Obama Rebukes Boehner In Testy Exchange, Charges GOP Wants To Kill All His Initiatives
Update: White House press sec Robert Gibbs just got in touch to confirm that there was an exchange and to clarify a key point. His comments are below.
At the private White House meeting today between Obama and Congressional leaders, the President and John Boehner got into a testy exchange, aides say, with Obama charging that the GOP is just out to kill all his initiatives.
According to aides familiar with the discussion, Boehner made the case that long-term concern over Dem policies — health care, cap and trade — was leading to uncertainty in the private sector, damaging job creation efforts. Boehner said the only way to get the economy moving again is to put these issues behind us.
That apparently irked the President, aides say, who accused Boehner of just wanting to kill all his initiatives. Boehner shot back that this was false, that Republicans are serious about bipartisan cooperation.
That prompted the President to push back again, aides say, arguing that the White House isn’t getting enough credit for the part of the stimulus that boosts federal funding for state Medicaid programs, arguing it has had a positive effect on the economy.
The dispute also spilled over into a discussion of Obama’s proposal for a bipartisan fiscal commission on how to get control over the deficit.
Obama asked Boehner and Mitch McConnell if they were prepared to commit to appointing members to the commission. Boehner pushed back, aides say, arguing that if the White House is serious about cutting spending, he should should start now, and suggested Obama use his rescissions authority to send spending cut proposals to the Hill.
Boehner pledged GOP cooperation if Obama sent such proposals to Congress. But he and McConnell refused to commit to appointing members to the commission.
It’s gonna be a long year.
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Update Robert Gibbs just got in touch to clarify a key nuance. He confirmed there was an exchange over Boehner’s insistence on more certainty for business. But he said it was a bit different than recounted above.
Gibbs said that Obama responded to Boehner’s point by saying the certainty businesses crave would best be achieved if Dems and Republicans prove that they are capable of working together, if they prove that Washington can be made to work. The President added that Republicans merely want Dems to pledge not to rock the boat and to do nothing on the big issues.
Boehner, Gibbs says, responded that this wasn’t his argument — that he did in fact want to “settle” these issues. The President replied that by all means, these issues should be settled — by Dems and Republicans working to solve them.
Gibbs confirmed that the exchange had an edge, though he said the testiest part occured in the back and forth over the debt commission. At any rate, it’s an interesting nuance.
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“employment losses turned around beginning in January 2009″
Disingenuous. Learn to read a chart.
“To say that Obama has “acknowledged” that his projections were wrong is to allow him simply to adjust the grading curve”
What grading curve?
“I can just imagine your reaction to a similar Bush claim that disastrous economic conditions actually reflect great performance by him since his original projections were too optimistic to begin with.”
Um WHA? “Similar claim”? You are delusional. Obama took control of TARP and passed the stimulus. THAT is what eventually caused the substantial reduction in job losses. The conditions of Obama’s “mistake” on unemployment versus the conditions of Bush’s optimistic projections are so totally different that it is literally painful to attempt to reconcile the two. So I won’t belabor the effort any more.
Truthfully, I, and most everyone I talk to (Dem, Repub, Indy) have given up on both parties. Them’s the facts, jack- at least here in WI. It’s a growing movement only certain to get larger. Sure, the Tea Party has gotten some of them excited, not all though. Most I talk say they are going to vote out all incumbents and would like to vote Independent all the way down the ticket.
QB likes to see his internal monologues in type, me thinks.
Future President Boehner is right. Socialized medicine and cap and tax SHOULD be put behind us.
He and the rest of the Repbulicans are the only thing between us and the full blown socialist agenda of Obama and the Dems.
josephcast,
You made a silly claim that doesn’t square with the facts. You don’t look better by posing as above it all.
And we are left asking “why are Republicans so unconcerned about the problems of real Americans?” It is because Republicans are concerned not about solving the myriad problems facing the nation but instead about the welfare of the special interests—the big trade organizations and lobbying groups on D.C.’s K Street. The Chamber of Commerce and the Health Insurance Lobby have Republican leadership wrapped around their fingers just as do the religious fundamentalists. Republicans don’t give a damn about ordinary people.
