The reason they can’t be like that all the time is because their Political Base and their Political Opposition would eat them for breakfast if they were. Their Base would say “Doing it once a year is fine, but we didn’t send you there to be a Comedian. If you don’t get serious and evade the efforts of the Opposition, we will throw you out at the next election and find someone who will do what we sent you to do.” Their Opposition would pretty much say the same thing in reverse. The Two Ton Elephant in the room is that neither side will let the President use the language of Article Two of the US Constitution the way it was intended. Technically, the only reason why the President should need to depend on Congress to put his program into effect is if there is no current law that can be used to achieve what he wants to do. In other words, that is the language that allows him to use Executive Orders to put something into motion. That is the language that Obama has been using since his announcement to put the things that the Republicans have been blocking legislatively into motion by Executive Action. If you don’t believe me, then take some time and read what the Supreme Court has said over the years on the subject of the powers of the Executive Branch here: Annotations: U.S. Constitution: Article II, Section 1. The President, Clause 1. Powers and Term of the President, " NATURE AND SCOPE OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER".