Watching House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on "Meet the Press" yesterday, it was hard not to wonder about the Republican leader's frame of mind. Given the distance between reality and his rhetoric, one question hung over the interview: does Boehner actually believe his own talking points?
For example, the Speaker insisted, "[T]here's no plan from Senate Democrats or the White House to replace the sequester." Host David Gregory explained that the claim is "just not true," leading Boehner to respond:
"Well, David that's just nonsense. If [President Obama] had a plan, why wouldn't Senate Democrats go ahead and pass it?"
Now, I suppose it's possible that the Speaker of the House doesn't know what a Senate filibuster is, but Boehner has been in Congress for two decades, and I find it implausible that he could be this ignorant. The facts are not in dispute: Democrats unveiled a compromise measure that required concessions from both sides; the plan enjoyed majority support in the Senate; and Republicans filibustered the proposal. That's not opinion; that's just what happened.
"If he had a plan, why wouldn't Senate Democrats go ahead and pass it?" One of two things are true: either the House Speaker has forgotten how a bill becomes a law in 2013 or he's using deliberately deceptive rhetoric in the hopes that Americans won't know the difference. It's one or the other.
What's worse, the "dunce vs. deceiver" debate intensified as the interview progressed.
Consider this gem:
"Listen, there's no one in this town who's tried harder to come to an agreement with the president and to deal with our long-term spending problem, no one."
If by "tried," Boehner means "blew off every overly generous offer extended by the White House," then sure, he tried. In reality, Boehner walked away from the Grand Bargain in 2011, walked away from another Grand Bargain to pursue "Plan B" (remember that fiasco?); and walked away from balanced compromise on sequestration.
Or how about this one about the sequester:
"Listen. I don't know whether it's going to hurt the economy or not."
Boehner, just two weeks ago, wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the sequester is going to hurt the economy. Does the Speaker not remember this?
And finally, let's not forget this one:
"I'm going to say it one more time. The president got his tax hikes on January the first. The issue here is spending. Spending is out of control."
First, no sane person could look at stagnant government spending rates during the Obama era and think it's "out of control." Second, using Boehner's own logic, the Speaker got his spending cuts in 2011 -- to the tune of nearly $1.5 trillion -- so if we're following his line of reasoning, the issue isn't spending.
Honestly, Boehner came across as a man who's just terribly confused about the basics of the ongoing debate. Putting aside ideology and preferred policy agendas, the Speaker just doesn't seem to keep up on current events especially well -- he doesn't remember the 2011 spending cuts; he doesn't remember last week's Senate filibuster; he doesn't remember President Obama's offers to cut more spending; he doesn't remember his own op-eds; and he doesn't remember the economic growth that followed tax increases in the 1980s and 1990s.
I'm tempted to take up a collection to help buy Boehner some remedial materials, but I'm not sure what he'd need first: an Economic 101 textbook or a subscription to a daily newspaper.
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The GOP can no longer be considered part of a functioning government. They have abdicated their role through rank stupidity and obstinacy. Americans are beginning to understand the deep level of the Republican Party's new embrace of anarchy and the constant political campaign. Rather than forging a novel path of actually respecting the will of voters from an election just a few months in the past, conservatives are showing no signs of living in a world of reality, instead relitigating issues decided at the ballot box and inventing new ways to block the progress and routine operation of our nation. The GOP would take us to the very brink of disaster, then promises they want to do it again and again and again. Cabinet positions go unfilled because of petty partisan squabbles and the delusion from the right that they control whom Obama chooses to serve him. - progressive
What are you talking about? Don't you see? Boehner is achieving GOP objectives of "smaller government". Step back away from the noise of the rthetoric and the seeming ineptitude at managing his caucus. What did the GOP actually achieve.
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Adding up the numbers, they got 4 dollars of spending cuts for every one dollar of revenue. Simpson Bowles was 2 to one.
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It is fair to ask given the outcomes not whether Boehner is good at his job, but whether our Negotiator in Chief is good at his job bargaining for progressive policy objectives. David Sirota was on Hayes' show yesterday and pointed out that Obama appears to identify what the rational common ground is prior to discussions, but opens with that end point as his initial position. Instead Sirota (who has experience in congressional negotiations in his political life prior to journalism) wondered why the President doesn't take a far left opening positions so that he will wind up at the end point he has pre-determined.
The way I size it up is that Obama thinks that this is not how grown ups should behave- that such theater is not how an institution that is the child of the enlightenment ought to be run.... His disdain for "silly season".
