Ron Paul could object to Obama’s request – Politico
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a Republican candidate for the presidency, is considering whether to use his power as a House member to object to President Barack Obama’s surprise request to address a joint session of Congress at the same time as a long-planned Republican presidential debate on Sept. 7.
“Dr. Paul is weighing his options,” the veteran congressman’s spokesman, Jesse Benton, told POLITICO when asked whether Paul would object to a voice vote on a concurrent resolution allowing for the president to speak from the House chamber.
Paul could delay — though not single-handedly block — House action on a joint-session resolution. But he could force a roll call vote on the matter. It’s also possible that an Obama detractor in the Senate could slow legislation creating the joint session. Unified Republican opposition to the speech in either chamber would block it altogether.
House Republican leaders haven’t yet signaled how they will respond to Obama’s request.
Several House GOP sources said Wednesday afternoon that they had no advance notice from the White House that the president would request an audience with Congress. While House Republicans are clearly displeased with what they view as political gamesmanship by the president, they would have to weigh the risk of a potential political blowback if they declined Obama’s request or invited him for another time.
Even if Republican leaders go along with the president’s plan, there’s no guarantee that they can get all of their rank-and-file members on board. Since most House members aren’t due to return from their August recess until the night of Sept. 7, the easiest way to pass a resolution providing for a joint session of Congress would be through “unanimous consent” during a pro forma session on Friday.
But any House Republican could object to that approach and force a recorded vote, which likely wouldn’t be held before the night of the planned speech. Two House Republicans, Paul and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, are scheduled to participate in the presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
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“It is undignified that the President of the United States would resort to such transparent tactics to step on our Republican debate,” Benton said. “The real losers here are the American people, who deserve the opportunity to watch both events.”
