Presidential Overreach: Executive Out-Of-Order

Recently, while discussing politics with a local construction contractor, the subject of guns came up.

(NYTimes, 2013)

After reviewing the finer points of the Second Amendment, "a well-regulated militia," etc, this well meaning patriotic gentleman offered this warning, "Well, ya know, it's getting harder and harder to own a gun, what with all the Executive Orders Nobama keeps signing regulating everything. They are buying up all the ammunition too!" The idea that this might be an urban myth was lost on our friend. Good Job, Alex Jones.

If you are prone to listening to people talk in supermarket lines, coffee houses, and pizza places around the U.S., you're bound to have heard something similar at least a dozen times over the last five years. Where does that idea come from?

Although this urban myth began even before President Obama was sworn in is as the 44th President of the United States, it hit as a mainstream talking point around 2010. Voted into office with a double digit majority, Obama also brought with him record high approval ratings, and that just wouldn't do for the GOP establishment. A healthy dose of fear and a dollop of misinformation would prove to be a productive solution.

While friends of the NRA looked forward to booming bullet sales, conspiracy theories worked up at InfoWars started to be announced as whole scale real real news by the likes of Sen. Jim Inhofe. Lou Dobbs got all worked up while one of the friends at Fox and Friends did a spit take of her morning coffee. "'PRESIDENT PANIC' IS TAKING ALL THE BULLETS!!!!!" chimed in Steve Doocy. Clearly, now is the time to run in circles and scream.

Media Matters has a good take on how some of that nonsense started. This chart pretty much sums it up. Here's the action over at the Department of Homeland Security.

In our continuing six part series on the Executive Orders of President Barack Obama, we begin again, this time reviewing the President's second year in office. As an active citizen, a voting and informed American, we click links, open books, read the paper, in an effort to see if there is really any there there. While Obama's orders are significant, they are not radical - in practice or in the context of past presidential orders. To know that for certain, let's review them directly.

Presenting the 35 Executive Orders signed by the 44th President in the year 2010. Ta da.

Executive Order 13528Signed January 11, 2010

Establishment of the Council of Governors

Executive Order 13529Signed January 16, 2010

Ordering the Selected Reserve and
Certain Individual Ready Reserve Members
of the Armed Forces to Active Duty

Executive Order 13530Signed January 29, 2010
President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability

Executive Order 13531Signed February 18, 2010
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Executive Order 13532Signed February 26, 2010
Promoting Excellence, Innovation,and Sustainability
at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Executive Order 13533Signed March 1, 2010
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Defense

Executive Order 13534Signed March 11, 2010
National Export Initiative

Executive Order 13535Signed March 24, 2010
Ensuring Enforcement and Implementation of Abortion Restrictions
in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Executive Order 13536Signed April 12, 2010
Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing
to the Conflict in Somalia

Executive Order 13537Signed April 14, 2010
Interagency Group on Insular Affairs

Executive Order 13538Signed April 19, 2010
Establishing the President's Management Advisory Board

Executive Order 13539Signed April 21, 2010
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Executive Order 13540Signed April 26, 2010
Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development

Executive Order 13541Signed May 7, 2010
Temporary Organization To Facilitate a
Strategic Partnership With the Republic of Iraq

Executive Order 13542Signed May 13, 2010
Providing an Order of Succession
Within the Department of Agriculture

Executive Order 13543Signed May 21, 2010
National Commission on the BP Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

Executive Order 13544Signed June 10, 2010
Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion,
and Public Health Council

Executive Order 13545Signed June 22, 2010
President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition

Executive Order 13546Signed July 2, 2010
Optimizing the Security of Biological Select Agents
and Toxins in the United States

Executive Order 13547Signed July 19, 2010
Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes

Executive Order 13548Signed July 26, 2010
Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals With Disabilities

Executive Order 13549Signed August 18, 2010
Classified National Security Information Program
for State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Entities

Executive Order 13550Signed August 18, 2010
Establishment of Pakistan and Afghanistan Support Office

Executive Order 13551Signed August 30, 2010
Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to North Korea

Executive Order 13552Signed August 31, 2010
2010 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States

Executive Order 13553Signed September 28, 2010
Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to
Serious Human Rights Abuses by the Government of
Iran and Taking Certain Other Actions

Executive Order 13554Signed October 5, 2010
Establishing the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

Executive Order 13555Signed October 19, 2010
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics

Executive Order 13556Signed November 4, 2010
Controlled Unclassified Information

Executive Order 13557Signed November 4, 2010
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Justice

Executive Order 13558Signed November 9, 2010
Export Enforcement Coordination Center