Yes...so sad that you are right about this...It seems that maybe ol' John was sandbagging PBO...Sequester is all about cuts...let that happen and he gets most of the cuts to government the wingers wanted...no "deal" needed...just sit there and watch the FORCED cuts to happen...It is not like we should be surprised because this was discussed when they voted on sequester to begin with...the wingers got the Cuts...and we do the bleeding...
the GOP is a criminal organization bent on taking hostages and employing tactics of EXTORTION to steal from the population.
john boehner has a MENTAL DISORDER
What Boehner needs is to stop lying. Actually, what Boehner really needs is to get thrown out of office.
Worst. Speaker. EVER.
Actually Bonehead needs to STOP drinking, it's starting to affect his memory. Note to Steve, you are really just too kind in your suggesting that the Speaker may be confused", he's not confused that's "the Scotch/Gin/Whiskey" talking- hey if you had to deal with the tea-baggers you might get drunk too, everyday.....
1. Incompetent
2. Unfit
3. Both of the above
I agree with Zora Renee, this is classic self-centered alcoholism at its zenith in the political spectrum. Feeling weepy? Have another drink! Feeling confused? Have another round of drinks!!
Never underestimate the ability of most people to ignore the elephant in the room where alcoholism/alcohol abuse is concerned. They will most likely ignore his problem until he does something that is impossible to ignore, such as winding up in some fountain's pool with a woman not his wife. Or, killing himself and/or somebody else while driving drunk.
he now believes his lies. him, netanyahu, limpo, nixon were/are full of so much bull@!$%# for so long, it got swallowed, digested, absorbed and is now playing out.
the Speaker insisted, "[T]here's no plan from Senate Democrats or the White House to replace the sequester."
Two points:
1. Whining about what other people are, or are not, doing does not absolve you of responsibility to do your job.
2. At this point, I am not sure if there is a bill (Democratic, Republican, Vulcan, or otherwise) that could pass the House.
Possibly a Klingon bill.
boehner is a THIEF. he does not want to do his job. he wants you to pay him to party, to drink, to play golf, and to lose all your property to HIS PIMPS.
Actually, I think the Ferengi are best at this kind of stuff.
The link to this post doesnt work. It only links to the RMShow.
Someone needs to tell Boehner that excessive drinking tends to damage short term memory.
Not only memory but judgement as well...
also rational and critical thinking becomes DISSOLVED.
This is Boehner's plan to revive the economy , when across the nation people in complete frustration are hurling objects through their teevees in response to his lies.
The local Best Buy must be jammed about now.
Mitt's Mendacity ain't got nothin' on this lying sack 'O' $hit.
Needs his own weekly feature
lol... lets coin a new phrase other than compulsive liar. when someone is lies so much as to paint a different reality to vicitimize others, THAT PERSON IS A BOEHNER!
Boehner is either stupid, thinks Americans are stupid (most t-partiers are) or his brain is just pickled in alcohol and doesn't function anymore.
boehner has a mental disorder. he is not fit for the job he does not do. he steals a salary. he laffs at america and he hurts americans.
I keep seeing the "tax hikes in January" thing.
A) What are people talking about?
B) Why does it matter?
A) The "tax hikes in January" refers to the ending of the temporary reduction in FICA payments (2% for most people) that was part of the stimulus plan. It's really part of the Social Security debate, not the budget debate.
B) It doesn't, unless you like producing meaningless (or deceptive) sound bites.
In Genesis it is written that everyone on earth spoke the same language. And they built a Tower and called it Babel, hoping to reach the Executive Level, to give God a little competition.
Annoyed, God "confounded their speech', so they could not understand one another, and spread them across the world.
After a few years passed another group of people -all speaking the same language-, tried again, and built another "Tower', and called it the "Capitol."
Once again God intervened, and confounded their tongues so that their words lacked all meaning. And on the Sabbath he saw that it was good, and invented the TeeVee, so all could enjoy the Sunday entertainment.
and it shall come to pass that those who live their tv-soundbite-programmed-lives shall dwell as robotons for the the horders that the programmers work for.
Can anyone tell me why the Senate's budget rule for simple majority passage, didn't apply here? Because it voted down the Republican plan and isn't eligible as reconciliation?
If that's the case why didn't the Senate accept the Republican version, change it to their version, and pass that? There's something funky going on in Senateville.
Shooter,
You STILL don't know how a filibuster works? Why don't you read up on how one can be called and what happens then.
Because, Blanks, it was filibustered.
Our government should work with a majority vote, but the Republicans have, since Obama got in office, ensured that our Senate only works with a super-majority.
