re: #527 Charles

Breaking news at Hot Air!

Is Obama Forming a “Shadow Government?”

Thank the stars that we have vigilant patriots keeping an eye on Obama’s evil plots.

Shadow government? I don’t think it means what they think it means.

Shadow government has a specific meaning - namely that it is the opposition government and usually occurs in parliamentary (funkadelics need not apply) systems. It could also apply to a skeleton government to operate if the organs of governance are wiped out (terrorists, nuclear/wmd attacks, incapacitated, etc.) It’s kept up to date, but can take over so that the government can function even if key portions are destroyed - a separate situation, but one that is seriously underappreciated).

What Obama and Democrats are doing with czars isn’t a shadow government. It’s unfettered governance without oversight from Congress, and Congress abdicated its responsibilities, meaning that it lost power to the Executive Branch. It’s a vastly expanded use of czars and advisers that started decades earlier, but took on new significance with President Bush, particularly following 9/11 and then the credit market collapse.

In Obama’s case, he’s filling those slots to the apparent exclusion of policy positions within already established government entities like the Department of Treasury, where key positions remain unfilled. That’s a questionable tactic for this Administration, but no one seems interested, least of all the media, when this should be a major story. Heck, Congress should be asking those questions, even if it’s a Democrat in charge, because when a GOPer finally takes the WH at some point in the future, they’re going to cite Obama’s precedence, and move ahead with still more unelected and unvetted positions.

No one should have a problem with the president seeking advice and consent from trusted advisers, but those advisers should be thoroughly vetted by the Senate. Obama’s vetting process is fubar and confirmations are only likely to further expose those deficiencies. That too is something that the Congress must address.