Boehner: Dealing With the White House ‘Has Been Like Dealing With Jell-o’
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In a meeting with a small group of reporters in his Capitol Hill office this morning, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, criticized President Obama and White House officials for their lack of resolve in negotiations.
“Dealing with them the last couple months has been like dealing with Jell-o,” Boehner said. “Some days it’s firmer than others. Sometimes it’s like they’ve left it out over night.”
Boehner explained that talks broke down over the weekend because, he said, the president backed off entitlement reforms so much from Friday to Saturday, “It was Jell-o; it was damn near liquid.”
“By Saturday, they’d spent the previous day and a half just going backwards” on reforming entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
“The only thing they’ve been firm on is these damn tax increases,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker also made it clear that he believes the President waited too long to get personally involved. When he phoned the president Saturday to give him the bad news about talks breaking down, President Obama seemed surprised but not shocked, the speaker said. The phone call lasted 35-40 minutes.
Boehner said that the tax increases the White House has been pushing for as part of what the president calls “a balanced package” cannot make it through Congress. “What the president is asking us to do just won’t pass,” he said.
The Ohioan said that he believes the public supports the GOP line in the sand. “The American people want us to hang tough,” he said. White House officials “know they’re not winning.”
White House officials of course dispute this assertion and many others that the speaker made.
One thing Boehner and Obama both agree on – they do not want the U.S. government to default on its debts.
“Nobody wants to go there, because nobody knows what’s going to happen,” Boehner said. “It’s a crapshoot.”
That said, according to both Republicans and Democrats familiar with the negotiating process, the path forward remains unclear.
“We’re in a spot where we need to be,” said a Republican official. “It’s not a bad place for us to be” to get a deal done.
Boehner said that since January, ever since he saw the president he urged him to lock arms with him and “go big” on changes to reduce the deficit. The Speaker said that he will continue to push for major reforms to entitlement spending and the tax code even if those provisions do not end up part of this deal.
-Jake Tapper
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Bohner as head of the supporters of the ultra rich puts this entire Nation as risk over his pure polical mandering. He is without question the worst person to have as whip. What a disgrace.
Posted by: bear | July 13, 2011, 6:13 pm 6:13 pm
Bear, if you’re employed, chances are it’s run by one of these evil “ultra-rich” dudes – i.e. anyone who earns over $250K.
Posted by: r | July 13, 2011, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
That’s because Jello isn’t ridged, I’m sure the WH thinks dealing with you is like dealing with a rock.
Posted by: JR | July 13, 2011, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
BEAR; Ah! Now it’s the “ultra rich”. BTW Boehner is the Speaker..not the whip….Kevin McCarthy is the majority whip. And “mandering” is a psychological condition of pacing back and forth while engaging in a conversation with themselves. How could you get so much messed up in such a short comment?
Posted by: LongT | July 13, 2011, 6:21 pm 6:21 pm
Excuses. The House needs to create a bill to send to the Senate that will go to the President’s desk. That’s the normal process. Duh
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
Boehner looks like jello.
It’s Congress’ responsibility John – get at it and quit wimping!
Posted by: Chuck | July 13, 2011, 6:35 pm 6:35 pm
TV (6:22 PM); That’s what they’re trying to do. But with Harry Reid on the other side of the rotunda, they’re trying to get something ahead of time that will fly. With Harry running interference for Obama…that’s no easy task.
Posted by: LongT | July 13, 2011, 6:39 pm 6:39 pm
Moveon.org circulated a petition demanding that the President take SS and Medicare off the table. It was signed by hundreds of thousands Americans. He had no choice but to take them off the table. If Boehner and his bone heads are going to impede results by leaving tax increases off the table, then the other half of the country has a right to be heard on their sacred cows. Until both sides agree to disagree and take this compromise off the table completely instead of holding an increase to the debt ceiling hostage, everyone’s just going to keep looking stupid.
Posted by: naturalcuriosity | July 13, 2011, 6:49 pm 6:49 pm
The Republicans seem to think that pointing the finger at Obama will be enough of a smoke screen for us to forget about all the times they voted to raise the debt ceiling while Bush was President? Boehner must think we’re all stupid and don’t have access to the Internet.
Instead of spending time hoping we’ll all magically forget, John, get your peeps to suck it up and take a hit for the middle class for a change, OK? It’s time you did just that. Your protection of the rich guys and big companies is going to backfire next year when people hit the voting booths. You’ve shown everyone what your party is all about.