You made a silly claim that doesn’t square with the facts
Sez the troll who thinks that “employment losses turned around beginning in January 2009″ when we lost >700,000 job losses in the month of March 2009
Actually, all of the GOP nominees for president in 2008 denied believing in evolution. Pretty much says it all about the intellectual capacities of the current Right Wing in this country. Truly. Shameful.
Go bilge! You da man!
Fact is, Barry had control over BOTH HOUSES and accomplished as much as he’s ever accomplished in his life (ie ZERO).
November is coming. I agree with Sargent – the year can’t end soon enough!!!!!
It’s truly sad to watch how this country is going to collapse under its own rigidity. Under a GOP majority, the notion of “Uniter” apparently meant wiping away everything center/left. Now that the gambit has failed and the GOP are in the minority, it means blocking everything center left. That’s a really bad bargaining tactic under any government and it makes the minority party all the more desperate and fearful. And to think I had a son just over a year ago because I was hopeful we’d enter into a new age of productive debate. I’m sorry for dragging you into this, my boy.
The Republicans aren’t smart enough to warrant the arrogance that they’ve been demonstrating since President Obama took office. Especially Boehner.
The problem I have with the Democrats is that they’re spineless and they’ll sqaunder their majority. Spineless in the minority and the majority. That’s why they’re so frustrating.
The problem I have with Republicans is that they’re two-faced. They’re the Jeffersonian model of a Constitutional Representative when they’re not in power, but when they’re in power they’re unappologetically corrupt and have less fiscal sense than the Democrats. Especially Reagan.
Ethan,
Disingenuous. Learn to read a chart.
Tena’s chart purports to show job losses peaking in January 2009 as Bush left and Obama came in, and then falling. That isn’t exactly consistent with your claims that (1) unemployment is a lagging indicator, and (2) it is Obama’s policies that have eased unemployment.
So don’t use January then; use some later month. It doesn’t change anything about the fact that your position is inconsistent with the facts.
What grading curve?
You should try to improve at being purposefully obtuse; as it is, your efforts are clumsy.
Your argment is that Obama is doing great as measured by his own projections, as revised by him after the fact. Being able to grade oneself on a curve after the fact is a pretty good analogy, I think.
Um WHA? “Similar claim”? You are delusional.
Again, your evasions are not very artful, and this has become a typical one for you: Pretending not to recognize a hypothetical as a hypothetical.
Your assertion that Obama’s treatment of TARP and the stimulus led to reductions in job losses is just that, an assertion not supported by facts. Indeed, it is inconsistent with the TPM chart, which purports to show job losses slowing before Obama had done a thing.
HOW ARE JOBS PEAKING IN JAN WHEN WE LOST 750,000 JOBS IN MARCH AND THE CURVE GOES DOWN FROM THERE?
Responding to the rest is pointless.
You are a disingenuous fool, QB. Just a disingenuous fool.
Obama opposed Bush at every opportunity.
Well, Ethan, that would be because the highest job loss figure in the Democrat chart is January 2009. That is generally what one would call job losses “peaking” — you know, the “highest” job loss number.
Then it drops in February, ticks back up slightly in March, and then continues the downward trend. Anyone with eyes can look at it and see that this is precisely what it is designed by YOUR party to show: A steady increase in job losses through 2008, followed by steady decline in 2009 after the Miracle Worker President was installed.
It’s hysterically funny that you don’t like the chart, concocted by your own party. Hey, I’m not defending the chart are saying it is accurate. I just asked you explain it given your “lagging indicator” theory and defense of Obama.
You made a hash of it, as usual. “Disingenuous fool” indeed.
Oh come on now,as Marxist Dictator or is he playing Nazi Mad Man Adolf Hitler,Barack Hussein Obama always
appears to be madder then a mad march hare! Obama reminds me of Adolf Hitler Ranting and Ravings just as
insanely.
Ralph? Hey, is that Ralph Wiggam from The Simpsons?
“My cat’s breath smells like cat food….”
