Dems: Boehner, Who Criticized Obama Olympics Bid, Took World Tour In August
Dems are pushing back on John Boehner for criticizing Obama’s plan to travel to Coopenhagen in a bid for the Olympics, pointing out that the House GOP leader took a two-week trip abroad in August.
Boehner joined a chorus of Republicans the other day calling on Obama to scrap the trip, claiming he should focus his attention on “the problems we have here at home.”
But Dems counter that Boehner went to Mongolia as part of an August trip around the world, and point to a report claiming Boehner didn’t hold any traditional health care town-halls this summer.
“It’s the height of hypocrisy for Boehner to criticize President Obama for his brief overseas trip to support the United States’ 2016 bid, when Boehner took a two week trip around the world while refusing to hold a single health care event the entire month of August,” DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer emails.
Boehner’s office counters that he did attend a tea-party style event attended by thousands in September, and referred me for comment to Don Seymour, a spokesman for Boehner’s PAC, the Freedom Project.
“It figures that Democrats wouldn’t remember Boehner answering questions in front of 18,000 of his hometown constituents,” Seymour said. “They were too busy dismissing voters concerned about their government health care takeover as ‘un-American’.”
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For heavens sake! It is President Obama’s home town we are talking about.
Which one of us would not do the same thing, if we had any prestige to use, and it was our own home town that was trying to win the Olympics bid.
The man loves Chicago, and he loves the White Sox. What the hell is this country coming to, if he can not make a brief trip, to try and boost the chances of his beloved Chicago getting the Olympic games in 2016.
I think that Rio is still most likely to win, since South America has never hosted the games.
Good luck to President Obama and Chicago. Be honest; we would all do the same thing, for our home town, if we were in his place.
Liam – hell they attacked Michelle for baring her arms and wearing shorts in August. Relevance has no meaning for them.
@Tena,
what ever happened to Michelle’s right to bare arms?
Where is the NRA when you need them to defend Michelle’s right to show off her guns?
Plus it’s a big economic stimulus to Chicago and surrounding areas if they get it. I think I read something like $20 million and hundreds of thousands of jobs. DUH!!!!
“like $20 million and hundreds of thousands of jobs. DUH!!!!”
That’s what I was thinking about right from the start.
Insinca – we know how this works by now – If Obama didn’t do this, he’d get the blame from the right for failing to get the Olympics here and if they came here anyway, they’d say his trip was irrelevant.
Not 20 million. It is estimated to add up to 20 Billion, to the greater Chicago area economy.
The Chicago Bears’ eight home games alone, add around $100 million yearly to the Chicago down town area.
Preparing for the games, and building stadiums and other facilities, is projected to cost Chicago just under $5 Billion in expenditures, so I am certain that they would not be able to justify that, for to get back just $20 million in returns.
For those who might have missed this heartbreaking comment on the Move On Thread:
# rocket | September 30th, 2009 at 03:43 pm
As someone diagnosed and ‘living’ with terminal cancer, it would be almost amusing to watch this all take place if I didn’t have children and grandchildren and friends who will have to live with the outcome. My insurance company has pretty much decided I’m a lost cause and don’t have the energy to complain (and they’re right) so they’ve quit paying for anything at all. I just don’t have the juice to spend hours on the phone each time I see a doctor to bust the insurance company for refusing to pay, so I have a lot of doctor/hospital debt and can’t do much about it. I’m declaring bankruptcy WITH insurance.
If Obama was serious about public option, his joint session speech would have been about corps taking over the gov through contributions and lobbying and he would have itemized exactly how much each major congressperson received from which health care company and divulged his own receipts from same. That would have made headlines. Instead he’s palling around with people like Billy Tauzin. It’s a front to get votes while giving insurance companies big heaps of my grandkids tax dollars, just like he did for Wall Street. Just sayin’. And yes, Kudos to Rockefeller.
A detailed, up to date report, on where things currently stand, on the Senate Health Care Reform Bill.
It is worth reading.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090930/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul
Thanks Liam for the revenue correction. I didn’t think that sounded right.