Posted by: HeidiL | July 13, 2011, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
Does anyone (sane) really think Obama would actually DO something about entitlements (other than expand them even further)? Wake up, people. Look at where the money is coming from to fund his reelection bid. That will tell you all you need to know about where Obama’s head is. All that money and there’s NO way he can win. That money should be used to pay down the national debt…a far better investment than four more years that will never happen.
Posted by: s | July 13, 2011, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
The electorate spoke very clearly last November. Why is it that the Speaker of the House should ignore the will of the People? Since the House controls the purse strings one only need to consider the number times Congress was controlled by the Democrat party to understand the financial mess we’re in. I have a feeling that the FACTS won’t sit well with a lot of the whiners in this board.
Posted by: s | July 13, 2011, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm
House of Representatives, write a bill. Stop all the schoolyard deflecting and drama and just do your job! It is Congress job to make laws that then go to the president. If most people read how our government works instead of just following talking points they like, they would realize that the President has already done his job. He suggests what can be in the bills and laws. His power is LIMITED by only being able to sign or veto what they send him. He doesn’t have to do anything else… i encourage those who disagree to look up our branches of government. Instead of just guessing.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:24 pm 7:24 pm
The electorate also spoke in ’08 and we expected that to play out for at least 4 years
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:29 pm 7:29 pm
LMAO!…… I guess this is Boehner’s way of shrugging his constitutional responsibility of “controlling the purse strings”. Boehner, quit your crying and do what you were paid to do…your fancy one-liners are only meaningful to the ignorant who don’t understand that it’s the House’s responsibility to determine if the debt ceiling should be raised or not.
Posted by: Georgie_Bushwhacker | July 13, 2011, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
The 2010 election only gave repubs control of the House and it was a emotional vote trumped up by the health care scare they marketed to the public. That’s all. They promised JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, but haven’t done a thing to do that…. They lied to the American people.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
I have been a conservative republican for more than 30 years. Based my party’s recent negotiations with the Democrats which features their sheer determination to protect and represent the wealthy over the poorest citizens, particularly those individuals collecting social security and medicare, I have decided to leave the Republican Party. I will still vigoriously oppose gay marriage and abortion. The party I came to love, admire and respect seems more interested in causing an absolute defeat of President Obama than looking out for the best interest of our most needy citizens and the full faith and credit of the United States of America. I am praying for our beloved nation.
Posted by: Gene | July 13, 2011, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
I worked over 40 years at salve wages to be able to retire on my Soc. Sec and Medicare and now some stupid bone headed speaker of the house who never ever had to live on proverty wages and who with the rest of our respresentatives how would they like have their wages cut; they would holler so loud that the chineeses would hear them. I say for me and the other 50 plus seniors HANDS OVER OUR SOC. SEC. THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DEBT unless you count paying back the I O U’s that owed to our trust fund that money that already there and doesn’t come from general revenue
Posted by: smallchange2 | July 13, 2011, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
The republicans in the House are the only reason we’re going through this. If they,THEY write a bill that the president will sign, this issue will be OVER. They don’t want to go on record as doing annything that will actually cause them to actually work with the President. Had they not got elected, the debt ceiling would have just been raised under a dem controlled House. They got the job they wanted. They got control of the House. Do your job House republicans. Govern. WRITE A BILL that will pass in the Senate and Obama will sign.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
“Boehner, quit your crying and do what you were paid to do..”
He did. The House easily passed a budget, the Dem. controlled Senate never took it up. They resorted to calling it “killing grandma” without producing any meaningful counter-proposal. If anyone is shrugging their duties it’s the Dems who haven’t put forward anything of substance…let alone something to vote on.
Posted by: r | July 13, 2011, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
“House of Representatives, write a bill.”
They did. It passed too. It’s commonly called The Ryan Plan. The Dem. controlled Senate hasn’t taken the bill up. Now that you’re informed on the facts, can you look past your feelings and reason out who is at greater fault here? Is ideology the only thing that drives you?
Posted by: r | July 13, 2011, 7:41 pm 7:41 pm
Lies??
“House Democrats will not pass a budget blueprint in 2010, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md)will confirm in a speech on Tuesday.
But Hoyer will VOW to crack down on government spending, saying Democrats will enforce spending limits that are lower than what President President Barack Obama has called for.” 06/22/2010
Thus the BIG LIE given to us by the Dem majority of three branches of government at which time they could not seem to get a budget done…….
Posted by: Parallex View | July 13, 2011, 7:43 pm 7:43 pm
“They promised JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, but haven’t done a thing to do that….”
Well, talk about emotional. The R’s passed a bill, the Dems. never took it up and never countered it with one of their own. Stop leading with your feelings TV.
Posted by: r | July 13, 2011, 7:44 pm 7:44 pm
House Republicans, write bills you know the Senate will pass and the president will sign… How about that R?