A steady increase in job losses through 2008, followed by steady decline in 2009
Um, exactly.
What happened in the first 3 months of 2009 that might have changed the direction of that curve?
Obama is getting what he deserves for trying to start a commission to provide cover so Democrats can raise taxes on the middle class and cut Social Security
Republicans haven’t had anything constructive – or different – to say for decades. And of course they’re out to kill all his initiatives. Case in point: the seven Republican senators who co-signed on the financial commission bill but who then chickened out when it came to voting for it. Real profiles in courage there! Couldn’t even stand up to their own base.
Republicans hate government. Period. They shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near it. When they do gain power, it’s all wealth transfer to the wealthy, elimination of social protections (i.e., regulation), placement and promotion of incompetents as long as they’re right-wing ideologues, and flagrant cronyism and giveaways to big business. Long year? It’s going to take a lot longer than that to flush their intransigence, animus, and corruption from the system.
Bilgeman writes:
“Newsflash, Steve/Debra/Nick whomever you are…we don’t CARE if you listen or not.
It’s just a matter of time and then Congress will do what works. Which is cut taxes and slash spending.”
Your “one-trick-pony” of deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy has been proven, time and again, an abject failure. Apparently, you do not have a grasp of the term “what works” means, as you keep pushing failure over and over and over again…
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
Trickle-down economics has been an extraordinary failure, and will continue to fail, whenever the GOP can implement it (which is all that the GOP knows how to do).
The term Moonbat is sooo very last year. Use that brain and find us a new and improved slight to use against those you despise so much ( Freud thought it’s really all about your inability to stand up to your overbearing momma…)
Trying to convince a Corruptocrat that their facts aren’t real or sustainable is a waste of time.
Obama’s financial initiatives are a disaster and aimed only at the special interests (his) and supporters (his). The economy is failing rapidly, the unemployment rate is climbing (Chicago book cooking aside), the deficient is a monster (created by THIS administration) and it will continue to climb until your great grandchildren will still be paying for the Obama progressive, socialist agenda. The Obamabots continue to try to justify it. The Obamabots continue to believe in this administration scams because they are either too stupid to see what is coming or their egos will not allow their (superior in their limited minds) thought processes to look. They complain continuously that the RNC is blocking the changes that the scam artist is pushing but won’t admit that until recently the owned the House and the Senate and the (rubber stamp) Executive branches. He couldn’t even get his own party to commit suicide without maximum bribes. They have the MSM (propaganda media) shilling for them 24/7 for the last 2 years. They have been arrogant to the point of absurdity; have insulted the majority of the American people for asking them to provide justification for their stupidity. This administration’s foreign policies are making America the laughing stock of the world. His ideas are about equal to a grade school drop outs ideas of how the world works. They still don’t understand why the world doesn’t bow (like Obama) to his limited knowledge and experience.
RJ Gerber:
“Your “one-trick-pony” of deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy has been proven, time and again, an abject failure”
Where did I say anything about deregulation?
I didn’t.
Where did I qualify cutting taxes to be only for “the wealthy”, (however you define “wealthy”, such a slippery and elastic thing with a moonbat).
Again, I didn’t.
“Apparently, you do not have a grasp of the term “what works” means, as you keep pushing failure over and over and over again…”
Yeah-yeah, sure-sure.
You will pardon me if I rapidly lose any interest in watching you, just barely, defeat the straw man argument that you yourself made up, okay?
It’s funny, in these comments the left goes immediately to personal attacks & name calling while those on the conservative side debate the issues…
It’s also telling that Obama, Pelosi, & Reid cannot get things done with 59 senators & a huge majority in the house.
Forget about Obama and this fake back and forth banter. They’re all on the same team. Have you not figured this out yet? Do you really think anybody in Washington gives a hoot about you? Are you that naive? Go to http://www.subvertednation.net and download the FREE BOOK that was BANNED by the publisher because it says what everyone else won’t tell you.
Do you want to get to the root of our problems, or continue fooling yourself into believing these communists are working for you? Do you want “change” or do you want more communism, economic strife, wars, and mass murder? See you at Subverted Nation…oops, you’re already in it!
