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John Boehner’s Attempt To Pressure Obama on the Fiscal Cliff Completely Backfires
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John Boehner took to the House floor to pressure President Obama, but instead he only made things worse for the Republican Party.
Here is the video:
Transcript from Speaker Boehner:
Mr. Speaker, last week, Republicans made a serious offer to avert the fiscal cliff, and most of it was based on testimony given last year by President Clinton’s former chief of staff, Erskine Bowles. And as Mr. Bowles himself said on Sunday: ‘we have to cut spending.’ Well he’s right. Washington has a spending problem. Let’s be honest – we’re broke. And the plan that we’ve offered is consistent with the president’s call for a ‘balanced approach.’
A lot of people know that the president and I met on Sunday. It was a nice meeting, it was cordial. But we’re still waiting for the White House to identify what spending cuts the president is willing to make as part of the ‘balanced approach’ that he promised the American people.
You know, where are the president’s spending cuts? The longer the White House slow-walks this process, the closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff.
Well here’s what we do know. We know that the president wants more ‘stimulus’ spending and an increase in the debt limit without any cuts or reforms. That’s not fixing our problem. Frankly, it’s making it worse.”
And on top of that, the president wants to raise tax rates on many small business owners. Now even if we did exactly what the president wants, we would see red ink for as far as the eye can see. That’s not fixing our problem either – it’s making it worse and it’s hurting our economy. I think the members know, I’m an optimist. I’m hopeful that we can reach an agreement. This is a serious issue and there’s a lot at stake. The American people sent us here to work together towards the best possible solution, and that means cutting spending.
Now if the president doesn’t agree with our approach, he’s got an obligation to put forward a plan that can pass both chambers of the Congress. Because right now the American people have to be scratching their heads and wondering, ‘when is the president going to get serious?’
Boehner and the Republicans are trying to use a little political sleight of hand in an attempt to distract the American people from the fact that they refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy. The one thing missing from Boehner’s remarks is any mention of raising taxes on the highest income earners. Instead, the Speaker pulled out the tired trick of hiding their protection of the wealthy behind concern for “small businesses.”
Rep. Boehner’s refusal to even acknowledge raising taxes on the wealthy is why his latest blame Obama gamble is destined to blow up in his face. Boehner didn’t try to make his case to the American people for why spending cuts are better than tax increases. He simply refused to acknowledge the most important issue in the minds of the American people. This isn’t just bad politics. It’s bad governance.
All Boehner managed to do was confirm that the Republicans are the ones standing in the way of a deal. The question of how we tackle deficit was already resolved on Election Day. Post election polls continue to show that the public is siding with Obama and the Democrats on the fiscal cliff issue.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that Republicans are playing a losing hand, but it takes a special “talent” to turn a losing hand into total catastrophic failure.
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46 Responses to John Boehner’s Attempt To Pressure Obama on the Fiscal Cliff Completely Backfires
Eykis
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
The LIES just keep coming – does he think anyone but Fauxites still buy it?
Jo Hargis
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:42 pm
I guess there’s nothing else he *could* say. How pathetic he looks. Like there was any doubt in the minds of any reasonable Americans out there who’s blocking what here. Just more of the same ol’ GOP BS we’ve heard for four years. They are never going to get serious about the economy or fixing it; their sole focus is defending the rich and Wall St. Guess their corporate takeover isn’t going as planned, huh? We cannot let them get away with this crap.
DenguyFL
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
The Budget Control Act already cut $1 trillion over the next 4 years. When will a single Dem have the balls to say that?
Churchlady
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:53 pm
They have. Repeatedly.
Shiva (Moderator)
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Looks like we have 3 people who are scared someone might find out about that trillion
Kathy
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
Nancy Pelosi said that after Bonehead, I mean Boehner, finished speaking. :)
itstimeforchange
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
I am scratching my head and wondering when the GOP is going to get serious about fixing our economy. They have obstructed everything that would get this economy back on its feet. They want to cut spending??.. Start with the subsidies to big oil and stop sending all our money to all the countries that hate us. Increase the tax rate on the wealth and close the tax loop holes. Demand taxes from the big corporations. Leave medicare and SS alone. The middle class have paid enough. The wall street banksters have gotten rich off of the middle class.
Will
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
I don’t understand why they do not legalize marijuana and tax it like alcohol, that would fix the budget and people are going to smoke it anyway , they are already buying it everywhere it is no secret.
djchefron
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
But if they did that where would you warehouse all the black and brown men who just want a toke?Remember,Prison this iz a business
djchefron
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Call out the orange one Nancy
“Where are the revenues?” she asked on the floor. “Regardless of the cuts … more is demanded in terms of what seniors would have to pay into Medicare and what age that would happen, while the Republicans refuse to touch one hair on the head of the wealthiest people in our country.”
thehill.com/video/house/2...
