John Boehner Reminds Obama of His Past Statements on Limits of Presidential Power
“Before he became president, on March 31, 2008, the president said, and I quote: ‘I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with the president trying to not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President.’
On May 19, 2008, the president said, and I quote: ‘I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States.’
On May 5, 2010, the president said, and I quote: ‘Anybody who tells you that I can wave a magic wand and make it happen hasn’t been paying attention to how this town works.’
On July 1, 2010, the president said and I quote: ‘There are those who have argued passionately that we should at least ignore the laws on the books. I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair.’
On October 14, 2010, the president said, and I quote: ‘I do have an obligation to make sure that I am following some of the rules. I can’t simply ignore laws that are out there.’
On October 25, 2010, the president said, and I quote: ‘I am president, I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself. I can’t just make the laws up by myself.’
On March 28, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘America is a nation of laws, which means that I, as the President, am obligated to enforce the law.’
On April 20, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘I can’t solve this problem by myself. I just can’t do it by myself.’
On April 29, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘Some here wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how democracy works.’
On May 10, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘They wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how a democracy works.’
On July 25, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘The idea of doing these things on my own is very tempting. But that’s not how our system works. That’s not how our democracy functions. That’s not how our Constitution is written.’
On September 28, 2011, the president said, and I quote: ‘We live in a democracy. You have to pass bills through the legislature, then I can sign them.’
On September 20, 2012, the president said, and I quote: ‘What I’ve always said is that as the head of the executive branch, there’s a limit to what I can do.’
On October 16, 2012, the president said, and I quote: ‘We’re a nation of laws and I’ve done everything I can on my own.’
On January 30, 2013, the president said, and I quote: ‘I’m not a king. I am the head of the executive branch. I’m required to follow the law.’
On January 30, 2013, the president also said, and I quote: ‘I’m not a king. You know, my job as the head of the executive branch is ultimately to carry out the law.’
On February 14, 2013, the president said, and I quote: ‘The problem is that I’m the president of the United States, I’m not the emperor of the United States.’
On July 16, 2013, the president said, and I quote: ‘I think that it is very important for us to recognize that the way to solve this problem has to be legislative.’
On September 17, 2013, the president said, and I quote: ‘My job in the executive branch is supposed to be to carry out the laws that are passed. But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law.’
On November 25, 2013, the president said, and I quote: ‘The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend I can do something by violating our laws. That’s not our tradition.’
On March 6, 2014, the president said, and I quote: ‘I cannot ignore those laws any more than I could ignore any other of the laws on our books.’
And on August 6, 2014, the president said, and I quote: ‘I’m bound by the Constitution. I’m bound by the separation of powers.’”
