independentsforkerry.org

by R. Lee Wrights

BURNET, Texas (Nov. 5) – One of the first things you do when you’re applying for a job is to read the job description to find out the qualifications, duties and responsibilities of the office. After listening to years of presidential campaign speeches and debates, it seems to me that most candidates for the office simply haven’t read the job description for President of the United States. The Founding Fathers wrote it some 200 years ago, and despite some wear and tear, it is still perhaps one of the finest job descriptions ever written for the leader of a free republic.

The presidential job description was drafted, refined and honed during the months of the Constitutional Convention held in 1787. The duties of the President of the United States are outlined in Article II. The placement is deliberate. The first article of the Constitution establishes the Congress, the legislative branch, because the Founders believed the legislative was the most important function of government. As if to emphasize that point, the first mention of the President of the United States in the Constitution is in Article I, Section 7. This section says he must sign a bill passed by Congress before it becomes law. If he does not sign it, or he vetoes it, it can only become law if two-thirds of each House vote to approve it.

So what does the presidential job description say? First, there are three simple qualifications: you must be a natural-born citizen, 35 years old, and a United States resident for 14 years. I am all three. The “selection committee” for the job is technically the Electoral College, composed of people chosen by the states.” But in reality, it is the people of the United States who hire the president. The length of service is four years.

The first thing a new president does is to take an oath. It is a plain and simple oath, similar to the one I took many years ago when I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. The oath states: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” But in those few words lie some very powerful sentiments.

Article II, Sections 2 and 3 of the Constitution lists the specific duties of the president. One of the duties most discussed, and most abused, is his role as “commander-in-chief” of the Army and Navy, and of the state militia “when called into the service of the United States.” That last phrase is usually omitted when anyone speaks of the “commander-in-chief” but it is important. The president only commands the state militia, in modern terms that means the National Guard, under certain circumstances. Nor does this title make the president “commander-in-chief” of the United States, or any of the states, or the people. And it does not give him the authority to declare or wage war.

Alexander Hamilton, even though an advocate of a strong chief executive, made it clear in Federalist No. 69 that the title of commander-in-chief amounted to “nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces” and not to declaring war or raising and recruiting military forces. Such powers were specifically vested in Congress, because the Founders had direct experience of the tyranny that results when the executive, in their case the King of England, can raise and recruit armies and navies, and take the country to war without question.

If you will pardon a civics lesson, here’s a list of the other duties in the job description for President of the United States:

- Nominate and appoint ambassadors, again with the approval of the Senate;

- Appoint other public Ministers and consuls, subject to Senate approval;

- Appoint judges of the Supreme Court, and inferior federal courts, with Senate approval;

- Appoint all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not otherwise provided for in the Constitution or by law;

- Fill vacancies during Senate recesses, but only until the Senate reconvenes;

- Give to the Congress “information of the State of the Union,” and recommend legislation;

- Convene both House and Senate on “extraordinary Occasions,” or adjourn either or both of them if they can’t agree on adjournment;

- Receive Ambassadors and other public ministers;

- “Take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” and;

- Commission all the officers of the United States, that is, military officers.

That’s a very short list. Most of the duties simply have to do with appointing people to office. There is nothing in there about taxes, health care, jobs, education or the myriad of other things presidential candidates make promises about. The key point, however, is that all the power given to the president, all his duties, especially the duty to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” must be understood in the context of the oath of office. As president, I fully intend to take very, very good care that the laws are faithfully executed.

By that I mean that if a law is not faithful to the original intent of the Constitution — if it in fact does harm to the Constitution — I will not enforce it, nor let anyone in the executive department enforce it. If the Congress sends me a proposed law that does not have a direct basis in any of the specified and enumerated powers granted to the federal government under the Constitution, I will veto it. And even if they pass it over my veto, I will not enforce it.

Anyone I nominate to the Supreme Court or to any federal court will have a clear understanding of the concept of original intent. They will believe, as I do, that the Constitution established a government with specific, enumerated and limited power. Anyone I select for a federal office will be willing to conduct their duties with the understanding, as Thomas Jefferson wrote, that “The equal rights of man and the happiness of every individual are the only legitimate objects of government.” In short, I will conduct the office of President of the United States by heeding the advice of the Founding Fathers, who believed that when it came to power, you should not rely on “confidence in man,” but rather, bind him from mischief ” by the chains of the Constitution.”

R. Lee Wrights

R. Lee Wrights, 53, a libertarian writer and political activist, is seeking the presidential nomination because he believes the Libertarian message in 2012 must be a loud, clear and unequivocal call to stop all war. To that end he has pledged that 10 percent of all donations to his campaign will be spent for ballot access so that the stop all war message can be heard in all 50 states. Wrights is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party and co-founder and editor of the free speech online magazine Liberty For All. Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., he now lives and works in Texas.

