Speaker of the House John Boehner threw a tantrum during his press conference because President Obama refused to give Republicans any advantage before he issued his veto threats.
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Boehner signaled his unhappiness early in his remarks, “These measures would also provide President Obama a chance to begin the final years of his presidency by taking some steps to build a stronger economy, Unfortunately, the president’s been taking steps towards more confrontation rather than bipartisan cooperation on jobs. Earlier in the week, literally as we were taking our oaths of office, for this new Congress the White House threatened to veto two of these bipartisan bills. Given the chance to start with a burst of bipartisan productivity, the president turned his back on the American people’s priorities.”
Later, the Speaker of the House was asked if the Democrats where really obstructing because he already knew where the president stood on Keystone XL and Obamacare. Boehner responded with a tantrum, “Well, the president, you know, at a minimum, he could have waited a few hours, or even a few days. We were taking our oaths of office when they were issuing veto threats. C’mon.”
Boehner was tantruming because reality is starting to set in. Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell believed that President Obama and the Democrats were going to roll over and let them do whatever they wanted. It was ironic of Boehner to complain that Obama issued his veto threats quickly when it was Republicans who met on inauguration night in 2009 to discuss how they could gridlock the Congress and obstruct President Obama.
The truth is that everyone knew where the president and Democrats stood on these issues. Boehner’s shock that Obama would quickly issue veto threats is nothing more than a ploy in an attempt to blame Democrats for the kind of obstructionist tactics that Republicans have been using for years. President Obama use of his veto power is not a form of obstruction.
John Boehner’s tantrum is the biggest sign yet that the Republican fantasy of controlling Congress has already been slapped in the face by the realities of real world politics.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