A bit off-topic, but since the good Mr. Boehner seems pathologically ignorant when trying to correctly pronounce the phrase “Democratic Party,” perhaps it would serve as a remedial aid if we referred to him as Mr. Boner until his mental impairment lifts. By his own behavior, he obviously believes that what someone calls themselves shouldn’t have any bearing on what other folks call them. Simple civility and mutual respect are outmoded concepts and we should follow the GOP’s lead. Besides, I think “The Orange Boner” fits this poor fella to a “T,” don’t you?
Um, exactly.
What happened in the first 3 months of 2009 that might have changed the direction of that curve?
Um, no, you are now trying to change positions again, but you can’t evade your contradiction.
You claimed that current high unemployment can’t be blamed on Obama, because it is a lagging indicator.
Then, when faced with the chart Tena linked, you claimed that decreasing job losses in 2009 were thanks to Obama. The chart actually purports to show the decline in job losses beginning in February 2009 after the January peak, i.e., immediately upon Obama’s inauguration.
If changes in unemployment trends are a lagging indicator, and Tena’s chart accurately reflects a positive employment trend throughout 2009, then Bush would have to get the credit for it, not Obama. You can’t give Obama he credit for immediate results and at the same time deny he is to blame because we have yet to see the results.
***AVOID 20% UNEMPLOYMENT*** … … … … …President Obama: Keep COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE FORECLOSURES from occuring and closing Small Businesses…..use 10% of the $787 Billion “JOBS” Bill our children will pay for; to AVOID 1930′S style, full-blown DEPRESSION !
Barack “Corpseman” Obama’d better get his own ridiculous fractious Demo-rats from tearing each other’s policies apart before trying to lay the blame on Republicans who’ve been shut out of all legislative committees [there haven't been any on ObamaCare] from the get-go by Empress Botox & her Senate Houseboy Reid.
Boehner and McConnell should let the Dems continue blaming Rahm & doing their circular firing-squad dance—the indies are going to go 2 to 1 for the Republicans in November, reversing their swoon for Obambi last year.
Wow. As a foreigner I can’t tell you how spooky it is seeing so many conservative gasbags belching chlorinated ignorance so much. I’ve read a lot of different comments from various newspapers and blogs and so forth recently, and as a resident of The Rest Of The World I have to say, you people are scary.
First of all, what’s the deal with all this “socialist” nonsense? And the pig-headed reluctance to be self critical. Come on, Republicans! Come on, conservatives! Look at the Bush years! Where did all that rampant right-wingness get you? Absolutely nowhere! And what’s more, you took the Rest of Us down with you!
Kind of sad that journalism seems to be missing the big picture.
So after 50 years of tax cuts for the top 2% how come it has not worked?
Could it be that all the easy money has taken away their incentive to actually get up and go and run a business? After shipping off jobs and then selling off corporations, and offing natural resources to foreign investors, everything from cement and copper to Mexico, Alaska oil to British Petroleum most of the gulf to Royal Dutch Shell with most big companies now owned and managed by hedge funds with money that comes from God only knows where, or what. Why do people think the top 2% need to pay even less taxes than the little they already pay @ 15% or less if they move stocks in a special way?
It almost seems like they are addicted to greed, and the only left for them to do, as poker on Wall Street is not the rigged game it was all that is left is to turn the Government and its areas of responsibility into a Franchise opportunity, (It did not work in Iraq as the rose parade never came and Abdul the cosmopolitan Iraqi was more inclined to brew his on coffee as opposed to Starbucks or make his own Pita Pocket sandwiches as opposed to Burger King.
Could it be the republicans want to turn America into a corporate feudal state? There attempts to run out the clock, the disdain they have for a properly elected President would make it seem that our far right is as ideologically bent as right wing nuts can be, more fearful of the wrath of Hanity or Rush than the scorn of the American people who might say, no more no, we want change. In a time of war one has to wonder if the republicans are serious about winning the war and fixing the economy, or are they just using hate and fear to their own ends and what is even more perplexing is what if that is what they had been up to for a long time. Not a conspiracy, just opportunists that misjudged the bottom falling out before they could pull it all off.