Lee Wrights for President
Contact: Brian Irving, press secretary
press@wrights2012.com
919.538.4548

Independent Political Report

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Voter group disapproves of Utah’s closed primary elections (By Jennie Christensen, Cache Valley Daily) When it comes to politics, 54 percent of Utahns call themselves Independents. But Nancy Ross, national director for IndependentVoting.org, says the state of Utah is anything but Independent. She says four years ago 93 percent of the people voted for Mitt Romney.
• If you are a voter you’ll want to read this (By KMVT News) Before July 1st, the state of Idaho never required party registration. But because of the federal court decision in Idaho republican party versus Ysursa, the law’s changed. Only registered voters of a political party may vote to select their party’s nominee.
• Political Booths At County Fair Offer Friendly Alternative to Heated Debates (By Ben Botkin, Magic Valley Times News) There’s also voting information at the fair that doesn’t seek to sway your political views. The Twin Falls County Clerk’s office has a booth that explains the state’s switch to a closed primary system. It will require voters to declare a party affiliation before voting in the 2012 primaries, unless party leaders opt to allow unaffiliated voters to cast ballots.

The Hankster

DR. OMAR ALI: Americans are Open
His message: Islam ‘part of American culture’ (North Raleigh News) “What’s important is to not make a distinction between Americans over here and Muslims over there,” Ali said. “I think that Muslim Americans have the same response as other Americans, which is a sense of relief.”

KENTUCKY’S CLOSED PRIMARIES CONTROVERSY
The Pros and Cons of Kentucky’s Closed Primaries (Stu Johnson, NPR Radio WKMS) Higdon has heard from independents who tell him they’re taxpayers, they help pay for elections, so they should be able to vote. The state senator argues the first political party that voluntarily opens up its primary will enjoy an unfair advantage during the general election….
Read more about the fight for open primaries in Kentucky at Independent Kentucky

POLITICAL AND ETHICAL REFORM

• Fixing Congress (U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, Boston Review – This article is part of Fixing Congress, a forum on the causes of legislative partisanship and corruption.) States with party-registration laws further protect extremists by outlawing independent as well as opposition voters. With a firm grip on their districts and no worries about alienating voters in the other party, gerrymandered extremists are often the loudest voices in Congress.
• Ending the Permanent Campaign (Norman J. Ornstein,Boston Review) Externally, adopt on a wider basis the California system of open primaries to provide opportunities for a wider range of moderate candidates to win nominations and elections. Even better, adopt a version of the Australian system of mandatory attendance at the polls. 

2012

• Newt Gingrich to (finally) announce 2012 run on Wednesday – Gingrich tweets that he’ll be on Fox News to ‘talk about my run for President.’ (Politico) 
• Jon Huntsman’s South Carolina Debut Suggests It’s Wrong To Write Him Off (by FRANK JAMES, NPR) Meanwhile, the very thing that could hurt Huntsman with the GOP activists whose support could be crucial to winning the early primaries and caucuses — his role in the Obama Administration — could help Huntsman in a general election if he could get that far. Many independent voters like politicians willing to work across party lines.

UNIONS AND THE DEMS
Richard Trumka: Talking Loud and Saying Nothing (By Mike Elk, In These Times) The AFL-CIO has not talked of restarting the Labor Party experiment in the late 1990s, which several unions, including Trumka’s own the United Mine Workers, backed. Indeed, the labor movement has bowed to the wishes of the Democratic Party by not fostering electoral efforts like New York’s Working Families Party in states that allow fusion balloting, such as Ohio. In other words, the labor movement has no plan to declare political independence from the Democratic Party other than to spend money on electing Democrats through its own channels, rather than giving it to the Democratic Party to spend.

THEATER
The Castillo Theatre Dares to Dream (By Deardra Shuler, Black Star News)  If you live in an area that does not offer much hope you often dream of being somewhere else.  Anywhere where the grass is greener and the beaches are cleaner.  “License to Dream” is a play featured at the Castillo Theatre, located at 543 West 42nd Street in Manhattan, which bring youngsters from East New York together with underpaid dance instructors in East Hampton, in a bid to teach one another the art of dance.  And, along the way, respect each other’s culture and learn that no matter who you are, you can dare to dream.

The Hankster

Staff at LP.org:

President Obama and Vice President Biden have both said in the past that it’s unconstitutional for a president to initiate a war without congressional authorization.

Do you think President Obama should be impeached for taking America to war in Libya? Take our poll.

http://www.lp.org/poll/should-congress-impeach-president-obama-for-making-war-on-libya-in-violation-of-the-constitutio

Independent Political Report

The Democratic Daily

Discussion has been picking up on an older post here at Green Party Watch discussing possible 2012 Green Party Presidential Candidates. I want to move this discussion up to the “top of the list” with a new thread and new opportunity for discussion.
The Green Party (US) has a Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC) which is [...]
Green Party Watch

Perhaps it’s a matter of being long-overshadowed by another certain small blue state to the north whose name also begins with the letter “M.” But Maryland seldom is recognized for its political cadre.

Scott Nance has covered Congress and the federal government for more than a decade. Capitol Idea is his regular column from Washington. This article was first published as The Election You’re Probably Not Watching — But Should on Blogcritics.

The Democratic Daily

It should be remembered Barack Obama said, “I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

Well here is a video with three surprising things you probably didn’t know about Islam.
This subject WILL affect you in the near future, so take the chance to inform yourself now – before it does.

Democratic Party News – The News of the Democratic Party.

Rachel Maddow Tells You What And Why…
republican-elephant.com