President Obama Expected To Announce Immigration Executive Action

Obama To Announce Set Of Immigration Executive Actions. President Obama is expected to announce a set of executive actions on Thursday to reform the country's immigration system. The New York Times reported that the actions may protect 5 million undocumented immigrants by allowing those who have been in the country for at least five years have no criminal record to apply for a program to “apply for a program that protects them from deportation” and allows them to work in the country. An additional one million people will be protected through an expansion of the existing DREAMers program that protects immigrants brought into the country as children.  [The New York Times, 11/19/14]

Right-Wing Media Liken Obama To An “Emperor” And “King,” Erroneously Attack Legitimacy Of Immigration Action

Drudge Report Crowned Obama A King Over Immigration Action. On November 20, the day of Obama's prime time address, the Drudge Report dedicated its top headlines to highlighting conservatives' breathless warnings over the immigration action and featured an image of Obama wearing a crown:

[Drudge Report, 11/20/14]

Laura Ingraham: Immigration Action Is Akin To “Home-Grown Tyranny” Of A “King.” During the November 20 edition of The Laura Ingraham Show, ABC and Fox News contributor Ingraham equated Obama's immigration action to the “home-grown tyranny” of a “new king” and urged Republicans to resist this tyranny. [Courtside Entertainment Group , The Laura Ingraham Show, 11/20/14]

Fox News Host: Americans Oppose Obama's Immigration Action Because “They Really Don't Want A King” Or “An Emperor.” On the November 20 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck claimed Americans oppose Obama's upcoming executive action because “they really don't want a king” and “they don't want an emperor.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 11/20/14]

Rush Limbaugh: Obama's Immigration Action Means “The Constitution Is Going To Cease To Exist As We Know It.” During the November 20 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show, Limbaugh likened Obama's immigration action to shooting a gun at the constitution, saying, “It is like we're going to put the constitution up on a wall and Obama is going to start shooting a BB gun at it. And we're all going to tune in at eight o'clock and watch it.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 11/20/14]

Hugh Hewitt: Obama's “Wrecking Ball” Executive Action Is “Lawless. Infamous. Untrustworthy.” Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt wrote in a November 20 blog post that Obama's immigration action is a “stunt” and “lawless act” that will cause him to “be known to be a cheater and a fraud to his own party base, and especially to the people he purports to help.” Hewitt slammed the executive action as a “wrecking ball” with the goal “to wholly wreck a modest but effective border fence/regularization/guest worker program” and insisted that it “will also be why many immigration reform-minded legislators will slam the door now.” [HughHewitt.com, 11/20/14]

Washington Times Columnist: “Obama Sets  Off On Scorched-Earth Rampage.” In a November 19 op-ed, Washington Times columnist Joseph Curl wrote that the timing of Obama's executive order is “deliberately designed to throw gasoline on an already blazing fire,” and compared Obama's actions to a “scorched-earth rampage that will change the face of America forever.” Curl claimed the president is “intent on bringing chaos to America.” [The Washington Times, 11/19/14]

Daily Caller Contributor: “Hitler Had His Enabling Act. Obama Has His Executive Amnesty.” Daily Caller contributor Matthew Vadum invoked Hitler in a tweet about Obama's immigration action:

Hitler had his Enabling Act. Obama has his executive amnesty. #tcot #p2

-- Matthew Vadum (@vadum) November 20, 2014

[Twitter.com,11/20/14]

Fox News Radio Host: “Emperor Obama” Is Acting Like A “King,” Watching His “Troops Continue To March Across The Border.” In a series of tweets, Fox's Todd Starnes reacted to Obama's upcoming immigration announcement by equating it with a king “addressing his subjects,” and calling the president an emperor: 

King Barack Hussein Obama will address his subjects tomorrow night.

-- toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 20, 2014

 

[Twitter.com, 11/19/14]

President Obama's troops continue to march across the border.

-- toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 20, 2014

 

[Twitter.com, 11/19/14]

#EmperorObama

-- toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 20, 2014

 

[Twitter.com, 11/19/14]

Fox Judicial Analyst: “Is Obama A President Or A King?” In an op-ed for FoxNews.com, Fox's senior judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano asked if Obama is “president or king,” claiming that Obama “is playing with constitutional fire” with his upcoming immigration action:

If the president nullifies deportations on such a grand scale that the effect is the nullification of federal laws, then he has violated his oath “faithfully” to execute his presidential obligations. The Framers required that every president swear to do his job “faithfully” to serve as a reminder to him that his job requires fidelity to the enforcement of laws with which he may disagree. The American people, Congress and the courts need to know we have a president who will enforce the laws, whether he agrees with them in his heart or not. Without presidential fidelity to the rule of law, we have a king, not a president.

[...]

The president is playing with constitutional fire, and impeachment is the only constitutional remedy available, short of 25 months of a constitutional conflagration that he has ignited. [FoxNews.com, 11/20/14]

UPDATE: Conservative media didn't relent after President Obama addressed the nation on his immigration plan on November 20, continuing to lambast Obama as a “king,” “emperor,” and “madman.”

Breitbart.com: “All Hail King Barack Obama, Emperor Of The United States Of America!” In a post on Breitbart.com, Matthew Boyle highlighted the responses of various Republican Party lawmakers to the speech that described President Obama as an “emperor” or “king.” The post was headlined, “All Hail King Barack Obama, Emperor Of The United States Of America!” [Breitbart.com, 11/20/14]

Fox's Todd Starnes Rants About “Emperor” Obama. In a series of tweets, Fox News contributor Todd Starnes called President Obama “Emperor” and asked “which country” the president loves:

Emperor: “Get right with the law.” I think someone needs to get right with the Lord.

-- toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 21, 2014

Emperor: “God bless this country we love.” and exactly which country might that be, sir?

-- toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) November 21, 2014

[Twitter, 11/20/14; 11/20/14]

Ben Shapiro: Obama Is “The Greatest Liar Of Our Generation.” In an extended rant on Twitter during Obama's speech, Breitbart.com editor-at-large Ben Shapiro called the president a “madman” and a “liar”:

A closely-woven and incredible tapestry of lies, exposited with a straight face by the greatest liar of our generation.

-- Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 21, 2014

We are watching a madman describe to us with perfect sincerity how the moon is made of cheese, and the media is nodding.

-- Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 21, 2014

[Twitter, 11/20/14; 11/20/14]

Fox's Andrea Tantaros: Obama Is “Tearing Apart The Constitution.” On the November 20 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Fox co-host Andrea Tantaros claimed that Obama is “tearing apart the Constitution” through his executive action. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 11/20/14]

CNN's Erin Burnett Asks: Is Obama “Acting Like A King?” CNN host Erin Burnett adopted the conservative media's rhetoric about the president's executive action, asking on Twitter if he's “acting like a king”:

Is Pres. Obama ignoring the constitution and acting like a king with executive action? http://t.co/1NTjzfyKbH @CNN pic.twitter.com/NREOGfGgrq

-- OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) November 21, 2014

[Twitter, 11/20/14]