LIVE BY THE PEN, DIE BY THE PEN

There is much hand wringing about all the executive orders that Trump is issuing. It would be interesting to show a graph with Trump vs. Obama over time in terms of executive orders. i have no idea what it would look like. however, ruling through executive order and regulatory fiat became the new normal under Obama. Clinton worked with Gingrich and a republican congress in his second term and got things done. Obama would say that the republicans wouldn't work with him and maybe he was right but others have done so. My theory is he irretrievably poisoned the well when he drove the ACA through. it was the first major piece of social legislation that was jammed through on a one party basis. He came into office with a lot of political capital which he chose to spend on the ACA. we were still in a major financial crisis, which he had nothing to do with but maybe if he had focused on that and tried to create some common ground on healthcare the escalation in partisanship would not have escalated to our now toxic levels.

Legislation is better than executive orders. much of what he created is now being disassembled

not all for the better; but some yes