Shooter, something funky is going with the Senate, I agree.
We do disagree on what's funky and the cause of it, but we both know whatever it is they are (not) doing, it is the new normal for our friends in Washington.
Both sides share blame. Whoever spins it best, wins.
That's the entire point of getting time on a Sunday talk show, anyway.
I'm just disappointed at the lack of challenge from Gregory (as usual). MTP needs a presenter with balls to take on both party mouthpieces.
Once and Katherine, did you miss the part where I mention budget provisions can't be filibustered? (simple majority?)
From: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/02/parliamentary-procedure
You get it yet, Shooter???
(What oncearepublican said. Probably better than what I said.)
I think Knobson has it right...this is all political smoke and mirrors that the left and the right are both hoping will make the other look worse in the end...the only thing I woululd add is that there is a certain amount of "scorched earth" politics involved...The Democrats are counting on it speeding up the GOP civil war traveling road show and the GOP are trying to reduce Obama's historical legacy President of "Detroit"...neither is going to work and there isn't much regular folks can do to make them stop
Dragoon21b -- I disagree with your assessment. The democrats are actually trying to do what the people want done. The republicans are playing politics to the hilt trying to drum up more support in order to get more republicans elected. Any compromise on the part of the democrats to give the republicans what they want is actually a negative step for the country and the people. So the two approaches are not really comparable.
The Democrats lost the "we're trying" argument the minute Reid failed to end this filibuster nonsense, and settled for a damn handshake.
@Moviefan
I stand by it...there is definitely a "Blame Game" going on here and everyone is guilty.
The Republicans aren't trying to get turnover in the mid-terms because they know they aren't going to get any if anything they are trying to prevent turnover within their own caucus from primary challenges.
The Democrats are just as guilty of at the very least playing politics by giving the GOP more rope and staying out of the way. They also know that a lot of those defense cuts are going to disproportionately hurt red districts and they are ok with that.
There are way to many trapdoors and bolt holes to get out of this if both sides actually wanted to but no one does...To use an ugly but particularly apt metaphor this is a political "Tar Baby" that both sides are trying to get the other to pick up
I think Boehner is under a lot of stress and has been hitting the sauce regularly. It's understandable given that herd of wild beasts he's supposed to be leading.
understandable? yeahbut..... boehner is also a partner to the 2-part GCBC operation. as a whole, the operation is an extortion outfit and lives off the misery they cause to america.
What we need are interviewers willing to ask tough questions and follow up with facts when the responses given are pure BS. Someone who doesnt care if the person being interviewed is a Dem or a Rep but whose goal is to reveal the thruth and confront with real facts. Do any jounalists like this exist anymore?
Do any jounalists like this exist anymore?
Yes, there are a few. Rachel, of course, and Bill Press, Thom Hartmann, Amy Goodman. Which is why people like Boner do not go on their shows.
Yes, but Boehner didn't choose to be interviewed by anyone except those tried-and-true Sunday show "interviewers" whose minds are cemented in the same BS that his is.
Can you imagine Boehner trying to answer authentic questions outside the Republican script?
Gregory .... By the grace of Tim Russert's untimely demise .
How much you make a year David? Oh I see.
We know whose team you are on .
Corporate whore
Solidad O'Brien just got fired from CNN for being a journalist. We're in a sad state right now because no one calls these bozos (no matter what party) when they make statements that are untrue or appeal to ignorance.
that'll be the day. look at how congress let netanyahu address a session of congress. and today, look how CRAZED PARANOID EVIL NETANYAHU did his NIXON THING WITHOUT REBUKE. SHAME!
OK, past that, I keep hearing about cuts already signed into law. Where are they? Why haven't they generated the angst and apoplexy the sequester has? Because they aren't real?
Heck, it turns out there will still be more money spent after the sequester than before it. That's pathetic. The left has rolled on the floor, covered themselves in sackcloth and ashes, beat themselves with sticks, and declared the coming of the Four Horsemen. All because Govt will suffer no actual reductions in spending.
Between this and all the BS about climate, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to take warnings from the left as credible. What a farce on the part of the administration, and what a lemming like performance from the media. But hey, IOKIYAD.
They were in the budget control act
You mean like when your conservative party had the house , senate and presidency , and they just up and stop spending , and cut spending ? Do these thoughts make your head bobble?
Did you know we have been investing in america since G Washington ? And that is has been very successful? Your warped visions of the koch brothers ruling over everyone like king george will never happen , gop lacky ...
