'Yesterday, on a party line vote, the House of Representatives, John Boehner presiding, determined that it would sue the president of the United States. The cause of action was that the president overstepped his authority by delaying the individual mandate required by the Affordable Care Act, a course of action which Republicans in this same House previously begged him to follow in the enactment of a law this same House has voted futilely to repeal over 50 times. In doing so, the members of the House majority argued that the president had become a tyrant for doing what Republicans wanted him to do in the first place. Thus are both Jefferson and Locke transformed into characters in a rhetorical Punch and Judy show. And thus is the most important question of the founding period of the country turned into a pop quiz for lightweights and fools.'
Words Matter
In 1776, in order to support his claims that all men were created equal, and that they were endowed with inalienable rights, and that only to secure these rights were governments established, Thomas Jefferson needed to file a brief on behalf of the n…
Nothing new. The word "tyrant" has often been applied to Andrew Jackson.
This has repercussions for the Tyrannosaurus rex. "Poop-head-we-don't-like lizrd king" is just going to make all the triceratops laugh at him.
As an aside, can Americans please look up “Glorious Revolution” and “Constitutional Monarchy”, then stop picking on poor old George.
Anyway. From the BBC.
That’s 30, 36 and 48 per annum, respectively.
@LH – Yes, but it’s different when a White Republican does it.
That said, the Executive Order count is not necessarily germane here (except for folk who just look at “183” and start muttering about tyranny again). The question is whether those orders are, in fact, lawful.
And that said, I have no faith in the House’s ability to make that determination in a rational fashion.
+John E. Bredehoft I agree it was pretty quickyly devalued, post-Revolution, simmered for a while, then became a favorite epithet against Lincoln until its use by Booth put it out of favor for a century and a half. Now it's being rehabilitated for the sort of petty political shenanigans that today's GOP is becoming infamous for.
I'm trying to think if Bush 43 was ever called a tyrant. The term wasn't applied to Reagan, but of course Nixon had his "imperial" Presidency.
+John E. Bredehoft I have no doubt there were individuals who called Johnson and Nixon a tyrant, and probably Bush 43. But I don't think any of them were members of Congress or major media figures for the opposition party.