Columbus Dispatch
The imperial president
Obama’s unilateral delay undermines the rule of law
July 10, 2013 

With his delay of the employer-mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act last week, President Barack Obama once again thumbed his nose at the American system of checks and balances by doing an end-run around Congress and unilaterally decreeing a major change to a law. 

In announcing the change via a Treasury Department blog post as Washington prepared for the July 4 holiday, Obama made another move toward “creating an imperial presidency,” in the words of one noted constitutional scholar interviewed by the Washington newspaper Roll Call. 

Before he became president, Obama “rightfully criticized President Bush for violating the separation of powers and using signing statements to rewrite legislation, but Obama has been far more aggressive in circumventing Congress and far more successful in creating an imperial presidency,” said Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University. 

It’s easy to imagine Democratic outrage if Mitt Romney had been elected president and unilaterally suspended provisions of the health-care overhaul as Obama has just done. 

The Wall Street Journal editorial board calls Obama’s move typical of the selective enforcement of laws that “has become an administration habit.” The Journal cited examples including last year’s easing of welfare-to-work requirements and the enactment of “the DREAM Act by fiat” with regard to illegal immigration. Add to this Obama’s high-handed appointment of members of the National Labor Relations Board without Senate approval, which two courts have ruled unconstitutional… 

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