During his press conference today President Obama exploited the conflict between John Boehner and the Tea Party to turn up the heat on the GOP.
Here is the video from MSNBC:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama said of the Republicans specifically the tea partiers in Congress, “I don’t see a path to a deal if they don’t budge, period. I mean if the basic proposition is it’s my way or the highway then we’re probably not going to get something done because we’ve got divided government. We’ve got Democrats controlling the Senate. We’re probably going to need Democratic votes in the House for any package we are going to pass, and so if in fact John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are sincere, and I believe they are that they don’t want to see the US government default, then they are going to have to compromise.”
The president called out the professional politicians, and turned the screws on the GOP leadership, “I will say that some of the professional politicians, for them to say that we shouldn’t be raising the debt ceiling is irresponsible. They know better. This is not something that I’m making up. This is not something Tim Geithner is making up…What you’re right about I think are the leaders in the room at a certain point have to step up and do the right thing, regardless of the voices in our respective parties that are trying to undermine that effort.”
He then not so subtly put Boehner on his side, “I have a stake in John Boehner successfully persuading his caucus that this is the right thing to do, just like he has a stake in me successfully persuading the Democratic Party that we should take on these problems we’ve been talking about for too long but haven’t been doing anything about.”
Obama then talked about Boehner’s problems within his own caucus, “I think Speaker Boehner has been very sincere about trying to do something big. I think he’d like to do something big. His politics within his caucus are very difficult. You’re right. This is part of the problem with a political process where folks are rewarded for saying irresponsible things to win elections or obtain short term political gain when we are in a position to do something hard, but we haven’t always laid the groundwork. Look it’s going to take some work on his side, but it’s going to take some work on our side to get this thing done.
The President then pointed out that Democrats would prefer not to do anything about these problems. Obama then made his case to progressives that we can’t pursue progressive programs until our fiscal house is in order.
The Tea Party Republicans and many Republicans in general have been working on the assumption that Obama is weak, and that if they don’t budge on their position and keep threatening, the president will give in. But this time it looks like Obama is calling their bluff.
Putting Boehner against the tea party is something that Obama has needed to do. Republicans were able to play hardball on the budget and Bush tax cuts by holding things like unemployment benefits hostage, but this time they have no card like that to play. Obama can afford to wait them out.
For his part the Speaker is stuck between a rock and a hard place. By placing the Speaker on his side, Obama is throwing gasoline on the fiery feud between the tea partiers and the House leadership. Speaker Boehner’s remark after the Obama press conference that the debt ceiling has to be raised, but taxes can’t be increased illustrated just how screwed he is on this one.
The Republican caucus won’t vote for a tax increase, but the Speaker knows that with Obama staying in the middle and trying to cut a deal, if the US defaults Republicans will take the brunt of the blame.
Those who thought that there was no news in this press conference missed a strategic gamesmanship that Obama put on display today. Obama stayed in the middle, turned the heat up on Boehner, and exploited the fracture within the Republican Party.
As long as Obama holds his ground, the Republicans paralyzed by their own internal warfare will be left with two choices. They can either compromise which would both anger their base and help reelect this president, or they can hold their ground and watch their political fortunes go down the drain.
Obama is playing head games with the GOP now. The best way for this president to overcome the Republicans do nothing agenda is to divide and conquer his ideologically fractured foes.
PoliticusUSA
G+
Facebook
Nasty Liberal
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Shhh….
loading...
Reynardine
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
Yeah.
loading...
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 5:24 pm
this garbage with the tea party people saying shut the country down simply indicates that they have no clue of why they were sent to Washington. They have a mission to cut spending, cut services to the American people and other things however you do not do those things that the behest of shutting down worldwide economies just because you want to act like an idiot with a tri-cornered hat on.
Speaker Boehner is in a position. And what happens here is going to show the people of the United States exactly who the Republican Party is. It has a chance to lose the vote completely or it has the chance to retain some of its people or base. In the meantime the tea party are just a group of people who are totally inexperienced and have a total lack of knowledge on the country that they represent.
They made a big market in 2010, and now the people are seeing exactly how foolish they were to vote for them.
loading...
crsytalwolfakacaligrl
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Exactly Shiva! That’s why 2012 is going to be a Dem sweep.
loading...
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Oh I do like the way you think!
loading...
Cassandra Vert
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
It won’t be a Dem sweep unless the left gets people out to the polls to make it happen.
And even if it is a Dem sweep, we won’t get the results we want unless we get the right candidates in the voting seats. A Congress full of Max Baucuses will not further our cause.
loading...
Shiva (Moderator)
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Thats very true. Our blue dog dems are practically worthless
loading...