Just for fun. GOP/Steele fundraising letter:
“”"In the video, impressionable youngsters at a public school in New Jersey, most of whom are no more than six or seven years old, have been instructed to sing the praises of “Barack Hussein Obama.” One song is even set to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
This is the type of propaganda you would see in Stalin’s Russia or Kim Jong Il’s North Korea. I never thought the day would come when I’d see it here in America.”"”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/rnc-raising-money-off-of-schoolchildren-singing-about-obama-comparing-it-to-stalin-and-kim-jong-il.php?ref=fpblg
They are the new No-Nothings.
Barack Hussein Obama
mmm mmm mmm
I’m going to have to go hunt up the absolutely wonderful rap video a 9 year old African American boy did during the campaign. The chorus was: Go tell your Mama to vote for Obama.
Who cares about school children whose teacher, not the White House, not Karl Rove, came up with the idea and whose parents approved?
Get real, y’all. It’s beyond silly.
I don’t know about y’all, but I started school with the farking Pledge of Allegiance every day – if that’s indoctrination, I don’t know what it is.
Now stop the silly over Barack Hussein (and you can’t tell me that’s not bothering you, heh) Obama.
If that’s not indoctrination…
oy
I live in Illinois and we don’t need the olympics here. I’m 400 miles south of Chicago, however.
Even with that said, it’s not that big of a deal if Obama wants his hometown to host the olympics. Republicans just can’t handle it when the tables are turned. GS points that out compellingly. And sbj, again makes no sense.
Grayson – what a reasonable man:
“I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.”
mmm mmm mmm
mmm mmm mmm
Are you going to run that into the ground like you did: “Wow. just wow.”?
“Are you going to run that into the ground?”
Yes, I’m thinking of going all Liam on y’all.
sbj
From someone who lost a family member to the insurance industry, I have a real hard time disagreeing with Grayson. He speaks the truth to some of us, although I prefer to argue it as “Civil Rights for the Sick and Uninsured”
If you can’t disagree with Grayson then it may be difficult to have sensible discussions with you going forward – we shall see?
And I am sincerely sorry for your loss. There’s no denying that the health insurance companies have done some awful awful things.
I don’t think Republicans want you to die, and I don’t think it’s accurate to compare the insurers with the Nazis.
sbj
I know and thanks, but when something so obviously necessary is being fought with the arsenal of the insurance industry and so many people are dying, a certain level of frustration overcomes all of us.
I don’t agree that the insurers are Nazi’s of course, but when 40,000 people die every year it’s difficult to find the right word for it.
I don’t know what the Republicans want anymore, it seems they have sold their souls, and it’s disappointing that every day they and yes, some of the Dems delay, more people die. My niece was a beautiful and bright young woman of 30 and she’s gone for no reason other than the bottom line of a company that has no business selling health care if they don’t care about health.
If you’ve never experienced the desperation, frustration and anger you can’t really imagine the lengths you would go to and the things you might say to get someone’s attention.
To me that’s what he’s done is brought more attention to the deaths the insurance industry has caused, right or wrong on his part, it’s what’s happening. I would have chosen my words more carefully and I don’t even know if he’s really helped the cause or not, but I understand his comparisons.
And how many Pols were running around chanting “God Bless George Bush” – doesn’t that violate church/state Constitutionality? Why not “God save George Bush?” Oh the hypocrisy, it burns. It’s not indoctrination for pete’s sake, it’s more like a cheerleader’s cheer.
Ummm… do you think the Republicans noticed that the criticism was that Boehner didn’t host a town hall in *AUGUST*? Because their response seemed to be “Uh Huh! He did TOO! In September!!”
Typical Republican B.S. They know the truth, they know it makes them look *hideous*, and they will spend all their time trying to confuse the facts. *Hilarious*
when it is all done, chicago will be out millions of dollars and the tax payers will be stuck holding the bag again. chicago is the most corrupt city in the world and all the crooks will be out to make their money. I’m sure obama is right in the middle of the corruption. he should be worried about getting americans back to work, not taking care of his chicago crooks.
I voted for president obama, but beginning to regret my choice, things in this country are getting worse… hope he can turn it around. kalame is right… chicago to corrupt to hold olympics