It has been asserted in other comments that
* The lack of action by our congress created the necessity for the president to “step up”.

* That the “will of the people sent a message”
(It WOULD be the will of the people, if they actually got what they THOUGHT, they were voting for) However, in light of “keep your doctor”, “keep your plan”, “Benghazi was caused by a video”, the IRS scandal, NSA, Fast and Furious, etc… I could go on and on… Were the people really sending the message that we want a president that would lie or at least, put up a constant impenetrable wall of smoke and obstruction… all for the sake of retaining power? Or were the people just duped? I think the latter.
* That the president is a “patriot” for doing what must be done.

Do we have any chess players here? Three card monte? Ever watched a shell game? Whether most realize or acknowledge it, we are watching a combination of all three, right now. Some see it; unfortunately, most don’t. What’s happening is little more than a well played, but dirty game of misdirection….

IT’S A NEVER ENDING SHELL GAME PLAYED BY THE LIBERAL POLITICIANS… Concentrate on the ball we show you… Don’t worry about the other stuff.

Like a loveable 2 year old. No matter what happens, they persuasively proclaim “I didn’t do it, It’s not my fault”. It’s all the fault of the “Do Nothing” republican congress. BS!

The fact is that bill after bill is passed by congress. Well over 200 during the Obama administration.
Then as provided by our system of government, it’s sent to our liberal dominated senate for a vote and if passed it goes to the president for signing or veto.
They, NOT ONLY DO NOT PASS ANY OF THEM… THEY REFUSE TO BRING ANYTHING, OF NOTE, TO A VOTE. That’s true, even if the house passed it with bi-partisan support… and especially if they know it would pass.

It doesn’t matter if it’s good for the country. In today’s political reality, passing legislation is politically bad for the Dems.
If it passes and is signed by the president, the Republicans get some of the credit.
If it then actually does good for the country, people realize there is merit to conservative ideas.
If it DOESN’T pass the senate, but was an issue that had the support of a substantial percentage of the people, it poses problems for the democrat senators who voted against it.
If it DOES PASS the senate and president vetoes a bill that has substantial support of the citizens, that is politically dangerous.
Simply put, passing legislation that originates in the Republican house HAS NO UPSIDE FOR THE DEMOCRATS.

HOWEVER… NOT PASSING OR EVEN BRINGING TO A VOTE, REPUBLICAN LEGISLATION PROVIDES A HUGE POLITICAL ASSET.
However, to successfully pull off this political monte, it requires an apathetic uninformed electorate (they have that), a substantially liberal media that unflinchingly supports a liberal agenda (we have that), and a massive party wide failure of candor i.e. lies (we have that)… but apparently, lying to the publick is a small price to pay to keep power. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE POWER!

By making certain nothing passes, democrats can continue to tell the country that republicans are “the party of no”. Surprise, if it’s a bad policy that’s bad for the economy and bad for the future… the vote SHOULD be no! But the problem has nothing to do with voting “no”… it’s the lack of the opportunity to vote… AND THAT IS 100% CONTROLLED BY THE DEMOCRATS WHO CURRENTLY CONTROL THE SENATE.

Realize, the leader of the senate (Harry Reid), has sole discretion as to what is brought to the floor for a vote. HE CONTROLS THE AGENDA.
As long as nothing is PASSED that originates in congress; or more to the point, EVEN VOTED ON, the democrats can repeat the mantra that the conservative congress is the party of “NO”. The fact is that most of the bills passed in congress had bi-partisan support and would definitely pass in the senate… if there was a vote. However, by not allowing them to even be brought to the floor, the democrats can continue to propound to the public the preposterous idea that all problems are the result of an impotent, actionless bunch of uncaring republicans. Democrats blame congress for being a “do nothing congress”… Then, the mainstream liberal media parrots this absurd narrative… the Republicans continue to do their jobs, pass more needed legislation, with bi-partisan support that is again blocked via the “no vote” senate.

This repeated failure of enacted legislation (due to actions of the senate leader), is used to support the idea that the president MUST “step up”, and for the good of the country, act through the use of executive orders, the likes and depths of which are unique to our history. Of course he must… he has an intractable “do nothing” congress! It is sickening.
NOTE: there are legitimate reasons for executive orders… the desire to bypass the constitution is not among them.

The reality is that the congress IS doing it’s job. The senate and president, blocks, refuses to vote, blames and uses the lack of passed legislation (they largely caused), as the pretense to justify even more unilateral control, more executive orders and more power to the president. This has effectively destroyed the balance of powers between the branches of government and ceded it unto one man… IN MOST PLACES, THAT’S CALLED A “DE FACTO” DICTATORSHIP.

Our country’s freedoms haven’t yet been completely destroyed, but regardless of how many people are aware of what is really happening… it is happening, inch by inch.

As with 3 card monte, a good shell game or a well played game of chess… most people just don’t get it.
Those that DO “get it”, better start trying to educate, those “that don’t.”, or soon, we will wake up and no longer be the land of the free.

I stand by my statements.