Something to ponder as most of the backers of the tea party are foreign, America would make a nice little tax haven where they could do here what the people of England would never stand for, run amuck.
Did you ever read Nine Chains to the Moon? Interesting chapter on the tea party. Seems like they are at it again. Deju vu all over again.
I would how Senator Phil landed that job with a Swiss bank after setting up deregulation? Could that be the model of American political corruption, do the deed and then get the pay off, harder to fix.
all over the world right wing nuts seem to be the cause of most of the problems.
Mike:
“Wow. As a foreigner I can’t tell you how spooky it is seeing so many conservative gasbags belching chlorinated ignorance so much. I’ve read a lot of different comments from various newspapers and blogs and so forth recently, and as a resident of The Rest Of The World I have to say, you people are scary.”
Then you would be well advised, and are cordially invited, to STFU.
See to your own nation and your own problems, of which you may notice, I neither much care about nor comment upon.
It should tell you VOLUMES that foreign weenies like yourself nearly always find your bleatings endorsed and promoted by the Left.
You should ask yourself WHY that is.
(Here, I’ll guide you along) It’s largely because their weary and feeble bullsh!t doesn’t much play domestically, so they’re ALL OVER some schmuck fresh off the boat who doesn’t know what’s what, see?
“First of all, what’s the deal with all this “socialist” nonsense?”
Been to Europe, (and other socialist places), there’s SOME good to it,(it’s GREAT if you’re an offshore banker offering tax shelters), but there’s a LOT that’s bad about it, none of which is being honestly portrayed in the American Left’s rush to Euroweenieize the country.
Most of these gibbering moonbat fools wouldn’t be caught DEAD in Canada, (despite all their flatulent threats and whining declarations for 8 years), and yet they think they could cut it in a UK or French-style Nanny State?
It is to laugh…
“Come on, Republicans! Come on, conservatives! Look at the Bush years! Where did all that rampant right-wingness get you? Absolutely nowhere! And what’s more, you took the Rest of Us down with you!”
Have some cheese with that whine, bubba. This sounds like sour grapes t’me anyway.
You lot were more than happy to hitch a ride on the bandwagon of prosperity, but as soon as it hits a bump and you fall off, you want to blame the horse…
“2. promoting inter-state competition for insurance companies and getting rid of insurance company anti-trust excemption”
this has been a feature of every GOP healthcare proposal since day 1 and has NEVER been part of any Dem plan. So now you are misrepresenting GOP ideas as Dem ideas and saying the GOP have no ideas? So if you can lie like this why should I take seriously anything else you say?
Those who regurgitate the leftist propaganda about the supposed horror of the Bush tax cuts:
5% unemployment from 2003-2007, the same as the late 1990s boom years.
The longest period of uninterrupted growth in GDP in US history, over 50 months.
Fantastic stock market, meaning increasing wealth for half the people in this country: everyone with a pension or 401k or other investments.
Because employment & markets were so good, the govt collected a lot of tax revenue and until 2007 the deficit was being paid down.
What happened in 2007? The Pelosi/Reid Democrat congress swept into power and started spending their butts off. Yes the Republicans aided and abetted this, which is a major reason they got voted out and why so many conservatives vote independent now.
My facts are from the CBO and BLS? where are yours from?
I’m glad to see that the President realizes that the Republicans have absolutely no interest in “bipartisanship” and are, in fact, out to kill all his initiatives. The President was elected by the People to pursue those initiatives and he would do a lot better by making it clear that the Republicans are playing the worst kind of politics in obstructing and blocking anything and everything in their efforts to defeat the Democrats. The alternative is continuing to let the Republicans get away with the idea that both parties are at fault. Both parties are NOT at fault. The Republicans are at fault. I think it’s high time to steamroller and bulldoze them by all legal means.
What we need to do is tax the rich at 91% for anything they make over $2 million/year, like we did back in the 30’s-60’s. Time to make the rich pay up. The U.S. has the highest differential in income in the industrialized world.