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Worst Speaker Ever: John Boehner Uses Pathetic Twitter Campaign to Blame Obama for Sequester
Republicans are trying to blame President Obama for the automatic spending cuts that will kick in via the sequester. They’ve laid the groundwork for this little con as they always do, by repeating it ad nauseam as the premise for their further accusations.
They’ve reached so far into their blame game that they’re quoting Bob Woodward.
The National Review reported that John Boehner took a picture of text from Woodward’s book, The Price of Politics, in which Woodward wrote that then-White House chief of staff Jack Lew introduced the idea of sequestration into the debt-ceiling negotiations. Boehner passed this picture around, and even urged his staffers to replace their avatars with it. Boehner’s even pushing the hashtag “#obamaquester” in hopes of forcing the President to carry the weight of the Republicans’ failure.
If it were true that sequester was Obama’s fault, Boehner wouldn’t have to go to such lengths; however, when the record defies your version of reality, great efforts must be made.
The National Republican Conference Committee issued a statement saying, “Obama owns the sequester. He proposed it. He threatened to veto (any bill) getting rid of it.”
But see, the problem is that we never would have needed the sequester if the Republicans hadn’t decided to hold the country’s economy hostage by refusing to do the most basic task of raising the debt ceiling in order to pay off the things they already voted into existence.
Here’s a refresher on what actually happened. After creating the debt ceiling disaster for no reason other than his inability to control the Tea Party caucus, Boehner admits to walking away from the Grand Bargain with the President.
On August 2, 2011, Congress passed the Budget Control Act of 2011, which provided for The Super Committee. If the Super Committee failed to create legislation to address the cuts originally demanded by the Republicans, the sequester would kick in. The Super Committee ended up failing, and on January 2, 2013, the automatic cuts (“sequestrations”) were supposed to kick in. Those cuts are also known as the fiscal cliff that kept some of us up on New Years Eve waiting for the 2 AM Senate vote and then 11 AM House vote to avert it.
On August 1, 2011 Speaker Boehner told CBS news that he walked away from the Grand Bargain, the President negotiated in good faith, and Republicans got 98% of what they wanted with the Budget Control Act which included the built in sequester.
Watch here:
Transcript from CBS:
Pelley: Give us a little bit of insight. How did the grand bargain fail? What was the breaking point? How did you tell the president you were walking away?
Boehner: It really boiled down to two issues. President was insisting on more taxes. President never got serious about the kind of spending cuts that were necessary in order to get America back on a sound fiscal footing.
Pelley: You don’t think he negotiated in good faith?
Boehner: No, I do believe the president was negotiating in good faith. We had a lot of productive conversations, a lot of tense conversations. But it became pretty clear to me that I wasn’t going to be for higher taxes, and the president wasn’t going to cut spending as he should.
Pelley: What did you say to each other?
Boehner: I told the president I’m not going there. I can’t do that.
-Cut-
Pelley: You were unable to get your own caucus behind your bill a few days ago. Do you intend to remain Speaker of the House?
Boehner: I do. When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the white House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I’m pretty happy.
Republicans held the economy hostage and caused the first ever credit downgrade. No matter what cuts Obama offered, they refused. Desperate to come to some agreement with the Republicans before they destroyed the economy, the sequester was born. The Republicans voted to pass the sequester and Boehner crowed that he got 98% of what the Republicans wanted.
Now that the sequester is here, suddenly John Boehner is sending out pictures from Bob Woodward’s book and the Republican Party is desperate to pin the blame for it on Obama.
The sequester is the direct result of the Republican attempt to use the debt ceiling as a weapon of mass economic destruction. Now Republicans are trying to pin the need for the sequester on Obama, which is like blaming someone for putting iron bars on their window after you steal from them.
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23 Responses to Worst Speaker Ever: John Boehner Uses Pathetic Twitter Campaign to Blame Obama for Sequester
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Reynardine
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 8:32 am
Well, what else? It’s Obama’s fault we don’t have ski slopes in Florida or coconut palms on the coast of Maine.
bluerose
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 8:57 am
they would even blame President Obama for the blizzard……
Troy Bowgren
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Oh I am pretty sure that the blizzard will be blamed on the gays.
Barry Roope
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 9:30 am
Anybody that knows how Government works, should know that President Obama didn’t create the sequester idea, the Republicans and Democrats in the House of Reps came up with this little gem, The idea was to create a deal so bad for both parties, that they would come up with a better deficet reduction plan, the Super committee is what they called themselves, they failed to come up with a plan, now they are stuck with the sequestration, unless they create a new law to undue it. The Republicans are freaking out because many cuts to defense happen in their districts, the cuts to medicare aren’t scaring Dems, as much as defense cuts are scaring the Repubs. This little stunt, probably will give Nancy Pelosi back her Speakership of the House. The Republicans are in a real mess, plus they can’t control all the tea party members who want to be noticed, and they only way they get noticed is to do and say extreme things, which most of America, does not agree with. The President really is holding all the cards, and I don’t think he is going to throw away his Straight Flush. The Repubs are going to have to do what the President wants or face the end of their party.
Just A Dumb Fireman
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:41 am
From your mouth to Dog’s ear! Let’s hope so!
Irene
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 9:36 am
Weeks before the 2012 election I was sent a flier from Team Romney stating Obama was going to cause a recession worse then the last one in 2013. Many more false allegations were laid on Obama that are consequences of the sequester. The Republicans started telling us in October that Obama was planning on ruin in 2013 and he needed to be removed. It seems the Republicans orchestrated a no win situation scapegoating Obama for the consequences of getting their way.
Matthew
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 10:10 am
These are the idiots who tried to blame President Obama for Hurrricane Sandy, any person who believes a word they say is a moron plain and simple.
