Democracy Has Prevailed.

February 14, 2017

An Open Letter To My Senator, Pat Toomey (With An Update)

I'll be dropping this letter to Senator Pat Toomey in the mail today:
Dear Senator Toomey

I blog at the local Pittsburgh blog, "2 Political Junkies."  As I reside in Pennsylvania, and as you are one of Pennsylvania's two Senators, I am a constituent of yours.

As your constituent, I have a question to ask you.  I've posted the text of this letter on the blog and I'm planning on posting your response there as well.

Recently on "Face The Nation" Senior White House policy adviser Stephen Miller had this exchange with host John Dickerson.  When asked whether the administration had "learned anything" from their experience with the immigration executive order, he replied:
Well, I think that it’s been an important reminder to all Americans that we have a judiciary that has taken far too much power and become in many case a supreme branch of government. One unelected judge in Seattle cannot remake laws for the entire country. I mean this is just crazy, John, the idea that you have a judge in Seattle say that a foreign national living in Libya has an effective right to enter the United States is -- is -- is beyond anything we’ve ever seen before.

The end result of this, though, is that our opponents, the media and the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions, that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned. [Emphasis added.]
Senator, do you think he's correct?  Given the fact that our Constitution defines three equal branches of government does the president have unquestionable power when it comes to national defense?

Or do you believe that there is judicial and legislative oversight that serves as a check and balance to the president's authority, whatever it is?

I look forward to hearing back from you

And I will be posting whatever response I get from him or his office.

UPDATE: Senator Toomey has responded.  My analysis is here.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

As a matter of style... you have your first 2 paragraphs all about you, using "I" 6 times therein. I find in business writing it is best to open with "punch", get right to the point and put the focus on the reader. Good luck.

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

Dear Senator Toomey

Dayvoe "seems to think that Article III supersedes the sole and express power to immigration matters that's in that super pesky Article I."

https://twitter.com/Integralmathyt/status/827991473366847489

Unknown said...

In further critique of your letter... I notice that you formed your ultimate question in terms of that President's power with regard to national defense, when the issue under discussion was immigration. Though I doubt the reader would have made it that far based on my previous comments, this inartful use of important terms is yet another reason why your letter is likely headed for the circular file with little more than a "thank you" response.