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:48 pm 7:48 pm
I have listened to republican dissent for about two years now. It’s unproductive and annoying. Instead of acting like spoiled brats it would be nice to see our elected officials work together to serve The USA.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:51 pm 7:51 pm
WHO can argue with getting the US fiscally responsible again?? — The GOP is fighting for SPENDING CUTS and a BALANCED BUDGET!!! —- But Obama?? — Five months ago… Obama was submitting his (late) budget proposal for 2011 which called for INCREASED spending, taxes, and deficits!! —- The budget proposal was SOOOOOO BAD that he could not get a single vote from the Dem-controlled Senate, not even the most loyal Democrat!! — The Dems had 2 years of TOTAL control, and 4 years of control of both houses of congress…. and all they did was INCREASE SPENDING by 24% and create new “reform measures” that will mean TRILLIONS of more spending in the future!! — YOU DECIDE WHO IS LOOKING OUT FOR THE PUBLIC!!!
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | July 13, 2011, 7:51 pm 7:51 pm
“The Republicans seem to think that pointing the finger at Obama will be enough of a smoke screen for us to forget about all the times they voted to raise the debt ceiling while Bush was President?”
So your solution is to punish them by RAISING the debt ceiling again?! Do you see how insidious this reasoning is? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting a different result.
Posted by: r | July 13, 2011, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
Give America ALL of America and our rights the republican agenda. God knows they are the only way. The right way. The American way.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:54 pm 7:54 pm
WHY WOULD OBAMA ASK FOR TAX HIKES NOW??? —- President Obama Quotes: – August 2009, NBC News, Elkhart, IN (touting the “stimulus”)… “Explain how raising taxes on anyone during a deep recession is going to help with the economy… You don’t raise taxes in a recession.” —- Dec 6, 2010 (speaking about extending the Bush tax cuts) “If we allow taxes to increase now… we could see a loss of one million jobs”.
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | July 13, 2011, 7:55 pm 7:55 pm
Sarah Palin is so intelligent. Michelle Bachman is smarter than Obama. The republicans care about all Americans and are their to serve all Americans. George Bush was the greatest president of all time. The Bush administration left us finacially stable. Fox News is fair. Hannity is balanced. Republicans are the only officials that have morals and have the best ideas for our country.
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
Vote republican in 2012. Only they know what is best for America. God speaks to them ONLY!
Posted by: TV | July 13, 2011, 7:58 pm 7:58 pm
Smallchange2 — Did you even take the time to figure out that the Ryan Plan would NOT AFFECT ANYONE OVER AGE FIFTY-FIVE??? — Or did you just listen to the “sound-bite liars” across the aisle!!!
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | July 13, 2011, 8:01 pm 8:01 pm
smallchange — and where was the Dems counter-proposal??
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | July 13, 2011, 8:01 pm 8:01 pm
WHO is acting responsibly?? —- Senate Democrats did not pass a regular federal budget for over 770 days. . The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires that Congress each year develop a budget setting limits on spending and projecting targets for revenue. Since it was not been politically advantageous for the Senate to do so, it simply didn’t get it done until the early-April agreement for the 2011 budget. Why was there no pressure on the Senate to perform its duty?
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | July 13, 2011, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
How many times do you have to be reminded that Social Security is not an entitlement program. WE HAVE INVESTED HARD EARNED MONEY TO WITHDRAW AT THIS TIME IN OUR LIVES. It should be ILLEGAL for CONGRESS TO MISAPPROPRIATE OUR PENSION FUNDs.
Posted by: Judith | July 13, 2011, 9:49 pm 9:49 pm
Senate Democrats did not pass a regular federal budget for over 770 days. .
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | Jul 13, 2011 8:23:13 PM
Read into it further Loyal Opposition.
The Senate attempted to pass budget bills.
In one instance the Republicans voted it down, in another the Democrats voted it down.
Posted by: Vern | July 13, 2011, 9:50 pm 9:50 pm
“How many times do you have to be reminded that Social Security is not an entitlement program. WE HAVE INVESTED HARD EARNED MONEY TO WITHDRAW AT THIS TIME IN OUR LIVES. It should be ILLEGAL for CONGRESS TO MISAPPROPRIATE OUR PENSION FUNDs.”
Posted by: Judith | Jul 13, 2011 9:49:56 PM
Sorry to be the one to tell you, but you’ve been lied to.
The US Supreme Court has already established that entitlement to Social Security benefits is NOT a contractual right. Benefits can be changed or revoked by Congress at any time. This is clearly stated on your annual SSA statement.