ED HINO
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:40 am
boner has to get up pretty early to bullcrap the bull crapppers we walk the walk and talk the talk in b lue texas we know what time it is! and it aint what the teabagkkkers and rafael cruz aka ted says .we want to clean house in 2014 and teabagkkkers will be like the american buffalo on the endangered species list which ya all hate cause we just dont cotton to you assholes boner .
PSzymeczek
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Projection much, Boehner?
Rudy Gonzales
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Boehner has stooped lower than low by attempting to saddle president Obama with their signed agreement. It seems that the TEA-questing party have backed themselves into a bad spot as this impending sequestration and jobs loss will be blamed directly on them and their confrontational agreement during the “Debt Ceiling” fight in 2011. Texas’ John Cornyn and Paul Ryan and of the 222 Republicans who voted for Thursday’s bill, 166 had voted for the Budget Control Act in August 2011. 166 elected officials who were fully aware of what they were signing! This automatic 50-50 cut between defense and domestic discretionary spending totaling $1.2 Trillion over ten years was totally understood by each and every TEA-questrater who signed. Cutting $500 billion from defense and national security is being called for by these rampant TEA-types who still defend the top 2% from increased taxation. TEA-Questater-Types want this to force cuts on “Entitlements.” Entitlements have already been earned by retired folks and could easily be fixed by not limiting Social Security(F.I.C.A.) and Federal unemployment (F.U.T.A.)taxes are paid only on the first $100,110.00 of income(wages in 2012) where billionaires and millionaires do not pay any additional taxes over that first $100,110.00. Boehner and the rest of the TEA-questers have no honor or code of ethics. TEA-questers are dead-set on protecting the top 2% from taxes and passing that onto the middle class. The U.S. tax code includes hundreds of special interest carve-outs and other breaks that favor one group of taxpayers over the other, but few enjoy the visibility of the carried interest deduction, which permits private equity and hedge fund executives to pay lower tax rates than most middle-class workers would never see. The federal tax code must be changed to benefit the middle class and not the exceptionally well-heeled! No one wants this and Obama offered a small compromise and that seems to be falling on deaf ears.
Dr Billy Kidd
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Sarah, great article but you’re missing the main point:
The Republicans have been howling for 4 years about Obama being the big spender and now the story has reversed itself and Obamais said to have made too many cuts to too many government programs with the Sequester.
The Republicans can’t have it both ways. Which is it? A tax-and-spend president or a slice-and-dice president?
Ruby Andrews-Lester
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
The Republicans are still playing checkers, while the President is playing chess…CHECKMATE!!!!!
djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Checkers?Hell I thought it was chutes and ladders
Anne
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 8:35 pm
Speaker Boehner has set an unprecedented level of ineptitude in his position. His inability to control the Tea Party House members that he has allied himself with, along with the hatred he and they share for the president, have set the stage for obstructionism and gridlock. They have no one to blame but themselves, but apparently the president they all detest has supernatural powers that make him responsible for painting themselves into an untenable corner.
SeekingTruth
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:18 pm
It is important that we all stay informed about the facts of what is happening. The GOP is very crafty in shaping their falsehoods to appear as reality! Democrats, must stay on top of the game and get ahead of GOP underhanded dealings such as they did in the 2012 election to maintain the majority in the house which they DID NOT WIN FAIR AND SQUARE!
While they keep the public distracted by their foolish tactics, they are steady working on ways o steal the 2016 election through gerrymandering on the State level and hijacking electoral votes!
2014 is almost here, Democrats better be prepared again for their fast and furious ways to steal elections at any cost! Democrats must go to the polls and take everyone they know with them. Just as the GOP was surprised that their wayward ways did not work in 2012, let it be known they still will not work in 2014 and 2016!
The President will have a majority in the House and Senate in 2014 so that our country can move FORWARD! 2016 will be a landslide for the Democrats again! We shall vote in the FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE USA!!!
D Rhodes
Feb. 9th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Everybody loved Hitler in the beginning. Just wait.
Shiva(Moderator)
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 12:21 am
Well we have waited almost 5 years now. Do you have any more info to work with?
Shentell
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:26 am
Actually, the Catholic church loved Hitler at first, and everyone loved the Catholic church.
fairlysharon
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 7:37 am
Woodward said in his book that Lew was the Chief of Staff at the time of the Budget Control Act? so THAT is where the misnomer came from! The BCA was passed on Aug 2nd, 2011. Lew was named CoS on January 9th, 2012
coulterda
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Put it just simple….John B does not have the brains to conduct business like a leader or should I say Servant Leader. The Republicans would rather have bills passed that put money into their back pockets, and obtain the level of being “Rich” on the backs of all of us who pay taxes.
Someone needs to throw him and Mitch McConnel out of the government, never to return.
Brian DuBridge
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
The problem with your little word bomb here is that Boehner is not king any more than Obama, and he has to listen to us Tea Party types because he represents us. And yes, the Sequester is what we wanted. Cuts. That’s the idea. Cut spending. Cut government. Cut interference. Cut the military and bring the troops home. Cut the scam private banking, artificial money expense on the population. Deport people who are here illegally and get them off the welfare rolls. The debt ceiling IS mass economic destruction! Let society take care of itself and it will do a much better job than artificial manipulation of the economy.
Both political parties are playing the blame game, but we Tea Partyists proudly proclaim what we want and what’s right. You think we Tea Partyists are going away? Think again.
djchefron(Moderator)
Feb. 10th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
You are strong hear you roar.All 8% who still call themselves teabaggers.I’m sorry, tea freedom whatever
labman57
Feb. 17th, 2013 at 12:47 am
Congressional GOP attempts to have another Teflon moment … and fails miserably, as the public knows better.