Shooter, you just don't have a clue how the Government or the Budget process works (kind of like your knowledge of global warming, isn't it?). Why don't you read some CREDIBLE sources on the Government and Budget process? Then you won't be making such idiotic statements.
I don't have the time to explain EVERYTHING to you!
*sigh* Apparently Cut-and-Paste don't work here...
Google it, Blanks. "Budget Control Act 2011" and click Wikipedia.
LOL at people who do this stuff, reflecting earned accusations back on their accusers, reaching for a high-ground that they will never earn.
Next up, mother jokes.
@Shooter: Buddy, there's times I agree with you and times I wonder why I bother to read your posts. This is one of the latter. I remember several of your past trollings where you mention that there will be a "2%" cut across the board and that's not a bad thing. Now you are saying no reductions in spending at all? Are you coming down with the Boehner sickness and can't remember your own words?
Maybe I should be upset about this whole financial fiasco, but honestly, at this point, I'm finding I just don't care anymore. The Republicans are not going to compromise. The Democrats are not going to become Republicans. Our society is swirling around the drain and it's only going to get worse. As long as there is a loud vocal minority totally opposed to what the majority want, we will never advance.
I say it's time to shut the experiment down. Convene a Constitutional Convention and start with a clean slate.
Had to look that one up, thanks! http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=IOKIYAD
Folks, I understand that the claims for spending cuts is in legislation you so helpfully provided. The question is... are they real spending cuts or reductions in spending growth? Pointing me to a bunch of words is meaningless, actually having something happen is another thing altogether.
Now that Obama, Sperling, Duncan, Holder, et al have demonstrated their willingness to shamelessly lie in service of the narrative, You'll excuse me if I don't believe said cuts until they actually happen. Come back when you have something concrete to show me.
Shooter
You do realize that to defend your point you just threw out the very concept of "Rule of Law" right?
I think you might want to go back and rephrase your premise
idiot.
"Idiot" is as "idiot does...mainly, The Blank is aggressively malicious.
The shooter gop think is cost nothing to fix our dysfunctional healthcare system , because they are the party of FREE STUFF , and somehow keeping our education and infrastructure up to modern standards should not cost anything , because THE GOP WANT FREE STUFF
People fought , died and sacrificed so we could be living like we are now , while the shooter gop do not want to pitch in at all , because they all want it all to be FREE STUFF
Rochester12,
Probably followed by "harelip" jokes and then rape jokes. In the 1960s, some guys I knew had a running "gag" about "National Rape Week" Seriously.
We can just re name the gop that , their politicians and voters all live by it
While boehner suggesting THE SENATE DEMS must pass something first is beyond ridiculous , if Reid and senior dems had embraced FILIBUSTER REFORM, boehner and the house stooges would look even more like idiots on this subject , but that would mean little to them over all
wrong. you are being idealistic about what REID could do. But then, without chesslike thinking, you fail to realize that a 51 would allow the lot of repubes and a few dems could PASS CRAP that would also get passed in the house.
REID prevented that by disallowing 51. because REID also knows that whatever good at 51 or 60 passes in the senate will NOT get passed in the house.
don't play chess? AT LEAST LEARN GAME THEORY.
you are why your party sucks , grow some cojones
I have said this and will say this again,The Speakership,is beyond Mr. Boehner pay grade.The man is shallow and seem to be confused about basic facts.
He should atleast be able to speak formally,the sit he's holding requires that.it irks me to hear people use sequester instead of sequestration.I think Obama does this too.
Words like Listen,nonsense shouldn't be part his vocabulary in interviews.
I personally wouldn't blame these guys,we should take some responsibility,We elect them and can throw them out!How is it that Someone like this would be in congress for over 2 decades?
he is a SELF MADE MORON but he calls that being a success. wimper wimper
Yes, John Boehner, being the more handsome, will be Jeff Daniels, and Mitch McConnell will have to be Jim Carrey in their very own live and real TV reality series:
Dumb and Dumber - Legislating w/Ignorance (with a side order of stupid)! -Kevo
The headline here is wrong. If the "you're" refers to an informed audience it would be correct, but if it refers to republicans it is not. And that is who Boehner is talking to. I'll bet a poll of republicans, certainly Fox viewers, would find 90% or more agreeing with everything he said.
there are 2 ways to build one's life; enrich others and be rewarded thereby or act to overpower and take from others. one is good, the other is immoral, bad, evil, and unfortunately.... legal. and the pimped out repoops live by it.
