A Constitutional Crisis?

As always, let’s define the term – constitutional crisis (cc) – and see if that assists our analysis of the topic: 

A constitutional crisis is a situation that the legal system's constitution other basic principles of operation appear unable to resolve; it often results in a breakdown in the orderly operation of government. Often, generally speaking, a constitutional crisis is a situation in which separate factions within a government disagree about the extent to which each of these factions hold sovereignty. Most commonly, constitutional crises involve some degree of conflict between different branches of government (e.g., executive, legislature, and/or judiciary), or between different levels of government in a federal system (e.g., state and federal governments).

Source: Wikipedia

So, yes, America could be looking at a cc, as defined above.

Where does one usually find a cc?  Is such a situation unique to America?  Well, in answering these questions TheFundamentals is about to introduce a component of the cc definition not found above. The component is power.  The simple exercise of power regardless of the existence of a written constitution.

Who has the power?  Who exercises the power?  What is the history of the “orderly operation of government?”

Examples please. 

Chicago.  Could Chicago have a cc?  Not a chance.  Power in Chicago is not defined nor is the orderly operation of government separated – to an executive or a legislative body or the courts.  It is centralized – in one man – in one party – in one cabal.  Ergo, no cc’s in Chicago.

One more example please.  Okay, Illinois.  Could Illinois have a cc?  Not a chance.  Power is not defined nor is the orderly operation of government separated – to an executive or a legislative body or the courts.  It is centralized – in one man – in one party – in one cabal.  Ergo, no cc’s in Illinois.

Well, we think we are getting it.  Just one more please.  Okay, how about Russia?  Could Russia have a cc?  You guessed it – not a chance.  Power is not defined nor is the orderly operation of government separated – to an executive or a legislative body or the courts.  It is centralized – in one man – in one party – in one cabal.  Ergo, no cc’s in Russia.

So why are we having, or at least facing, the possibility of a cc here at home, in our beloved Washington DC?  Doesn’t the president and his party control most everything?  Aren’t they used to getting their way?  Little or no opposition? 

Sure they are but it is possible that we are about to see, to experience, to witness, a cc, if this simple statement in our (America’s) basic law – the constitution (c) – has any meaning in the face of a dominant group lead by one man which has no experience with separation of power and checks and balances doctrines.   Read this please:

Article I. Section 9 - US constitution

“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.”

Article I and its many sections define the powers of the congress – the senate and the house of representatives.

You see, this place, America, is about laws, not men, not cabals, not one political party, not one man.  For almost five years now, the propaganda machine of one man and his cabal – his political party, have ruled without any concern about the law because those who could have opposed him/them did not.  And now, they appear, or at least a few of them appear to have decided to perform according to the law and not do what the one man and his cabal – his political party want to do.

The one man and his cabal have little or no experience with this situation.  Mr. Obama  came out of a one man/one cabal/one political party situation that always got its way – no compromise needed – just do it our way – always our way.  Wasn’t Russia, but a place very similar to Russia in its system of governance.  No opposition party to deal with – so one man, one system, one cabal gets its way – in everything.  That is Chicago and the state of Illinois.

Those places are bankrupt – morally and financially bankrupt.  In Washington DC a few of the opposition fellows decided to stop the country (America’s) path to the same destiny.  Well at least for this moment it appears such. You see, we are very suspicious of the other fellows (the minority opposition cabal) because they are leaderless and very, very weak, self focused men, also.

We can only hope we are about to have a full blown, true in every sense of the word – constitutional crisis.  Even if you don’t like the players and regardless of your view(s) or which side you may align with – it is in all of our best interest that this turns out to be a doozy of a cc.  We doubt that it will but it could be a sign of things to come.  We are a much divided nation.  Divided nations don’t settle their differences readily.