Correct me if I am wrong but doesn’t the constitution give the powers of setting the budget to the congress?
Jean Netherton
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
The constitution does give House the job of passing a budget bill, which must also pass in the Senate and then get signed or vetoed by the President.
I think Boehner is smart enough not to even try.
Linda1961
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Not did Boehner fail to mention raising taxes on the highest 2%, he failed to mention that HIS plan is not specific about spending cuts.
Linda1961
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
“Not did Boehner fail…” should be “Not only did Boehner fail…”
Jim Acero
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 3:34 am
That’s the bit that is missing here. The last time around, Obama was the one negotiating for both sides; this time Obama wants the Republicans to put their own “balanced” plan of cuts and revenue increases forward. Beyond their well-rehearsed 2012 election cycle “we’ll give you details after you pass our plan” approach, they have offered nothing.
Richard
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Let Wall Street, whom the taxpayers bailed out, and then they proceeded to give themselves huge bonuses, be taxed, (just a small tax), on every transaction, every phoney derivative any security bond. It would reduce the deficit remarkably fast. They were the major cause of the tanking of the economy. They should pay as well. The middle class is suffering enough already!
Who in Washington, except for possibly Bernie Sanders, has the balls to suggest this? Or are they all in the pocket of the bankers?
Samuel Thiel
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 12:38 am
This idea is being discussed in europe – discussed and discussed – as all things are in the European (dis)Union. Who is blocking it? The Brits – who also refused to join the common currency. The big banks are at the bottom of it all, and few people know that one of the big British Banks, Barclays, was bought by the Deutsche Bank – one of the most criminal institutions in financial history. They were instrumental in causing the housing bubble in America but managed to keep it a secret – even in Germany. My suggestion is do like they did in Iceland…go after the big banks with big guns. Put the criminally greedy in jail, nationalize the institutions that control the national currency and dump the corrupted legislators. If this is not done there will be – as we see in suffering Germany – endless discussion and NO action.
Lynda Harrison
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
You ask who in Washington aside from the People’s hero, Bernie Sanders, has the intestinal fortitude to suggest the fat cats start paying their fare share towards this fair country. How about a certain Florida recently re-elected individual by the name of Alan Grayson?
Bobbi
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 5:58 pm
I’m just tired of the “blame game” from both sides. Enough! Get it done.
djchefron
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
No Bobbi,both sides are not to blame.For the past 30 years the rich has gotten richer and the middle class has been devastated.For he past 12 years the rethugs have ran up the credit card by not paying for tax cuts that benefited the rich,not paying for wars for the first time in history,medicare part d which was a huge giveaway to the drug companies and countless other ways they have looted our future.No I wont play that game they broke it now its time to pay.And if they want to go over the cliff then they shall be called what they are:THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES ARE AL-QAEDA TERRORIST.
That is all
Ebony
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
I can’t wait until 2014. They must don’t want to win in 2014.
Ebony
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
You would think they have learned their lesson after their big loss but I guess not.
maureen taitano
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
unfortunatly the republicans still do not believe the american people understand the issues and that they can read and write .they treat us like altizheimers patients hoping they can say anything and we will there fore forget.we have seen in the past what path they take . always one of self service , leaving most behind chopping at programs and trying to devid them so they can live well.its a good thing we have a democratsy or these people would be king!
Curt T
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Here’s idea… modify the tax returns for 2013 requiring a short form financial statement… and level a “wealth” tax. Maybe a graduated rate that begins with a “net worth” at $250,000. Let those who benefited most over the last decade repay some of that income that was earned at the price of the economy and the vast majority of Americans.
Of course this would all be subject to audit by the IRS (easy to do, since most wealthy people regularly complete tax returns for loans and other business reasons). Falsifying reported information could result in a massive penalty.
Elizabeth 44
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
The problem with the “net worth” at $250K is you’re going to catch a lot of older people like me who have retirement savings. I haven’t exactly gotten rich in the last 12 years, in fact, my savings are still down 30% from where they were when GW Bush took office.
Jeff
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 12:05 am
It’s not net worth Elizabeth, the tax is on income @250k
Julia Krauss
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
When is the President gonna get serious? The Government Opposition Party asks “When is the president gonna get serious?” correct me if I am wrong but are these not the same fools that wasted our money last year voting on the same piece of legislation 33 times? While ignoring the 2 jobs bills that were on their desks?
Julia Krauss
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Correction
Government Obstruction Party***
Because that is what they stand for now.
