SpokenTruth said:
That reminds me. Obama issued less executive orders per year than has any president in over 100 years. |
While there have been some substantial and impactful executive orders in the past (emancipation proclamation/getting off the gold standard), over the past two decades they've transitioned from being primarily mundane orders that would normally instruct departments of government into instead being a tool to circumvent congress and unilaterally dictate domestic policies.
Otherwise, he hasn't had to use the executive order as often as he has further bought in on a practice invented by US history's biggest control freak and aspiring autocrat FDR, ressurected by Clinton, and vastly expanded by Bush Jr: the regulatory czar. He has appointed more than any president before him, granted them almost limitless authority in their respective fields, and in doing so has almost eliminated the need for official "executive orders", simply governing through his subordinates.
I'm not saying he invented the practice, but he certainly doubled down on it. What we're seeing now is that such an approach to governing has no staying power, and it may soon appear as if his eight years in office never happened.
