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Establishing Unity by Executive Order
Before Joe Biden, there were 45 presidents, who signed an average of 350 executive orders each. Executive orders were fairly rare until just before 1900. Our first ten presidents signed an average of four executive orders each. Grant nearly tripled the record up to that point with 217 executive orders, and nobody got close to him until – guess who – Teddy Roosevelt surpassed him with 1,081, and then – guess who – Woodrow Wilson blew past him with 1,803. Obviously, that record stands to this day.
Ha! Just kidding! Soon after that, the record was broken by – guess who – Franklin Roosevelt with the apparently untouchable achievement of 3,721 executive orders. FDR signed nearly as many executive orders per year that all other presidents averaged over their entire presidencies (many of which were two terms). Interestingly, the executive orders of Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson make up 43% of all the executive orders of all of our presidents in history.
Equally interestingly, the tyrant Donald Trump signed 220 executive orders, which is 3,500 less than FDR. Since the year 1900, the only presidents with fewer executive orders than Trump were JFK, Ford, and Bush I. Trump apparently did not like executive orders. Odd behavior for a tyrant. But never mind.
How many will Joe Biden sign? He’s certainly off to a roaring start. If he continues at this pace, he’ll pass Donald Trump sometime in May of this year and he’ll end up at around 3,000 in four years (FDR took 12 years to reach 3,721).
But perhaps Mr. Biden will develop more of an interest in the legislative process as his presidency moves along. After all, he’s a former senator himself. And recall that in his inaugural address he emphasized unity, so he’ll probably refrain from establishing policy without consulting congressional Republicans. Plus, he controls both houses of Congress, so he’ll win all these debates, so why force things down people’s throats? Why make people mad? After all, unity is clearly very important to Mr. Biden. Plus, there’s an election in less than 2 years. So he needs to work on broadening his base. Obviously.
Unless he’s signing all these executive orders for the same reason the Democrats have razor wire and thousands of troops surrounding the Capitol. Perhaps it’s just a show of force, and a demonstration of ruthlessness. “Don’t screw with me. Don’t get in the way, and maybe we can get along.”
I don’t pretend to understand Mr. Biden’s plans. In fact, I’m not completely certain that Mr. Biden understands Mr. Biden’s plans.
But if he controls both houses of Congress, why is he forcing through so many executive orders? Perhaps to protect Congressional Democrats from being forced to make unpopular votes? Maybe he doesn’t trust Joe Manchin and a few others? Maybe he’s just being lazy – he’s in control, and he doesn’t seem to think that he can be voted out, so why play nice? Plus, by the end of his second term, he’ll be 86 years old, so he may not intend to run for reelection anyway, so who cares? Maybe he expects the Democrats to lose big in the next election, and lose the House and the Senate decisively, so he’s got to move fast. I doubt he thinks that. But I don’t know – maybe.
But when combined with everything else the Democrats are doing right now, I think this is simply a show of force. Get on board, or get run over. He’s sending a message not just to congressional Republicans, but also to congressional Democrats: “Don’t screw with me. Don’t get in the way, and maybe we can get along.”
I don’t know. I could be wrong.
What do you think?
Published in General
IMHO Democrats will not lose another election that matters again. Biden is a fraudulent President and there has been no consequences . Why should they quit now?
Yeah, Xiden is Col Blake to somebody’s Radar, signing whatever is put in front of him. Determining who “Radar” is is the question people should be asking.
Before Biden there were 45 Presidents. Biden is the first American Dictator.
The floggings will continue until crew morale improves.
I like executive orders. I think the 4 million employees of administrative state should execute laws in the manner of the only elected person says. The problem is that Congress gives the Executive branch too much power and the Judicial branch does not hold the Executive to the feeble constraints created by the Legislative branch. Congress gave Obama the power to declare CO2 (emitted by all living animals) a regulate-able pollutant and so says SCOTUS. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Don’t blame Biden, blame those people that voted for him.
Back in the Before Trump era, Jonah Goldberg was capable of being interesting and he noticed that the left used power whenever it was available. If the Constitution got in the way, pack the court, if the Constitution could be interpreted to maintain abortion pretend to respect the Constitution. If the legislature leans left, focus on legislation. Whenever power was acquired, it should be used to push for Progressivism which will inevitably improve things.
Executive Orders seem to be very powerful right now so they should be used. It’s not an unusual pattern.
Now he acts all shocked and surprised that they’re doing it.
Which is probably why he’s yammering about QAnon being a serious threat to the nation. Much safer to keep yapping about fake concerns than admitting he wanted these people to win.
Very funny. Must be why Xiden (thanks @bishopwash ) chose to make his first day executive orders on the most controversial topics that could be assembled.
I wish I knew who to credit. I’m quite sure that I saw it here on Ricochet, but it might have been someone quote Twitter or some other outside source.
Since at least 1972 (and, arguably, well before) the Democrats have had fascist tendencies. Now, they just don’t bother trying to hide them.
