So they just shouldn't try?
No, but let's step back and be a bit honest here...
There was a **** ton that
BOTH parts of congress were just basically refusing to actually do. There's supposed to be conference committees for a reason, to hash out differences between the bills passed by both houses...but in multiple cases one side or the other just sat on an issue.
We have gone
SIX YEARS into this president's term without substantial action on immigration other than his one other executive action. It strains credability and realistic expectaitons to suggest that he
MUST act in the next two months on immigration. There's no significant, realistic, honest reasons why this
must be done now as opposed to...say...four months from now.
If he was HONESTLY actually caring about having actual legitimate REFORM to immigration law, not simply changes to "enforcement", he'd not poison the well and continue doing what he's largely done over the past 6 years and left things as it was....and see what happens when a congress is seated that is more likely to actually put forward legislation that can pass both houses.
But this isn't about "getting something done" with immigration...this is about getting done what
he wants with immigration. The house didn't roll over and capitulate to his desires when the Democrats were in the Senate, and there's undoubtably no chance that he's going to get what he wants with a Republican house AND senate, so he's now SUDDENLY deeming that he
must act before the new congress is set. Why? Because once his executive action happens and things like social security numbers are begun to be handed out to people it becomes an extremely twicky sticky wicket legally speaking to remove such things. Meaning the Republicans, who would be likely to actually finally pass some immigration legislation here in a few months, would be hampered in what they could actually pass.
The "WAHHHHH THE REPUBLICANS DIDN'T PASS IMMIGRATION [that I wanted]" diversion is just that...a diversion. It's meant to disguise the fact that he's expecting people to believe that something he had 2 years of a democratic majority to get passed, and 4 years with half the congress to reach a compromise on, is suddenly
extremely important to get done RIGHT NOW and can't possibly wait 4 months :roll:.
According to the SCOTUS, the Presidents power in terms of executive action is at it's absolutely WEAKEST when said action is against the implied or expressed will of Congress. Flat out suggesting he's doing this because Congress is choosing not to actually do anything about Immigration is
DIRECTLY SUGGESTING that he's acting in a way that is imcompatible with the implied or expressed will of congress.
Obama was correct, this isn't a dictatorship, and "congress isn't passing the laws I want it to pass on things I think it should pass laws on" isn't a legitimate reason to start pushing executive actions on things where his authority is at its lowest to do so.