When he was asked about Donald Trump, Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to speak out against the Republican presidential candidate’s racist comments.
Transcript via CBS’s Face The Nation:
DICKERSON: Let’s talk about a candidate who is causing some excitement in your party. Is Donald Trump helping or hurting the Republican Party?
BOEHNER: I don’t know whether he’s helping or hurting, but he’s a candidate. There are a lot of candidates in our party running for president. And clearly most of the candidates have disagreed with his assertions with regard to our border. And, certainly, I disagree.
DICKERSON: The chairman of your party called him and told him to tone it down. That seems to be — he’s worried about that the party is being defined by this very colorful character. He’s not just one of 16 or whatever the number is. He’s putting a big spotlight on a set of comments he made about the Mexicans.
And there are people in the party, as you say, who have spoken out, but who are also worried this is now what people think about the Republican Party. Do you think that’s a…
(CROSSTALK)
BOEHNER: No, I think it’s what they think about Donald Trump. I don’t — other candidates out there have much more responsible positions, in my view.
[[AD2]]
John Boehner was given a chance to be a leader and condemn the racism of Donald Trump, and he weaseled out of the question with a total wet noodle of an answer. Republicans have been afraid to state the obvious. Donald Trump is pandering to racists, and he is wrong. John Boehner said that he disagreed with racism, but that is not the same as taking a stand and opposing Trump and his beliefs.
Speaker Boehner wouldn’t take a stand because many Republicans agree with Trump. The message being sent is that opposing racism is bad politics in the Republican Party. Boehner was spineless and cowardly, but his answer was what the nation has come to expect from the man who might be the worst Speaker of the House in the history of the United States of America.
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
I think that Boner needs to see Chuck Todd’s gynecologist….
Everyday that I listen to this jerk’s comments my head boils. Glad that my Spanish radio station makes fun of this clown, which eases my stress. Boehner and the rest of the GOP cowards have lost any future there is with the Mexican-American community. They are the party of Pete Wilson, with so much hate at individuals who just want a better life for themselves. I am here because I want to have a much better life and be part of the community. True, there are those who don’t like me because of my ethnicity, but I know that there are people who love and respect my community. I hope that the future of the national republican party is the same as the California gop. Also, La Doña de Guasave says to trump and the racists to fudge themselves. You can youtube her to see who she is, but it’s all in Spanish.
Why should Boehner condemn Trump? Trump is just mouthing off GOP policy. Not all Repugs are racists, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all that all racists are Republicans.
There are many in this country who are working for a better America that will support and embrace your community. Unfortunately, we cannot count on the hateful, repug cowards to support anything that is good for the country.
People need to wake up and see that any vote for a repug is against everyone’s best interest. I hope I live long enough to see positive change.
He can’t condemn Trump and even if he does, he’d be a hypocrite.
The Speaker courted the crazy wing of his party to win the House. He catered to them as they moved the Party further and further to the right.
HE did this. HE owns this. Trump is HIS fault.
Trump has the entire GOP establishment going through a box of Depends a day. They can’t condemn him, even if he is destroying their party, for 2 major reasons.
First, Trump doesn’t just appeal to their base, he IS their base. He knows every button to push on the baffoons in the audience to get the all cranked up, without all that policy stuff they can’t stand anyway. If they go after Trump, they piss off the troglodyte wing.
Secondly, if they try to get tough with the thinnest-skinned man in America, he will take his gold-and-diamond encrusted ball and go 3rd Party, completely obliterating their hopes for 2016.
Proving again, you reap what you sow.
If only The Donald would pick up his marbles and go the
third party route. He could be the Ralph Nader of the
teatards. Still wondering if he’ll reveal his financial
records. That’s when rubber meets the road, so to
speak.
The hue and cry from Democrats for the Republicans to dump Trump should be just as swift and just as fierce as the Republicans’ campaign was for Obama to denounce Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Boehner is a drunk and a coward that should have NO power anywhere.
He’s a disgrace, but Republicans like that.
Think of it…last four Repuke Speakers of the House: Gingrich ,,,forced to resign for ‘improprieties’, Livingston …forced to resign for having an affair, Hastert …child molester, Boehner ….drunk and who knows what else.
Republicans are just NO DAMN GOOD ! They’re consummate jerks and liars at best; or compounded criminal jerks and liars !
Is it racist if an American citizen doesn’t want illegal immigration? It yes, does that mean the federal immigration laws are racist and if cities or people break these laws, are they are the non racist ones.
I only heard Trump say that he doesn’t want illegal immigration and he especiallly doesnt wabt bad ones. Isn’t he just obeying the law.
Please help. It’s so hard these days to determine who is a racist. Maybe we all are racists.
If someone spews vulgarity toward republicans, is that republism , a close cousin to racism.
It’s really hard too Keep up with which laws I should obey and which ones to ignore. I also am not sure if I should be hoping we kind of merge with other countries by getting rid of borders. Would we still be America if we all support that or should we change the name to Amerexico. So confusing to know who should control our soverenty and to figure who all the racist are. Seems like most of these posts think there sure are alot of racist….
I have a machine that kills fascists, tories, and racists.
These types are incompatible with democracy.
FrankenTrump has blown the cover clean off the GOP’s nasty secret – they may, or may not be racists but they surely love racist votes. Despicable but enlightening. Boehner was just trying to slither back under his rock away from the cruel light of unavoidable reality. Keep it up FrankenTrump!
“I only heard Trump say that he doesn’t want illegal immigration and he especiallly doesnt wabt bad ones. ”
Then you only heard what you wanted to hear. You chose not to hear him say that all the Mexicans who come across our border are either rapists, murderers or drug dealers. You wanted to know what racism is, but choose to tune it out when it’s staring you in the face.