Clifford
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Boehner must think the electorate is ignorant. No mention of new revenue? Looks like he is trying to divide and conquer. Not this time Boehner! Let’s get on with it… Let’s make an agreement with the PRESIDENT. Do what the electorate want you to do… Make a compromise…get your party members to do what’s right rather engage in a power play!!!! Boehner, stop playing a game with the PRESIDENT and the American people.
Dee Anne Treadway
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
OK, here is a creative solution! There must be some moderate Republicans left. Let’s invite them to switch parties or become independent and break the stalemate!
KatzKids
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 7:45 am
A lot of Republicans have left and will continue to leave – although they will say that the party left them which is also true.
marcial
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
ya, where scratching our heads wondering when the jobs act will pass??? while “we the people” loose/lost everything we worked hard for, hopeing you goof balls to DO YOUR JOB’s!… we cant wait when john bonehead, gets the AX in 2014….. where watching, keep on obstructing, cause your next,… BOZO!
marcial
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
oops: should read, “hope you goof balls DO YOUR JOB’s”
Alan Koeppen
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
CNN and Pew Polls over 1,000 Americans show that: “Where would the blame lie if the US economy were to fall off the fiscal cliff?” 52% said Republicans and 22% said Obama/Democrats. With polls taken around the world, it’s about 61% Republicans and 17% Obama/Democrats.
So… At what point do people get angry and irate enough where sensibility, rationality and civility disappear and we simply go to these congressmen’s homes and kick the living shit out of them and steal all their belongings that they’ve used our tax payer dollars to buy?
K
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 10:19 pm
What is so appalling about all of this, is that Boehner believes that we are as uneducated as he THINKS we are. They are so blinded by psychopathic greed, power and control, have been so corrupted by it (we enabled it by keeping them in office), that now they believe, in their alternative universe, we really DO want more spending cuts! They are not there for their constituents, they are there for themselves. How much more OBVIOUS can it be? Personally, I think BOTH parties have Corporations and Wall Street in their pockets, BUT when the people speak, those with humanity and CONSCIENCE, and without narcissism as their guide, they will ACT on behalf of that conscience and that is what Obama and the Dems are doing, while the GOP is destructively wielding an ax to social policy, lowering wages, hours, refusing to expand medicaid for their states (there are 30 GOP Governors-VOTE THEM OUT), all of this HARMS people. They are a party now, WITHOUT CONSCIENCE and they are VERY dangerous to all of us thanks to the TeaTaliban. The GOP attracts narcissism and psychopathy like fleas to a hound dog. If you don’t know what the disorder is, study it. We MUST get these people out. For all of you who ask, “WHY DO THEY DO THIS?” Psychopathy, lack of conscience,lack of empathy and compassion… that’s why.
KatzKids
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 7:51 am
Many in the GOPTP don’t believe their own spin, but they are terrified that the Koch Bros & the other Plutocrats will shut off the stream of millions flowing into their own pockets. Boehner & the rest of the GOPTP could care less whether the public believes him/them, he’s performing for his real bosses and it’s not the average American citizen.
ilegal guerrero
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
The speaker is back to his old tricks of playing both ends against the middle if obama,stands his ground he will get everything the coutry needs,and wants but if he falters in anyway than he will again be easy prey for the republicans
Andrew Rei
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 11:18 pm
The situation is actually worse than the GOP thinks. I’ve been criticized for telling the truth, so, I’ll do it again and field the criticism….
The sad fact of the matter is that, if you let the Bush 43 tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations, including corporate welfare/ subsidies, expire, they’d be forced to pay about $740 billion per year in taxes and would lose about $90 billion in corporate welfare per year. That’s about $830 billion. Then, if you follow that up with a cut of $175 billion from the $600 billion+ military budget, you’d eliminate the annual budget deficit…not in 10 years, 7 years, 5 years or 3 years….it would balance the budget NOW!
You’re probably thinking “no way the so-called job creators get that much in tax breaks”…oh, yes they do. The Bush 43 tax cuts include all kinds of ways for the wealthy and big corporations to hide their income so that they don’t have to pay taxes on it. Remember that Mittens the Liar Rmoney could be worth up to a half-billion dollars because of these tax laws. In fact, since 2001, wealthy Americans and big American corporations have “offshored” more than $32 TRILLION…yes, that’s “trillion” with a “t”. At the top 35% rate, taxing that amount would have brought in about $11 trillion. Ironic that $11 trillion is also the amount of raise in the national debt since 2001, all the fault of the GOP and GW Bush, including President Obama’s “share” of it. The reason for this severe avarice and the GOP’s rabid defense of it?
