me do that! I hate you! I'm going to run away from home!"
The power of a 'King', Imperial President, ... is in the Loyalist in Congress, Agencies and their employees that they surrounds themselves with.
An Imperial President has impunity via the loyalist he puts into the DOJ. That appointment is loyal to the President instead of their oath to the People. With such loyalty to the President, all agencies that have loyalist have immunity.
Impeaching the President is pointless when his successor and agency loyalist remain.
To end this President's imperial impunity; Congress must remove Attorney General Eric Holder for dereliction of duty. But that will not happen until the People regain sufficient representation in Congress.
The failure of the obama Presidency is now complete. The Great Community Organizer has shown that he can't work with the other adults and finds it easier to insult others and flaunt his ego than lead the nation
Whether or not you agree with the actual things he is side-stepping Congress to get done, this feels necessary. If we waited for Congress, we'd be waiting forever.
The paperwork has been initiated, as he has requested.
The highest selling paper and news media source will be the one which gets this story first.
president Obama is really American!!!!
Ahhh...dueling stunts...or....is he watching reruns of 'F Troop' ?
Sorry, but I still think it comes down to too many people think a black man should not have as power as a white man. Bush issued far more sign-in statements. He told us how he was the "decider". Right after he was re-elected (albeit by a small difference) he was now free to do what he wants. Why didn't Boehner sue Bush?
Clinton had 364 executive orders, Bush had 291, Obama so far only 182 total and only 35 since his second term... Boehner is just trying to do nothing as leader of Congress, by trying to sue Obama he is just trying to delay doing anything as long as he can. The GOP's biggest push is their failure, America is sick of our do nothing Congress, they're doing nothing in hopes it reflects nothing getting done during Obama's administration and try to use it for the upcoming election. Boehner and his do nothing house of congress is the biggest problem with our country at the moment. President Obama has to push executive orders because Boehner doesn't even have control of his own party. The fact that President Obama has used executive orders less than most of the presidents ever makes me laugh when Boehner is crying about getting trumped with Obama's executive orders.
0 and 13. That's the administration's record against the SCOTUS for executive overreach. Each of those cases decided unanimously. The only reason why he wants to be sued is because it will take years to resolve the issue of exactly how far he has overstepped his bounds... again.
Being that the President could care less about what the House Republicans think, why do they keep suggesting the President should build bridges with them? Perhaps they should eat a little humble pie and come beg the President to meet them halfway. Oh I forgot, Republicans don't compromise anymore! My bad!
Yeah, please invite some of the millions it's been revealed ELSEWHERE that are not covered under Obamacare because of bogus or fraudulent information input and a nearly billion dollar central computer system that can't be used to correct the mistakes!
Are we going to see some MORE dead Americans denied health care because of our government?
Americans now know more than ever the House Republicans in Congress as the most important problem facing the country than to name any other specific problem.
all hail the King
Fewer Americans than ever trust House Republicans in Congress to Handle Problems.
Hobby Lobby's 401K available fund portfolios include Teva, Bayer, and Pfizer, the manufacturers of the products that they have refused to cover on their health care plan....................hypocrisy on steroids?????