Boehner is drunken disgrace of a speaker!
Nev I recommend that you take a geography course it will help you understand that the United States is just a small part of the North American Continent. Thus if all borders were erased between Canada, US & Mexico we would all still be Americans. FYI, we are all still Americans – just the US used the American moniker as if the other two countries don’t exist on the North American Continent.
FYI if you go to Europe they don’t call us Americans per se – they call us Yanks, especially in England to differentiate between Canadians (which they call Americans or Canadians) or Mexicans (which they also call Americans or Mexicans. US Citizens are called Yanks or Americans. We are the United States of America; we are not the entire of the Americas.
2nd, learn how the USA was populated. We are a nation of immigrants. And, be careful of what you wish for. Anyone can be deported if laws are put into place to get rid of people deemed not-american enough, especially with the Donald.
You see the Donald is a birther – He still has not accepted the President’s birth certificate and there would be no reason why he would accept anyone’s BirthCert if he deemed you a Mexican.
Hispanic sounding last name – must be Mexican – deport. Born in Chicago you say – you have a birth Cert – it is a fake says Donald – deport. I am Italian you say – sounds Hispanic says Donald – deport to Mexico. See how this could go. Not good.
Please help. It’s so hard these days to determine who is a racist. Maybe we all are racists.
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Maybe we are all racist. BUT, at least I’m willing to confront the reality that I may be one and am willing to stop being one. Which is head and shoulders above what the Republicans are.
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If someone spews vulgarity toward republicans, is that republism , a close cousin to racism.
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Or perhaps spewing vulgarity towards republicans is just simply ‘returning the favor’. Since when is “doing unto others the way they’ve done unto us’ racism?
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It’s really hard too Keep up with which laws I should obey and which ones to ignore.
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It’s easy enough- The Police State that the Republicans helped bring about, will be more than happy to let you know when you’ve made the wrong decision.
Boehner/Trump.
Two sides of the same (false) coin.
You describe the rethug party with clarity and truth..perfect…
There are plenty of valid reasons to want to curb illegal immigration. The fact that the voices in Donald Trump’s head told him Mexican illegal immigrants are rapists is not one of them.
The facts (to which Donald Trump is allergic) show that crime rates among all immigrants, legal and illegal, are much lower than among Americans.
Trump can point out to a killer who happens to be an illegal immigrant from Mexico, and yell “see? I’m right!” but that doesn’t make his generalization any less ignorant or stupid. It would be like singling out Robert Durst and saying: “See? Real estate heirs are murderers!”
I suggest you read TL Winslow’s article “Megamerge, the Dissolution Solution” about merging the Unites States of America and the United States of Mexico. Read it with an open scholarly mind as Mr. Winslow makes some well thought out arguments. [WINK]
Dumpty Trumpty & the spineless Speaker-In-Chief are definitely on the same page & Trumpty goes where they are afraid to go.
…the Boner is the most personally corrupt Speaker who ever served himself in the US Congress…
Listen, just turn off Faux Noise. Stay in the house, and turn off TV altogether. Stay off the computer, and quit worrying about whether he or she is racist. It is none of your concern, so just rock yourself to sleep.
No, they are racists. Remember most of the republican base is the southern rednecks that got pissed off when Johnson sent federal troops to let little kids go to school. They were all “Southern Democrats” and now are republicans because Republicans not only tolerate racism but help it along. Racism is still very much alive in the south attested to by the recent murders and church burnings.
Ya know what is kinda funny? GOP had 20 yrs of power & didn’t ‘fix’ the border, or immigration…because they don’t fix problems, they LIKE problems. That way they have ‘talking points’ & can blame the Dems. They would have no reason to exist at all if we fixed all the problems we have. As far as the border, aside from the fact that people have apparently been crossing that rather arbitrary line for an estimated 12-15,000 years. Mexico has strengthened THEIR southern border, & the number of folks coming over has shrunk to a trickle. #TrumpTheChumpInc, is not simply wrong, he is stupid & wrong. There is no such thing as ‘securing’ a 2200+ mile long border, to say nothing of the coastlines, or the northern border. Obama boosted spending some 30% above Bush’s admin. It is a freaking multi-billion dollar industry. What I find especially amusing about all this, is that I’m glad the Spanish got into Central & South America, as opposed to, say, the Chinese…
But rightwingers NEVER…
We have always had immigration, legal & otherwise. In Wisconsin the largest group of non-citizens who cannot vote, are Canadians.
Since they are white & speak english (or french, or both), they are deemed to be ok.
Wisconsin has had migrant farm labor for over 100 years…Dairy farming is really hard & dangerous work.
318 million Americans, on the one hand, & an estimated 11 million undocumented on the other,
When you break it down, like children born here,or folks having been here for 10 or 20 years, well, big deal. The NEW LIE from the idiotic Rabid Right is that undocumented immigrants are ‘Driving Down Wages’! They actually THINK that, even tho wages have been stagnant since the 70’s. Most of the Hispanics I know make more money than I did, & work at least as hard as I have, if not harder.
But these are documented guys in college, or simply trying for the American Dream.
We can’t even build a wall along the Mexican Border, that wouldn’t require a massive influx of guards to keep watch- which, by an amazing coincidence- would mean a massive jump in the numbers of government employees.
So you are quite correct. Republicans will do nothing constructive but bitch. Oh, and they will grant amnesty like Reagan did. They just wanna pretend they don’t.
And how the hell are we supposed to build a wall in the ocean? Hawaii alone….