Executive Order 13559Signed November 17, 2010
Fundamental Principles and Policymaking Criteria for
Partnerships With Faith-Based and
Other Neighborhood Organizations

Executive Order 13560Signed December 14, 2010
White House Council for Community Solutions

Executive Order 13561Signed December 22, 2010
Adjustments to Certain Rates of Pay

Executive Order 13562Signed December 27, 2010
Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates

Houston Teen Tests Shotgun
(Reuters, 2013)

Again, when sorting through these Executive Orders in detail, it is hard to find a line that has been crossed. No clear signs of impending martial law descending on the unsuspecting citizenry or a mass seizure of all privately held guns in the making. What do you see? Anything worth pulling your hair out?

Until next time, when we list 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014,

The Policy Geek

Presidential Use of Executive Orders Complete List By The Numbers

Obama derangement syndrome. The acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the statements -- nay -- the very existence of Barack Obama. President Obama's positions and policies tend to better reflect the change and new direction that the American people have been calling for in regards to the war on drugs and LGBT rights, but those with Obama Derangement Syndrome would rather stick with failure than even consider intelligently debating ANY proposal set forth by this White House.

The state of paranoia seeping into the general public today is one in which so called "conservatives" fear President Obama so much, they stop thinking logically and stop using common sense, usually a direct result of watching too much Fox News and You Tube videos. Rolling Stone covered it best when they broke down the 6 steps of ODS. The symptoms range the gamut from hating Barack for playing golf and taking vacations, all the way to seething anger dripping from birthers and bigots at the very existence of this Kenyan, Socialist, self-appointed King Barry who needs to be impeached at any cost.

Passing time in the waiting room at the doctor's office last Friday, a conversation picked up amongst the listless about elderly relatives with dementia and how, as they start to lose their faculties, they can get a bit paranoid sometimes. The middle aged patient sitting to our left off-handedly suggests that paranoia is well overdue, saying, "Well look at how Obama spies on us with all those Executive Orders, more than any other President. We should all be paranoid." Roger Ailes should be proud. Job well done.

Not sure where to go with that one, we thought it would be fun to review exactly what we know about Executive Orders. To start with, it's a rule or order issued by the President to an executive branch of government and having the force of law behind it. Presidents might issue executive orders to create committees like the Intelligence Oversight Committee or organizations like the Peace Corps or the WPA. In general, though, Presidents use executive orders to direct and manage how the federal government operates.

(G. Washington, TheDenverChannel)

Below is a complete list of our American Presidents, since our inception, along with the number of Executive Orders each of them signed during their presidency.

George Washington 8
John Adams 1
Thomas Jefferson 4
James Madison 1
James Monroe 1
John Quincy Adams 3
Andrew Jackson 12
Martin van Buren 10
William Henry Harrison 0
John Tyler 17
James K. Polk 18
Zachary Taylor 5
Millard Fillmore 12
Franklin Pierce 35
James Buchanan 16
Abraham Lincoln 48
Andrew Johnson 79
Ulysses S. Grant 217
Rutherford B. Hayes 92
James Garfield 6
Chester Arthur 96
Grover Cleveland II 113
Benjamin Harrison 143
Grover Cleveland II 140
William McKinely 185
Theodore Rossevelt 1,081
William Howard Taft 724
Woodrow Wilson 1,803
Warren G. Harding 522
Calvin Coolidge 1,203
Herbert Hoover 968
Franklin D. Roosevelt 3,522
Harry S. Truman 907
Dwight D. Eisenhower 484
John F. Kennedy 214
Lyndon B. Johnson 325
Richard Nixon 346
Gerald R. Ford 169
Jimmy Carter 320
Ronald Reagan 381
George H. W. Bush 166
William J. Clinton 364
George W. Bush 291
Barack Obama 183

Obama Exec Orders By Year
In 2009 he signed 39 Executive orders
In 2010 he signed 35 Executive orders
In 2011 he signed 34 Executive order
In 2012 he signed 39 Executive order
In 2013 he signed 20 Executive order
In 2014 he has signed 17 Executive orders

Barack Obama is at 183. So, what's all the hubub?
(Imtimtimt, 2009)

Naturally curious about the Conservative uproar coming from the likes of Speaker John Boehner, policy geeks have looked into dissecting the GOP strategy. The Speaker has chosen to spend the public's time and resources on a lawsuit designed to limit the Commander-In-Chief's Executive powers. Despite the fact that a majority of Americans see the costly move as a "political stunt," it will be pursued because, as House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan said, "We want to show that we're not going to take this lying down."

