Republicans Considering Not Inviting Obama To Give State Of The Union Address
In their continuing efforts to show how much they want to work with the president, the Republican Congress is considering not inviting the president to give his annual State of the Union speech. They considered this in 1999 after impeaching him, but then rejected the idea of not inviting President Clinton.
Politico reported yesterday that congressional Republicans are weighing a variety of tactics to “address” their disgust over Obama’s immigration policy, and “GOP aides and lawmakers” are considering the idea of “refusing to invite the president to give his State of the Union address.”
Late last week, Breitbart News also ran a piece of its own on the subject: “Congress should indicate to President Obama that his presence is not welcome on Capitol Hill as long as his ‘executive amnesty’ remains in place. The gesture would, no doubt, be perceived as rude, but it is appropriate.”[su_csky_ad]
tiredoftea November 26th, 2014 at 2:54 pm
The Repubs innovative strategy continues; We won’t do our job, so, let’s blame POTUS and hope nobody notices!
mea_mark November 26th, 2014 at 2:56 pm
I thought it was an obligation that the president was required to do. If the idiots in congress don’t really care about the state of the nation though, I guess the president can just address the nation on TV and and let our elected children leaders play in the halls of congress while the people of the nation take up the work of keeping our nation running.
tiredoftea November 26th, 2014 at 2:57 pm
Constitutionally, he only has to “report” annually on the SotU, not appear in the House.
mea_mark November 26th, 2014 at 3:06 pm
I guess he can just send them a link to what he tells the grown-ups in the nation on TV then.
tiredoftea November 26th, 2014 at 3:20 pm
There’s a thought!
arc99 November 26th, 2014 at 3:07 pm
Another classic example showing that that the right wing idiots on Capitol Hill hysterically ranting about the Constitution have no idea what the Constitution actually says. The same thing applies to the low information citizens who vote for them.
Article 2 Section 3 defines very specific conditions on the President’s authority, the state of the union speech, as well as convening houses of Congress.
There is no Constitutional requirement for the President to wait for an invitation.
Just when I think that I cannot possibly find any more clear example supporting my opinion that the majority of right wingers and the people who vote for them are incompetent, hypocritical, ignorant fools, I find one.
Note that the President has the authority to convene both houses of Congress. Congress has no Constitutional authority to refuse.
So to all you “strict constructionists” out there, either demand that Congress obeys the Constitution, or stop lying pretending the Constitution actually matters to you.
Article 2 – Section 3
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.
Wayout November 26th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
You said :”give to the Congress Information”, so Obama can just send them a letter. The State of the Union speech is all political theater anyway, so this is as good a time as any to end it.
tracey marie November 26th, 2014 at 4:42 pm
you are one of the most ignorant teabaggs that he is referring to..
Dwendt44 November 26th, 2014 at 4:52 pm
These are the CORPORATION’S representatives, not the peoples.
GreatLakeSailor November 26th, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Gee, you missed a chance to play the “Poison the Well” meme.
Disdain & Sully are so last-outrage-on-Fox.
Can’t be easy keepin’ up with the whole outrage cycle thingy.
suesista November 27th, 2014 at 12:09 am
They like to break it up with some fake concern once in a while…keep things from getting dull.
Jake November 26th, 2014 at 3:32 pm
Just goes to show you can take a bunch of racist Republican bastards out of their Klan uniforms but they will always revert to type.
granpa.usthai November 26th, 2014 at 3:50 pm
with today’s technology, I’d much rather see POTUS Obama give a SOUA through loudspeakers mounted to the bottom of The overly opulent Flying Palace. That way, they could fly over each major city and the people could hear the POTUS without any WHITE RACIST REPUBLICAN interruptions. Technology is a wonderful way for the ELECTED Leader to reassure the people personally. They could also have a little party between broadcasts with a full hip hop band and BBQ that the POTUS wouldn’t have to break in line at.
Carolina Gonzalez November 26th, 2014 at 6:07 pm
@granpa.usthai – What a great idea!!!!
BillTheCat45 November 26th, 2014 at 4:24 pm
PLEASE PROCEED, Tea People. As if America doesn’t already have enough contempt for you as it is.
Warman1138 November 26th, 2014 at 4:44 pm
One could teach a college course on racism with all of the archival material displayed by the actions of the GOP and their followers since the election of president Obama.
liberalMD November 29th, 2014 at 2:50 am
It could be a home-study course: all you’d have to do is read the newspapers, watch the news on television and read some of the crazy right-wing blogs on the internet. A textbook could never catch the essence of what is already available.
Tommy6860 November 26th, 2014 at 6:48 pm
He can just do what he’s required; write up a speech on the state of the union and send it off for the upcoming Reichstag to read.
Wes Putt November 28th, 2014 at 2:35 pm
Before television and radio, this was a written report submitted to congress. Without an invitation, the white house may actually do so in conjunction with a televised address from the Oval Office. We already know they’re not listening to him, so who would actually expect republicans to sit down and read his speech?
Every year, we ask even less of our representatives, and each year we find that we’ve expected too much.
liberalMD November 29th, 2014 at 2:45 am
Just another example of how cruel and vindictive the Republican leadership in Washington is.
I personally would like President Obama to say after they refuse to invite him to give the State of the Union address “That suits me fine; I wasn’t planning on giving it anyway!”