Update: I stand corrected: William Tucker (in Comments) is correct; the proper value for Executive Orders issued by President Obama is not 923. I looked it up at the NationalArchive – the proper number is 135. It is still, however far higher than all of his predecessors combined. Also changed were Bush II (from 62), Clinton (from 15), Bush (H.W.) (from 3), Reagan (from 5), Carter (from 3), Ford (from 3), Nixon (from 1), LBJ (from 4), Kennedy (from 4), Ike (from 2), Truman (from 5), FDR (from 11)
**********
Legislating without Congress:
| Executive | Avg per | ||
| President | Orders | Years | Year |
| FDR | 3,728 | 16 | 233 |
| Truman | 896 | 7 | 128 |
| Ike | 486 | 8 | 60.75 |
| Kennedy | 214 | 3 | 71.3 |
| LBJ | 324 | 5 | 64.8 |
| Nixon | 346 | 6 | 57.67 |
| Ford | 169 | 4 | 42.25 |
| Carter | 320 | 4 | 80 |
| Reagan | 381 | 8 | 47.65 |
| Bush (H.W.) | 166 | 4 | 41.5 |
| Clinton | 364 | 8 | 45.5 |
| Bush (W) | 291 | 8 | 36.37 |
| Obama | 135 | 4 | 33.75 |
Obama truly meant it when he launched his “We can’t wait for Congress”. But consider him a piker, numerically, compared to others. I have not looked into the “intensity” or the “sweeping range” of the Orders, nor to a comparison of how many were issued tue to failed legislation (e.g., Obama’s DREAM order vs Congress’s refusal to pass such legislation)
Ask yourself: does that ever so large number of unilateral “legislating from the Oval Office” move us “forward” but away from our Constitutional mandated checks and balances? And if it is, what is the destination of Obama’s “Forward”?
(H/T: Karen)
