PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The Speaker of the House John Boehner says he will sue the president because of all the executive orders he is issuing.  Though it does seem as if President Obama is keeping the country running by Executive Orders, It turns out he is a piker.

At 4 yrs and 3 mo. into his presidency (March), President Barack Obama issued 175 Executive Orders.*  At this rate (3.4314/mo.), he will have 329 Executive Orders beating his predicessor George Bush (#43)  with 291.

And there are four Presidents in the 1,000 or more Executive Order Club club: Woodrow Wilson with 1803 (first member), Theodore Roosevelt with 1081, Calvin Cooledge with 1203, and Franklin Roosevelt with 3522 (the champion).  There are two honorable mentions with more than 900 Executive Orders: Herbert Hoover with 968 and Harry S. Truman with 907, making four Presidents in a row with at least 900 Executive Orders.  Then things dropped off markedly as Dwight D. Eisenhower had "only" 484.

Since Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan is the champion with 381 followed by Bill Clinton with 364, both recent records probably safe from Obama.

I believe Jimmy Carter had the most of one-term presidents with 320.

So based on number of Executive Orders, I think it will be hard to make a case that Obama has been making an execessive amount; however, I presume the case will be made that his Orders are more meaningful. 

  * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_order