If a casual observer randomly follows the actions of GOP members of the U.S. Senate, they may conclude by reviewing a single event that the 47 Republican senators strongly adhere to the provisions in the U.S. Constitution that, if followed, limit the Executive branch from usurping all power needed to negotiate with foreign nations. They especially believe in U.S. Constitution provision (referred to as the "consent" clause) stated in Article 2 section 2:
The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. [1].
47 Senate Republicans believe so strongly in the sanctity of this provision that they sent a letter to the Iranian government alerting their folly of celebrating any nuclear development/usage agreement with President Obama. [2].
Hopefully, both President Obama and the Iranian regime read this letter and properly understood that their diplomatic agreements are exercises in futility without the consent and approval of the philosopher-kings in the U.S. Senate.
Their forceful language here should convince the Iranians and the world that a GOP-controlled Senate will exercise the necessary constitutionally-mandated oversight to prevent U.S. Presidents from indulging in any imperialistic impulses on the global stage. Except they have no qualms about conceding their exalted powers of "consent" to the Executive branch when negotiations with other nations are conducted to the benefit of corporations.
Many GOP Senators quickly show no pangs of civic conscience in dropping any pretense of adhering to the sanctity of U.S. Constitution as referenced above when the U.S. President usurps Constitutional authority in promoting the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and its Fast Track provision. In this case, they believe secrecy should be standard operating procedure, and such secrecy is used to the behest of corporations benefiting from policies negotiated in secret. The degree of secrecy used in negotiating the TPP is thus:
So who can read the text of the TPP? Not you, it’s classified. Even members of Congress can only look at it one section at a time in the Capitol’s basement, without most of their staff or the ability to keep notes.But there’s an exception: if you’re part of one of 28 U.S. government-appointed trade advisory committees providing advice to the U.S. negotiators. The committees with the most access to what’s going on in the negotiations are 16 “Industry Trade Advisory Committees,” whose members include AT&T, General Electric, Apple, Dow Chemical, Nike, Walmart and the American Petroleum Institute. [3].
This lack of transparency exposes Barrack "This is the most transparent administration in U.S. history" as just another puppet acting and governing to the behest of corporations, while mocking any hint of serving the people. But, where are the 47 GOP-Senators to enforce their "consent" provision that they so forcefully stated was their duty in their elegant letter sent to Iran?
The GOP Senators voting record on the TPP Fast Track provision and their signing of the letter to Iran shows a strong correlation of projecting imperialism and representing corporate interests. The GOP Senators strongly supported the TPP Fast Track provison. Of the 47 GOP Senators who signed this letter to Iran, 42 also voted in favor of the TPP's Fast Track provision. Of the five who didn't vote in favor of the Fast Track Provision (Shelby-AL, Sessions-AL, Paul-KY, Lee-UT abstained, Cruz-TX), everyone else can decide if this offers sufficient evidence that they support the "consent" clause of the Constitution and that they who resist corporate influence over law and policy making. Most GOP Senators see no problem with their cognitive dissonance evidenced by their selective adherence of the "consent" clause.
The GOP Senators support of the "consent" clause of the Constitution is contingent upon how much their favoring a measure promotes corporate interests and projects imperialism. Their voting records and rhetoric demonstrate this conclusion. Or, in other words, unlike Obama, GOP Senators are very transparent.
[1]. The United States Constitution. see Article 2 section 2. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html and https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section8
[2]. United States Senate. "An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran." March 09, 2015. 47 Republican members of the current U.S. Senate signed this etter. See the letter to confirm who signed it. https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1683798/the-letter-senate-republicans-addressed-to-the.pdf
[3]. Brown, Alleen. "You Can't Read the TPP, But These Huge Corporations Can." May 12, 2015. The Intercept. https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/12/cant-read-tpp-heres-huge-corporations-can/
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