Starve the Beast…in 1970, GOP Conservatives and captains of industry got together and plotted the financial overthrow of the government. If you cut taxes so much that government is eliminated and the big corporations swoop in and take over the former functions of the government, at a high price to the poor and middle class. The Norquist pledge is rooted in STB, in addition to being treason. Of course, good luck getting the GOP to admit these truths :( ssmdh
Samuel Thiel
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 12:51 am
I am not generally a believer in conspiracy theories. I have been around long enough (I am 66 years old) to remember how things have changed since 1970. I am certain that there is a conservative mind-set that thinks the country would be run better and more efficiently (for the upper class) by businessmen and corporate boards. The “job creator” rhetoric is simply hot air. Where are all the jobs being created? In poor countries where people don’t get paid for their work. That’s where. Where there are no labor unions and no laws protecting the people who create the wealth. If the GOP has its way – we will have the formerly poor and now rich countries (through our tax dollars!) outsourcing jobs to the USA – especially to States that have outlawed Unions and labor protection. This mind-set is not limited to the USA – it’s world wide and extremely dangerous! Sometimes I think it is not exactly conspiratorial but more like the “good old boys” in the deep South who believe – even today – in the natural supremacy of the white race. The mega rich also believe in their natural supremacy and act accordingly.
ka1oxd
Dec. 11th, 2012 at 11:37 pm
One thing that Boehner did not mention that both Bowles and Simpson was on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. Both agreed that the Bush tax cuts for those above $250,000 must expire and additional tax revenue need to occur. One example of mortgage interest needs to drop from the 1 million dollar limit to $500,000 and no second home interest deduction. When people are make over millions of dollars a year, their adjusted gross income is dropped to around $500,000 there is a problem that the rich are the ones who are getting welfare from the tax code.
Bart Grossman
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 2:43 am
It becomes increasingly clear that they not only want to protect the rich but they have a monomaniacal hatred of Medicare. Even the Republican base love their Medicare. If the Democrats cave even a little on Medicare and Social Security they are fools. If Republicans take the country of the cliff because they want to strangle the most popular programs in the country they can forget about 2014 and 2016. They’d be finished for a decade. The only way the Democrats lose this one is if they agree to share the blame for cuts in Medicare and Social Security.
Preacherman
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 11:34 am
I maybe time to clean up Washington starting with John Boehner in 2014
A Logical Thinker
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Boehner began compromising on day 1. He offered exactly what Obama campaigned on ($800B in new tax revenues over the next decade) from the start. Obama then said, wait, actually I want $1.6T … and I want to control the debt ceiling, and we’ll look at cutting spending later…
And all I hear from the left is, any “compromise” will be on Obama’s terms. And, there will be no deal if Republican’s can’t accept higher tax rates on the rich. Yea, that sounds like a really balanced approach.
Obama cooked up this mess in his last term by not producing a budget his first 4 years. But, just continue to blame Republicans, you’re playing his game.
Lynda Harrison
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
I don’t understand why anyone would even listen to a single word Bonehead Boehner the Bumbling Buffoon has to say. He and his crew of cretins have absolutely nothing constructive to add to this whole discussion of the so-called fiscal cliff and how to avoid it.
DR DIAS
Dec. 12th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
“REPUBLICANS = INSANITY, not human values!”
Kenneth Morgan
Dec. 13th, 2012 at 9:53 am
Bowls said he does not support those policies now. Diffent situations, now,
Dr. Mark Bear
Dec. 14th, 2012 at 7:54 am
For the GOP Speaker of the House to come out yesterday and imply that the sole problem is spending, is not only disingenuous, but also misleading.
First, the GOP continues to deny the results of the election, acting as though the American people experienced nothing but a “status-quo” election, when in all reality, the previous election was nothing short of historical due to the President being the first candidate since Reagan, to garner over 50% of the vote on both bids. To be clear: The ONLY reason the House went to the GOP is due to the GOP State led legislatures redistricting their states for a more favorable outcome.
Second, while spending IS of concern, nearly every leading economist will tell you that when confronted with the current economical picture, the necessity of stimulating the economy becomes greater, lest we fall back into a recession. In a similar vein, this strategy worked when President Clinton was in office, and no reason exists whereas it will not work now.
Third, even though former President Clinton led one of the strongest economic booms in history, the GOP marginalized this accomplishment by attributing his success to the dot com boom. That is, Clinton was lucky!
It is for this reason alone, that the GOP will never agree to increase the rates on the upper two percent.
When Clinton attempted to increase rates on the wealthy, all we heard was how the economy would fall apart, but it didn’t! When it didn’t, it was due to Clinton supposedly benefiting from the dot com boom. But here is the reality: Should the tax rates be raised as the people of this country want, evidenced by the recent election, the GOP will have no dot com boom to attribute the growth of the economy to.
Therefore, this would mean the GOP’S arguments regarding supply-side economics will be exposed as the failure they are and ALL Americans will know, once and for all, that the GOP would rather protect the wealthy while throwing the middle-class…