Checks and Balances - the Obama Presidency

From the D.C. McClatchy affiliate:

Obama turning to executive power to get what he wants
President Barack Obama came into office four years ago skeptical of pushing the power of the White House to the limit, especially if it appeared to be circumventing Congress.

Now, as he launches his second term, Obama has grown more comfortable wielding power to try to move his own agenda forward, particularly when a deeply fractured, often-hostile Congress gets in his way.

A bit more:

While his decision to send drones to kill U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism has garnered a torrent of criticism, his use of executive orders and other powers at home is deeper and wider.

He delayed the deportation of young illegal immigrants when Congress wouldn�t agree. He ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence, which Congress halted nearly 15 years ago. He told the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, deciding that the 1996 law defining marriage as between a man and a woman was unconstitutional. He�s vowed to act on his own if Congress didn�t pass policies to prepare for climate change.

Arguably more than any other president in modern history, he�s using executive actions, primarily orders, to bypass or pressure a Congress where the opposition Republicans can block any proposal.

These Republicans are listening to their constituents and acting on their desires. Obama and the Congressional Democrats are wrapped up in a power grab and think that they are smarter than their constituents. There is a lot to be said for that -- after all, they keep getting re-elected -- gotta love that Government cheeze...