Pray tell, Mac, where the Constituion bars Senators who would choose to do so from acting as opposition? I don't consider myself part of the opposition, I consider myself part of the Legislative branch, and I laid out in plain sight what I would do if elected.
There are literally infinite things that the Constitution does
not bar the Senate from doing should they choose. For instance, opening up a frozen yogurt stand, renaming all aquatic mammals, or paving roads in Southeastern Africa. Do we do any of these things? No, that's not the job of this body. I respect that you campaigned upon these principles, but I disagree with the way they're being carried out, and just because you were elected on those principles doesn't mean I have to give one iota of deference to them, because I was elected on the principles of competence and legislating, and something tells me that will be taking a back seat to "oversight" this term.
I refused to confirm a Senator on the Cabinet. How is that reinterpreting the Constitution and how is that twisting the mandate that I asked for during the election?
I expressed strong reservations against confirming an EO without due review. Same questions!
Both of these actions were completely within your legal boundaries as a Senator. I never claimed that this Senate is somehow acting illegally. Again, I respect that you feel you have a mandate, but I disagree with your policy, so no matter how many votes you got in the last election, I believe what I believe. What I am saying is that the Senate branding itself as opposition to a Presidential Administration is outside of its constitutional boundaries and is not os much illegal as it is off topic and inappropriate.
Actually, the Senate is being the check on the Executive, something that might seem odd because it might have been some time since it has been done effectively. Being a check doesn't mean being a nuisance, and if that's how it's interpreted, well... It's a rather monolithic view of politics.
There's a difference between being a check and hindering the government. We walk a fine line here between conflict and cooperation, and attempting to cast the entire Senate, not all of which ran on your platform which you feel you got a mandate for, as the opposition to Sopo is putting the Senate in an uncomfortable position and forcing roles upon Senators which they may not necessarily want or need to fill. Oversight is healthy. When oversight steps in the realm of disrespect to the President is where I have a problem.
When the Senate sees a problem and keeps the Executive in line, I am fine, but when the Senate is looking for problems with a Presidential Administration to fill some kind of imagined quota of the right amount of criticism, I have a problem, and more importantly the people of Europeia have a problem. There are many things that could be done to fix the problems the Senate had last term, this is a divisive and unsustainable solution which will only lead to a more bitter and less productive Europeian Senate and a hindered President who has a formal enemy in his legislative branch.
