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Maddocks: Republicans claim president overstepped his constitutional powers in pardoning turkeys Comment By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 28, 2014 at 8:57 AM By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 28, 2014 at 8:57 AM » Social News Republicans angrily denounced President Obama’s decision to pardon two turkeys during Thanksgiving week, saying he is choosing confrontation over conciliation, attempting to use the powers of the Oval Office to reshape the nation’s poultry business and all but daring members of next year’s Republican-controlled Congress to reverse his actions. “He may have gotten away with it this year, but we’re putting the president on notice that he is in for a fight next year — perhaps the fight of his life — when he again tries to impose his liberal agenda on Thanksgiving,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the House majority leader. McCarthy called Obama’s action a “brazen power grab” and promised “there will be no pardons next year” when the Republicans take full control of Congress and seek to wrest control over the Thanksgiving ritual from the White House. Speaker John A. Boehner said Obama was “damaging the presidency and the Thanksgiving holiday itself” by abusing the power of his office, and accused the president of trying to “deliberately sabotage any chance of enacting bipartisan reforms that he claims to seek.” “If he thinks that instigating a war on Thanksgiving is going to help further his radical, anti-business agenda, then he has another think coming,” Boehner said. White House aides say Obama’s is perplexed by the harsh reaction from Republicans. Those aides contend that his decision to act unilaterally on pardoning the turkeys — two toms who were hatched in July and raised at Cooper Farms in Ohio — should have come as no surprise to GOP leaders, coming as it did almost exactly 12 months to the day after a very similar pardon Obama issued in 2013. Though the formal turkey pardon by presidents has been carried out without congressional approval every year since President George H.W. Bush first formalized the ritual in 1989, Obama is not surprised that lawmakers want more of a role in the process, his aides say, nor is he opposed to having Congress weigh in on the decision. He just wishes he knew about it before this week. “The president would have tried harder to involve Congress if he had known having a say-so in the process meant that much to the House,” one aide said. The president said that he has repeatedly urged Boehner to “be more upfront” with his feelings. “He’s not afraid to cry in public. I know that. But he seems reluctant to share his deepest feelings with me,” Obama said. “I cajoled, and I called, and I met,” the president said. “I told him I would let [Vice President] Joe [Biden] loose on a speaking tour. ‘Whatever you need,’ I told him. ‘Just give me a clear idea of what you want.’ And he couldn’t do it.” Now Obama’s seemingly uncontroversial decision to go it alone this week and pardon the turkeys has turned into another flashpoint for conflict over the powers of the government’s executive and legislative branches, which boiled over yesterday on the front lawn of the White House during an angry shouting match between the president and his foes in Congress. “To those members of Congress who question my authority to make this decision, or question the wisdom of me acting this way,” Obama said at one point, forcefully jabbing his finger in the direction of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a frequent White House critic, “I have one answer: If you are man enough, you know where to find me. And don’t pretend the Secret Service is going to stop you. You know that’s not true.” The outdoor confrontation — reflecting Obama’s years of pent-up frustration with Congress — appeared to quiet the critics in the president’s immediate vicinity, at least momentarily, even prompting a flustered Cruz to forget the words to Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham.” But if Obama’s forceful stand was a shock to opposition lawmakers, it seemed to have little effect on those outside the president’s punching range. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, an ardent supporter of Thanksgiving tradition, said Obama was granting amnesty to turkeys who had no legal standing to ask for a pardon in the first place, prompting Arpaio to file a lawsuit in Federal District Court for the District of Columbia seeking “to have the president and U.S. turkeys obey the Constitution.” In Oklahoma, Scott Pruitt, the state attorney general, promised to file a similar lawsuit, though Pruitt did express confidence that the issue could probably be resolved without taking Obama to court. “The president just has to get himself in line with the Constitution,” he said. “And if he wants our help, we’d be happy to show him how.” Philip Maddocks writes a weekly satirical column. He can be reached at [email protected]. By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local MailTribune.com By Philip Maddocks Wicked Local Posted Nov. 28, 2014 at 8:57 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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