To Protect America

Picture a nation whose leader, with nothing to lose, chooses to ignore the the Constitution.

A President not content with bypassing the laws, but will not enforce them.

Then, facing opposition to his decisions simply dismisses those who disagree with him.

A political leader of a party, emboldened that there may be no single person with the courage to challenge him for his actions.

Who concludes, therefore, he possesses near absolute power.

A man so enamored with his perch that he orders his staff to rebuff equal branches of government seeking information and to deliberately attack those who challenge his policies or his actions.

Yesterday, June 17th, was the 40th anniversary of the date that five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Wategate in 1972.

Republican President Richard Nixon had reduced the his Office – the most powerful office on the face of the Earth – into nothing more than a haven for personal prestige and legacy, as well as his own political purposes without regard to the Constitution – or the nation he had been elected to lead.

Ultimately, when those within his own Party – those with the most to lose – stood up to a bully President who threatened them, ignored them, humiliated them and despised them – the threat to our nation’s democracy ended.

Within the next two weeks, the United States Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Affordable Care Act, aka, ObamaCare.

The “insiders” who are familiar with how the Supreme Court operates are increasingly convinced that the Court is likely to strike down significant portions of President Obama’s most personally important piece of legislation.

Long before the Supreme Court made the decision to review ObamaCare, the American people had an opportunity to consider it and they decided it was not what they wanted from their Federal Government.

Despite the American people, President Obama and his Democratic allies not only stood by their decision to shove it down the throats of the American taxpayer – they doubled-down on it.

I can’t tell you how the court will rule. I am hopeful they will give the American people the opportunity for a health care mulligan – a do-over – and an opportunity to get it right.

The fact is, long before President Obama chose to ignore the widening gap between the job haves – and the job have nots – he made the decision that his legacy was far more important than what the American people wanted or needed: Jobs

It would be a pattern that, in hindsight, was a troubling precedent for a President who believed that his role as the leader of the nation had less to do with the rule of law – and more about how to rule the law.

Often lauded by those who found him nearly flawless, we know that the President taught Constitutional Law. He was touted as brilliant. Unflappable.

He was cold -- lacking in drama – and, supposedly, demanded the same from those around him.

When more Americans were left further and further behind in the Obama Economy, the President barely batted an eye. Instead, he heaped scorn on those who pleaded with him to focus on turning the national economy around – claiming they were too narrow-minded to understand the historical significance of his election.

The President made it clear that his vision for health care – as painful as it might be –was the only vision that would be pursued.

As the economy slid further to the end of the cliff – as Americans continued to suffer – as laws were ignored – some big, some small – but all of them consequential – the President went from cool and lacking in drama – to simply cold and calculating.

Which is why history is important. And, not just the historical drama that surrounded the election of the first African American President in the United States.

Forty years ago, a Republican President, who had become cold and calculating, determined that he and he alone understood what was best for America.

In his zealotry, he ignored the Constitution – belittled the Congress – shrugged his shoulders at the law – and mocked the Supreme Court.
In the end, his own party, with the most to lose, determined that America stood to lose more, and stopped him in his tracks.

Forty years later, a Democratic President -- cold and calculating – has determined that he and he alone understands what is best for America.

In his zealotry, he’s ignored the Constitution – belittled Congress – shrugged his shoulders at the law – and, may be preparing to not only mock the Supreme Court – but to dismiss its authority in a nation of laws if it rules against him.

November can’t come soon enough for America.