Paul Coverdell: “a news flash to President Clinton: In America, you do not get to rule by Presidential decree. President Clinton is…”

“a news flash to President Clinton: In America, you do not get to rule by Presidential decree. President Clinton is prepared to provide the ultimate payoff to labor bosses, an Executive order that essentially mandates that Government contractors toe the union line. Too bad about the millions of American workers who choose not to belong to a union. Now they are to be second-class citizens. The policy substance of the President's gambit is sufficiently bad, but we suggest there is an even larger issue, one that goes to the very heart of our constitutional form of government. One of the great strengths of our Republic is a Constitution that reflects, and nicely balances, the tension between democratic representation in the legislative branch and the executive power of the President. The Founders established Congress in article I as the source of all legitimate authority, all legislative powers; that is, the authority granted by the people. The executive branch, at least in terms of domestic policy, is constrained by the requirement that the President take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Fairly elementary stuff. But in reality, of course, there has been a continuous struggle among the branches over where the legislative power begins and ends.”