Has he been discussion QAnon more than Biden’s executive orders?
I would say yes.
I have not been paying attention.
I think that if you substitute “Mr. Biden’s handlers” for “Mr. Biden” wherever you speculate on his motivations, it is easy to understand. Particular when factoring Henry’s observation that the left uses whatever power is available to push their agenda, while they have it. They know that even when they lose it, Republicans are too spineless to actually undo what the progressives accomplished.
At least, until Trump came along. Which also explains the left’s desperation over Trump remaining on the political scene.
Don’t blame Biden, blame those
people( Dominion Voting Machines )that voted for him.There – fixed it DonG.
So what should our approach to power be when we can’t trust the left to abide by any rules whatsoever?
I’d personally go for Nier Automata sex robot coupe and the establish democracy based on I.Q. tests and property limitations. But I am worried that it would be difficult to establish coalitional support. People may not be into restoring liberty by limiting democracy. Also, some people aren’t cool with sex robots. Amazing to think about I know.
Now you are just being crazy. We should stick to sensible descriptions of sex robots.
There’s always a possibility that you’re wrong. I could be wrong, too. Theoretically.
You think Biden makes it until May? That’s generous.
But no worries, Kamala will do her best to beat FDR with the shards from her broken glass ceiling.
A conspiracy theory if i ever heard one. 😉
This is an easy one. Biden doesn’t understand his plans because he doesn’t write them.
Or does he? After all, he is the “go along to get along” king, and his orders reflect the far left agenda of his party. Hmmmmm . . .
Some of his orders, like the abortion funds, are the usual sort. Others ostensibly fall under executive authority but proceed well beyond any reasonable interpretation of authority, like his move to unilaterally dissolve our national borders. So far, it’s a mix of old and new, regular and extraordinary.
It’s not surprising that any President would use his unilateral authority where available while legislators develop legislation for him to sign. Republicans have contributed to the facade of an imperial presidency by associating legislation more with presidents than with legislators.
It’s not his job to craft legislation. He needs to communicate his thoughts so legislators know what he will sign. And he can help steer negotiations.
The most remarkable aspects of Biden’s executive orders are (1) that he/they were ready to act ASAP and (2) that the most disturbing political news lately has been non-legal.
The entrenching of troops and barriers around DC, a general’s suggestion of purging soldiers for apparent ideology, talk of impeaching a non-official, the outcasting and oppression of political voices by major corporations, Bank of America’s sharing of financial records apparently without search warrants or subpoenas, the endless disruption of schools and industries, etc — America is becoming unrecognizable.
I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but all sarcasm and joking aside, I’m getting worried. Normally, I would expect the mid-term 2022 elections to swing back to the Republicans but given their past and current performance and general election tom-foolery, I don’t think that will happen. So were are we now?
Time Magazine (https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2021/02/05/time-magazine-uses-interesting-word-to-explain-how-2020-election-was-pretty-much-n2584276) has published an article on how a “cabal” of leftist progressive, globalist, Democrat and Republican politicians, business leaders, media/entertainment moguls and internet masters of the universe “conspired” to “steal” a election. This was done to “fortify” our democracy. It appears to me that the Constitution and elections no longer matter. That we have been playing in a rigged game for some time now, and I think we gone past the point of no return.
I have no hope that we the people, nor the U.S. Government and it’s branches, can turn things around before things get really serious. As a student of history I know that Wars, any war, have uncertain outcomes. So what I am certain of is whatever happens next, will not be what anyone expected.
I may not have much hope, hope is never a good plan, but I have faith that “we the people” will come through this. I’m just steeling myself for what I think is going to happen next.
Next time I rob a 7-11, I will point out that it was done to “fortify” the place.
(It has been many years since I’ve been in a 7-11. Do they still exist?)
The last time I was in Columbus (Ohio), I saw one. As a matter of fact, I believe they bought up some Speedway stores last year (again, in Ohio).
Hey, one’s as good as another. I usually don’t understand what the clerks are saying in any of them…
It seems most Republicans think there will be elections in two years that they can win. I doubt it. Totalitarians don’t do free elections. They may even aim at states as well because the option exists for folks who believe in the Republic, to leave the dictatorship in the hands of those who spend money, and take those who earn it back to a Republic.
“One man; One vote; One Time”
It worked for the communists. Maybe the Dims think that it’s worth a shot…
So far the Dims have be following the their play book.
Interesting use of the word fortify.
I don’t have my thoughts complete, but it seems revealing in some way, of something below the surface, and twisted use of fortify.
I also find the assignment of cabal and alliance interesting in the TIME article.
If SCOTUS skips out 2/19/21, save an intervening Act of G-d, the United States, as we knew it, is over.
It is hard to imagine Thomas or Alito being silent. I would expect Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett to speak. Whatevs on Roberts and the rest.
That is not to say anything other than hearing, and letting the conversation go forward will happen.
But if they are silent, it is over. Including the Supreme Court, with its “honored place,” will be over as we knew it.