Radio show host Rush Limbaugh said on Tuesday that left-wing media outlets are pushing for President Barack Obama to postpone next week’s election because of Hurricane Sandy — something he says Obama has no authority to do.
“The president has no power whatsoever to do this,” Limbaugh said on his radio program. “The president cannot do it. The fact that so many people want the president to is alarming, because it indicates how many people would be comfortable with that kind of autocratic, totalitarian power.”
Limbaugh cited articles published on such websites as Politico, Slate, and The Atlantic – as well as questions posed by reporters on Tuesday to White House spokesman Jay Carney as indications that left-wing organizations are pushing for a delayed Election Day.
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“But in our constitutional system, the president has no say,” Limbaugh said. “I hate to tell you this, but the president can't do a thing about this. The Constitution sets the terms of the election. The states determine where the elections are, the federal government and states together.”
Limbaugh quoted from the Politico report, which suggested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could have a role in moving the election from Nov. 6.
“Here just one sample story on moving the election. It's from The Politico. The headline: ‘Hurricane Sandy: Could It Push back the Election? — [FEMA] is preparing for Hurricane Sandy to disrupt next week’s elections, agency Administrator Craig Fugate said Monday afternoon.’ Really? How's FEMA preparing for Hurricane Sandy to disrupt the elections?” Limbaugh asked.
“What's FEMA got to do with it? FEMA doesn't have anything to do with this. ‘We are anticipating that, based on the storm, there could be impacts that would linger into next week and have impacts on the federal election,’ said Craig Fugate, the FEMA administrator.
“He can ‘anticipate’ all he wants, but FEMA's got nothing to say about this,” Limbaugh continued. “Congress sets the date of election. The states have to get their re-elects in by the middle of December. They've got 34 days to have their electors vote. States don't set the Election Day; the Congress does.”
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He suggested the reason for all this talk is because, “They don't realize that the longer this goes, the worse it's gonna get for Obama. If they were smart, they'd want to move the election up.
“But, of course, that isn't gonna help 'em, either, because Romney is leading in the early voting 52-45, plus seven,” Limbaugh said. “There is nothing the president can do, legally. He can't do anything about the election. If he could, he could also cancel it, couldn't he? He doesn't have that power.”
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