How can anyone say that spending isn't out of control. It has escalated exponentially since Obama became president. And the fact is.....He did get his tax hike. Not as much as he wanted, but he got a heck of a tax hike. He wants more taxes so he can spend more. He has absolutely no intention of cutting spending. Anytime the government gets more money, it spends more and we go deeper into debt.
Spending has increased exponentially? You have some facts to back that up? Do you understand what "exponentially" means or did you fail math class, too.
Fox News talking points are not facts.
Facts don't give the same satisfaction as a good ole Fox talking point.
"Spending has escalated exponentially since Obama became president."
No it hasn't. Spending started increasing in fall of 08 [FY 2009] after the economy collapsed and while spending is higher than it was before the collapse, FY2013 spending isn't higher than FY 2010 spending, let alone "exponentially."
I'm sick of the lie that POTUS got his tax increase. The tax cuts from Bush had EXPIRED. They were no more. The rates had already gone back up to Clinton levels. If anything they lowered revenue by extending the tax cuts for those making $450K or less. Stop watching Foxskews ,the news channel that makes you less informed, and read a paper. And yes there was a study done that showed people that watched fox were less informed than those that didn't watch any news at all. Google "fox news less informed" and you can find the study on huffington post. Here's part of the report from huffington...
"The largest effect is that of Fox News: all else being equal, someone who watched only Fox News would be expected to answer just 1.04 domestic questions correctly -- a figure which is significantly worse than if they had reported watching no media at all. On the other hand, if they listened only to NPR, they would be expected to answer 1.51 questions correctly; viewers of Sunday morning talk shows fare similarly well. And people watching only "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" could answer about 1.42 questions correctly."
you are a CON AND A FRAUD AND "YOU LIE". govt spending is necessary to CIRCULATE CASH. and good economy must CIRCULATE AND RE-CIRCULATE CASH - no matter what. WITHOUT CASH IN CIRCULATION, YOU DIE.
economics is a MATTER OF CIRCULATION. but the pimped out thieving cons like you want to believe that the objective of economics is gathering, and keeping. IT IS NOT. the objective is MORE CIRCULATION.
your brain is a wasteland. and the ultimate prize of your future is to live in a castle of whores surrounded by death and ruins.
This is why I don't like David Gregory - no Republican lie is challenged. He asks a pretend hard-hitting question, they lie and he moves on to the next pretend question. He's a corporate shill - exactly what American corporate media loves.
Fanaticism and Ignorance are very busy and need feeding = GOP!
look at it this way... when one works hard to build for the community and lives of others, the net is prosperity for all. but in the eyes of the builder the reward is goodness. in the eyes of the envious, the reward is what remains - a difference in the amounts of visible things in one hand vs all others. in the eyes of the blind, the result is the objectve. hence, we have a bunch of sutpified morons like repubes and boehners and mcconnells and scotts and romneys who dismiss what has to happen between building and resulting - SO THEY TAKE THE "SHORT" CUT AND RAPE, ROB, PLUNDER.
I haven't seen the clip yet (I'm at work) but did the interviewer respond to Boehner about the filibuster? Why don't more reporters call this out when they're in the chair?
reporters today are largley MSM PUPPETS. they no longer exist like ERM
I believe that the Republicans think the American public is stupid and not paying attention. To that, it's true.
Boehner is afraid of losing his job. He puts that over the country. He is a paper leader with no teeth.
But so wasn't Bush, and Mitt would have been too. The oligarchy likes "pliable" leadership.
not afraid to lose his job - he is afraid to be branded as the shameless loser fraud that he really is.
This is the republican post-sequester strategy. They are going to try and blame Obama and democrats to every uninformed person who will listen. It's part of their campaign to try to get more republicans in office. The citizens who live inside the republican echo chamber will nod their heads in agreement like those little ceramic dogs you used to see in the back windows of cars.
YEP
Classic pathological liar. Every time he's about to tell a lie he signals it. It's pretty obvious to me that any sentence he begins with "Listen" or "I'm going to say it one more time" is a baldfaced lie. I'm sure he has other tells. He may as well be saying "Catch me in this lie, please". What a joke of a "leader".
OMG, weasels ripped my flesh! (OT)
same thing with that crazed ignoramus aka DUMYA.... he said "well if'n ya don't believe that wmd thing... how 'bout hangin' yer hat on axis of eeeeeeevil? or wer the good'ns and they isnt? err, we all know wut ther upta.... heh heh" (to parapharse a donkey)
didnt fool me.
(OT)
"Directly From My Heart to You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x76I_xFbshU