Nasty Liberal
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 2:47 am
Senator Jim Webb from Virginia is a “Blue Dog.” So is Evan Bayh, former Senator from Indiana. Why should I mention them? Well, because they were this President’s first two choices for a running mate when he became the nominee of the Democratic party, is why. “Just sayin’…”
loading...
Nasty Liberal
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 2:51 am
For that matter, to the extent “Liberal” might mean “gives a shit about people”? Well, then just call me “Nasty.” Period.
loading...
Ingarose
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I am a little leery about a Dem sweep. There are a lot of more liberal leaning Dems who simply do not have the enthusiasm as they did before. There are many blue dogs, especially in the senate. Remember that Nelson from Nebraska?
loading...
majii
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 12:46 am
Another conservative calls out the GOP for its shenanigans.
Steve Bell, former aide to Sen. Pete Domenci(R-NM):
“What is happening in Minnesota will happen here in spades.”
/snip/
“I think the president’s played it very well. His press conference [Monday] was a damn masterpiece. When your enemy is tying a noose, leave them alone. Republicans have yelled and screamed and carried on. They have a budget they’re trying to run away from. All the talk about repealing health care legislation is fading out. And the talk about repeal of Dodd-Frank? Ninety-nine percent of Americans don’t know what it is. This is the defining discussion now, and there will be a referendum on it in 2012. If Republicans have to run on a platform of no changes in rich folks’ tax cuts, versus Obama saying working men and women are hurting? You don’t have to be a genius to figure that one out.”
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/11/137772382/a-conservative-spins-out-the-gops-debt-endgame?ft=1&f=1014&sc=tw
loading...
Sarah Jones
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
They didn’t see this coming, did they. I could have told them they were being set up for this with the last two major compromises he made. he was keeping score and he was going to play that card when the country needed it the most.
God they are fools. They think that since he doesn’t swagger around, he’s a pushover. Did they learn nothing in the campaign process?
loading...
crsytalwolfakacaligrl
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
4,3,2,1, when is the PeeNut gallery going to weigh in? (Paylin)
loading...
Sarah Jones
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
She threw her FB temper tantrum re the debt (she with her “d” in economics) but no one cared:-)
loading...
Nasty Liberal
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 2:55 am
I know I’ve withheld my Twitter “affection” from, uh, what’s her name again? Oh yeah, Quitler.
loading...
Anne
Jul. 13th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
They consistently prove Einstein’s saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. His definition could apply equally well to stupidity, and the GOP has demonstrated both in ample quantities. Their idea of a strong man is someone who is loud, belligerent, uncouth, and with a disdain of education which is supposed to be an aspect of elitism. They simply refuse to accept the fact that this man is their intellectual and moral superior, partly because of their rigid ideology that regards Democrats as anathema and partly because of they don’t see him as a “ril
‘Merikan.”
loading...
Cathy
Jul. 11th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Great job, Mr President! Is that a light at the end of the tunnel?
loading...
majii
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 12:39 am
Great post, Jason! I found this link from a post on “The Only Adult in the Room.” The tea party folks are furious with Boehner, but the sad thing about it is they have no idea that winning one House of Congress in the midterms doesn’t mean they can dispense with President Obama. I’m recommending a remedial civics class for these people. I’ll teach it if they’re willing to sign up for it, and I’ll do it online.
FROM TEA PARTY NATION (I can’t link you because it’s behind a registration wall)
JOHN BOEHNER IS EITHER A GUTLESS COWARD, AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT OR BOTH. What floors me is under the circumstances the GOP rank and file has not done something about him. THE GOP HAS THE GREATEST MANDATE IN A CENTURY AND NOT ONLY IS BOEHNER BLOWING THE MANDATE, he may single handedly return Nancy Pelosi to the Speaker’s chair. WE COULD ASK WHAT IS HE THINKING BUT IT IS OBVIOUS HE IS NOT THINKING.
BOEHNER HAS GOT TO GO IMMEDIATELY AND THE GOP NEEDS TO REPLACE HIM NOW. We need someone who has courage and convictions. We need someone who will not sell us out. In short, we need anyone but John Boehner.
http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/2011/07/11/debt-ceiling-crystal-balls-and-kabuki-theater/
Open box, put Boehner in, seal it up!
loading...
gp
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 1:55 am
why would you want to teach them anything? They’ll be gone soon enough….
loading...
F joy
Jul. 12th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Great post Jason. The blue dogs hurt health care reform. They also hurt the Obama administration in general. The Dems need to come together for the good of the nation before the greed of the GOP and the ignorance of the Tea Party really destroy our Democracy and all the hardworking people in it!
loading...