By federal law, you must allow the government to confiscate Social Security taxes from your earnings, but the government is not obligated to pay you anything in the future.
There is no trust fund.
There is no lock box.
Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme and scam created by Progressives. Like all Ponzi schemes, it was doomed to failure from the beginning. Many good financial planners exclude Social Security income from retirement plans for this very reason.
Posted by: Chuck | July 13, 2011, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
TheLoyalOpposition | Jul 13, 2011 7:51:23 PM, Said:
“But Obama?? — Five months ago… Obama was submitting his (late) budget proposal for 2011….”
=====================================
LMAO!…Get your facts straight! Obama didn’t submit the 2011 federal budget in February 2011 (that was the president’s 2012 federal budget which they are now negotiating with all this discussion on raising the debt limit).
If you don’t believe me, “Wiki” this: “2011 United States Federal Budget”. You’ll see that, as prescribed by law, the President submitted HIS budget request to congress for Fiscal Year 2011, in February 2010. Copied from Wiki:
2011 Budget of the United States federal government:
Submitted February 1, 2010
Submitted by Barack Obama
Submitted to 111th Congress
Passed April 15th, 2011, Public Law 112-10
He wasn’t “late”, as you ignorantly state. The congress was late in voting on the budget that was submitted by the White House. Get your facts straight for once there Loyal Opposition, so you don’t look so shallow.
Posted by: Georgie_Bushwhacker | July 13, 2011, 11:02 pm 11:02 pm
Chuck | Jul 13, 2011 11:01:29 PM, SAID:
“Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme and scam created by Progressives.”
=======================
LMAO!…and in 12 years STRAIGHT of a Republican controlled congress (January 1995 to January 2007), 6 of those years which they even had a Republican President (January 2001 to January 2007), those Republicans never did anything (with all those years of perfect opportunity) to do away with that Social Security “ponzi scheme”…. LOL!
Sorry to inform you there Chuck…but, Republicans never did away with Social Security in all of those 12 years that they had FULL control of the congress and 6 years of FULL control of the entire government, because they themselves know that Social Security is a popular program that they themselves wouldn’t dare do away with.
Republicans only talk bad about Social Security when they’ve lost control of the White House and one house of the congress, so that fools like you would believe them again and vote for them again…. LOL!
Posted by: Georgie_Bushwhacker | July 13, 2011, 11:17 pm 11:17 pm
Chuck | Jul 13, 2011 11:01:29 PM, SAID:
“Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme and scam created by Progressives.”
=======================
LMAO!…and in 12 years STRAIGHT of a Republican controlled congress (January 1995 to January 2007), 6 of those years which they even had a Republican President (January 2001 to January 2007), those Republicans never did anything (with all those years of perfect opportunity) to do away with that Social Security “ponzi scheme”…. LOL!
Sorry to inform you there Chuck…but, Republicans never did away with Social Security in all of those 12 years that they had FULL control of the congress and 6 years of FULL control of the entire government, because they themselves know that Social Security is a popular program that they themselves wouldn’t dare do away with.
Republicans only talk bad about Social Security when they’ve lost control of the White House and one house of the congress, so that fools like you would believe them again and vote for them again…. LOL!
+++++
bingo . . .
Posted by: Davis | July 14, 2011, 2:24 am 2:24 am
Dealing with Republican politicians is like dealing with a dried up old piece of jello you find stuck in the corner on the floor mumbling lies to itself.
Posted by: Cherry | July 14, 2011, 2:26 am 2:26 am
Dealing with Republican politicians is like dealing with a dried up old piece of jello you find stuck in the corner on the floor mumbling lies to itself.
Posted by: Cherry | Jul 14, 2011 2:26:27 AM
Okay, I apologize for that . .. did it mostly for the fun of it.
Posted by: Cherry | July 14, 2011, 2:27 am 2:27 am
How long before Boehner cries on camera again?
Posted by: Ted Kunterol | July 14, 2011, 4:21 am 4:21 am
Boehner and Jello.
Maybe it feels that way because Boehner is swimming in Jello himself.
Posted by: bonncaruso | July 14, 2011, 5:59 am 5:59 am
“R”…quit throwing around a ‘rhetoric number’ ($250 K) that has NOT been decided on. And you know why it hasn’t? Because the GOP in their ‘stupid stance’ of trying to protect those ‘far richer’ than that…won’t even talk about ‘closing loopholes that are egregious’ let alone establishing a higher tax rate for ‘top earners’. Your negotiators FAILED you in their greed to protect the richest of this nation. Now they are ‘on the run’ in disarray because of their ‘own machinations’.