Alright, let's see what those executive orders actually are, starting with President Obama's first year in office. In his fledgling year serving as The President of The United States, our first openly black President got right to work issuing 29 orders before the December break.

Executive Orders for 2009
To learn more about any order, just click on it's number, and you will go directly to the order's PDF...
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13489 Signed January 21, 2009
Revoking Bush's Earlier Executive Order (2001) 
Attempting to Seal Presidential Records
Revokes EO 13233, November 1, 2001
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13490 Signed January 21, 2009
Ethics Commitments for Executive Branch Personnel
Envokes 2 Year Ban On Lobbyists in Federal Positions
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13491 Signed January 22, 2009
Ensuring Lawful Interrogation
Revokes EO 13440, July 20, 2007
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13492 Signed January 22, 2009
Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at 
the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
and Close of Such Detention Facilities
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13493 Signed January 22, 2009
Review of Detention Policy Options
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13494 Signed January 30, 2009
Economy in Government Contracts
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13495 Signed January 30, 2009
Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13496 Signed January 30, 2009
Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws
Revokes EO 13201, February 17, 2001
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13497 Signed January 30, 2009
Revocation of Certain Executive Orders 
Concerning Regulatory Planning and Review
Revokes EO 13258, February 26, 2002; and EO 13422, January 18, 2007
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13498 Signed February 5, 2009
Establishment of the President's Advisory Council for Faith-Based 
and Neighborhood Partnerships
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13499 Signed February 5, 2009
Establishment of the National Economic Council
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13500 Signed February 5, 2009
Establishment of the Domestic Policy Council
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13501 Signed February 6, 2009
Establishing the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13502 Signed February 6, 2009
Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13503 Signed February 19, 2009
Establishment of the White House Office of Urban Affairs
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13504 Signed February 19, 2009
Extends Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
For Gulf Region
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13505 Signed March 9, 2009
Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research 
Involving Human Stem Cells
Revokes EO 13435, June 20, 2007
____________________________________________
Executive Order 13506 Signed March 11, 2009
Establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls
____________________________________________
Executive Order 13507 Signed April 8, 2009
Establishment of the White House Office of Health Reform
____________________________________________
Executive Order 13508 Signed May 12, 2009
Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration
____________________________________________
Executive Order 13509 Signed June 23, 2009
Establishing a White House Council on 
Automotive Communities and Workers
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13510 Signed July 1, 2009
With Respect to the Republic of BelarusWaiver 
Under the Trade Act of 1974 
________________________________________________
Executive Order 13511 Signed September 29, 2009
Continuance of Certain Federal Advisory Committees
________________________________________________
Executive Order 13512 Signed September 29, 2009
Additionally Extends Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act For Gulf Region
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13513 Signed October 1, 2009
Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging While Driving
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13514 Signed October 5, 2009
Establishing Federal Leadership in Environmental, 
Energy, and Economic Performance
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13515 Signed October 14, 2009
Increasing Participation of Asian Americans and 
Pacific Islanders in Federal Programs
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13516 Signed October 28, 2009
Presidential Intelligence Advisory Board and 
Intelligence Oversight Board Amendments
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13517 Signed October 30, 2009
Amendments to Puerto Rican Advisory Task Force
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13518 Signed November 9, 2009
Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13519 Signed November 17, 2009
Establishment of the 
Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13520 Signed November 20, 2009
Reducing Payment Errors, Eliminating Waste, 
Fraud and Abuse in Federal Programs
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13521 Signed November 24, 2009
Establishing the Presidential Commission for
the Study of Bioethical Issues
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13522 Signed December 9, 2009
Creating Labor-Management Forums to 
Improve Delivery of Government Services
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13523 Signed December 11, 2009
Half-Day Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies 
on Thursday, December 24, 2009
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13524 Signed December 16, 2009
Designating Interpol as a Public International Organization 
Entitled To Extension of Appropriate 
Privileges, Exemptions, and Immunities
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13525 Signed December 23, 2009
Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13526 Signed December 29, 2009
Prescribes Uniform System For Classifying and Declassifying 
Classified National Security Information
_____________________________________________________
Executive Order 13527 Signed December 30, 2009
Establishing Federal Capability for the Timely Provision of 
Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack
_____________________________________________________
After perusing the 2009 list, Obama's first year seems benign enough. An avid policy geek would avail themselves of all the links, pick their favorites, root out any to complain about, and be armed with factual talking points moving forward. Which did you like? Are there any Executive Orders you disagree with?

Look for future posts detailing Obama's Executive Orders for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. 

'Til Then, avidly yours, The Policy Geek