Obama, GOP dispute nature of democracy

While President Obama and congressional Republicans argued Thursday about the president's new immigration actions, it's worth noting that each side used a variation of the same phrase.

"That's not how democracy works."

For Obama and the Democrats, it's not democratic for Republicans to refuse to cooperate on other issues because of the immigration fight.

For Republicans, it's not democratic for Obama to go around Congress because he doesn't like its policy choices.

Obama cited the political impasse during his prime time speech Thursday.

"Don't let a disagreement over a single issue be a dealbreaker on every issue," Obama said. "That's not how our democracy works, and Congress certainly shouldn't shut down our government again just because we disagree on this."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a critic of the new immigration rules, noted that Obama has talked before about how democracy, citing an immigration speech the president made in Miami.

"He was talking about immigration that day," McConnell said, "and here's something else he said on the topic: 'I know [that] some ... wish that I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that's not how democracy works.'

"Indeed, it isn't."