Posted by: CND FOX | July 14, 2011, 8:17 am 8:17 am
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner says no one wants to see the nation go into government default as the White House and lawmakers scramble to find a deal to avoid that.
Posted by: Jail Nation | July 14, 2011, 8:19 am 8:19 am
Poor Boehner. Neutered by the Toddler Party (T Party) faction on the Right. He has as much control over his caucus as Charlie Sheen does over his bad behavior…….none.
Posted by: Searambler | July 14, 2011, 8:34 am 8:34 am
What are egregious loopholes?What are loopholes-give me examples.Can you prove that removing these loopholes will not increase the financial burdens of ordinary Americans who will actually pay for the costs incurred by closing them?Who pays for increased corporate taxes? The shareholders? Can you prove that the corporation’s customers are not the ultimate taxpayers due to passed on costs and price rises?The lack of elementary business knowledge on the Left is astounding-perhaps why the Democratic baser is made up of uneducated,unimaginative failures who can’t get or hold a decent job and continue to be dependent on the ambition of the ambitious and successful-ie., Republicans.
Posted by: Nephron | July 14, 2011, 8:53 am 8:53 am
Nephron — The ‘carried interest’ loophole is a perfect example of a loophole that needs to be closed. It allows billionaire hedge fund managers to pay only 15% tax on their earnings instead of the highest marginal rate based on their earnings. Estimates are it costs the treasury over $2 billion a year in lost revenue. Hedge fund managers are not job creators, yet they are protected by Boehner and Company as ‘small businessmen’. The top hedge fund manager last year made almost $5 billion, and paid 15% tax on that. I made one helluva lot less and pay a higher rate. So did you………
Posted by: Searambler | July 14, 2011, 9:21 am 9:21 am
“The Ohioan [Boehner] said that he believes the public supports the GOP line in the sand.” +++++ He may be right but this is the opinion of a public where most can barely calculate percentages or work with fractions. The American public should determine what should be done with the world’s largest budget? Should we next do brain surgery based on opinion polls of the American people? Where’s the statemanship of those knowlegeable about the budget to do right by America? The vast majority of economists say that taxes have to raised and cuts considered more than EITHER side wants to do – particularly in the billions spent on military research the Pentagon says it can’t use but is being done by campaign contributors.
Posted by: The_Mick | July 14, 2011, 10:41 am 10:41 am
The reason it’s like jello is the President has no idea what he is doing. He has been use to two years of getting anything he wanted and now he acts like a spoiled child. God help us.
Posted by: Freedom | July 14, 2011, 10:46 am 10:46 am
Freedom says “the President doesn’t know what he is doing…”. LOL…LOL…LOL….He just made complete fools of the GOP ‘negotiating team’ and you have the utter audacity to say something like that? Do you have any idea what that does to YOUR credibility? Or do you ‘like’ being just like Eric Cantor? LOL…LOL
Posted by: CND FOX | July 14, 2011, 11:05 am 11:05 am
You know the beauty of our elections? It is that the partisan hacks do NOT elect the president in this country, the independents do. Currently, independents are running from Obama en mass and will be NOT voting for him again.
So enjoy your partisan fights about how terrible/wonderful you may think he is because of your blinded perceptions. The independents will NOT let America down again.
Posted by: indy from indy | July 14, 2011, 12:53 pm 12:53 pm
Indy from Indy…independents are ‘running from him’? LOL…is that why he received over 250,000 NEW contributions (i.e. brand new contributors) to his campaign? I have always noticed that’mid-west’ conservatives never look ‘beyond’ their local ‘locale’ when they make these preposterous ‘declarations’. Is it something to do with the ‘strain of kool-aide’…or just the ‘mind set’? LOL…LOL LOL…LOL
Posted by: CND FOX | July 14, 2011, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
Does everybody in this country have amnesia? The Republicans had control of Congress from 2001 to 2006. They could have started a balanced budget amendment then. Instead they were telling us that deficits were a good thing.
Posted by: Mike | July 16, 2011, 1:14 pm 1:14 pm
I love how they talk about Obama as weak, because he won’t walk all over the poor, and the elderly, while they bend over backwards to support their billionaire friends. While Boehner, and McConnell are about the only one of the crowd, willing to talk about giving in a little, Ryan, and Cantor are more than willing to take from those least able to give. REAL MEN???
Posted by: parma hts gary | July 16, 2011, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
Boehner explained that talks broke down over the weekend because, he said, the president backed off entitlement reforms so much from Friday to Saturday, “It was Jell-o; it was damn near liquid.”
Posted by: cilt maskesi | August 27, 2011, 4:52 am 4:52 am