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Republicans Skip White House Meeting to Roll Out New House Leadership Team

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by Tommy Christopher | 10:54 am, November 19th, 2010

» 16 comments

Republican leaders, citing “scheduling conflicts,” skipped an invitation to a bipartisan meeting with President Obama and Democratic leaders at the White House yesterday. One such pressing engagement was a press conference to roll out the new GOP House leadership, at which Speaker designate John Boehner said he was “looking forward to” meeting with the President on Nov. 30. Boehner didn’t explain, and no one asked, why it would take two weeks for the Republicans to go a few blocks to the White House.

While Boehner only touched briefly on the subject of the Bush tax cuts, he also held forth on blocking appropriations, Charlie Rangel‘s ethics hearing, repealing health care reform, and a priceless dodge of a question about the government’s successful bailout of GM.

Asked about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s promise to block an omnibus bill, Boehner replied “I think it’s a shame that the Democrat majority in Congress didn’t pass a budget,” which is a bit like the rain saying it’s a shame the ground couldn’t stay dry.

Boehner also dodged a question about raising the debt ceiling, but the highlight (such as it was) of the press conference was the pregnant pause following a question about whether the bailout of GM (just vindicated by yesterday’s successful IPO) had saved jobs, after which Boehner elected to answer a question he made up in his head.

Here’s the video of Boehner’s portion of the press conference: (from C-Span 3)

Congressional aides told Politico that the Republicans’ decision to postpone the meeting with the White House stemmed from lingering soreness over the President’s appearance at January’s House Republican Issues Conference:

The one-sided televised presidential lecture, which many Republicans decried as a political ambush — Obama’s staff wanted the event to be broadcast and GOP aides agreed reluctantly at the last minute — has left a lingering distrust of Obama invitations and a wariness about accommodating every scheduling request emanating from the West Wing, aides tell POLITICO.

“He has a ways to go to rebuild the trust,” said a top Republican Hill staffer. “The Baltimore thing was unbelievable. There were [House Republicans] who only knew Obama was coming when they saw Secret Service guys scouting out the place.”

TPM points out that the Republicans are engaging in some revisionism, as they eagerly invited the President to that “ambush,” and with plenty of notice. What was done at the last minute was the White House’s request to televise the event, but had Republicans done a better job of questioning the President, this surely would have cut in their favor.

Meanwhile, despite signals to the contrary, the White House and Democratic leaders who did attend yesterday’s meeting have decided to pursue tax cuts for the middle class only:

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he believes he has President Barack Obama’s support in pursuing tax cuts for everyone except the wealthy, after some concern that Obama had been ready to deal with Republicans over cuts for the rich.

Without the votes to overcome a GOP filibuster, such a plan offers little chance of success, but does afford the Republicans a chance to explain to Americans why they’re holding middle class tax cuts for ransom to benefit the wealthy.

“The main thing we’ve learned is that we’re united in recognizing that we have to protect the middle class,” Reid told reporters.

Charlie Rangel, John Boehner, President Obama

Just4thefax

Fact: New leadership to reverse al Ozero’s budgetary screw-ups.
cjd ohio 1

or why it took two years for the president to invite them………yeah, fair tommy
Seeing 2012 From My Window

No one ever accused Tommy of being fair.
paulmdoro

First order of business: getting rid of the Office of Congressional Ethics, something the Ohio tea party is not happy with. Way to go Boehner.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/129855-ohio-tea-party-splits-with-boehner-on-ethics
lonestar77

Jeez, Tommy. Remove the chip from your shoulder. Did you used to get beat up by a bunch of young Republican’s or something? You wouldn’t be such a punchline & you wouldn’t catch so much grief if you weren’t such a shill and a water carrier.
Tommy Christopher

cjd ohio 1 said:
or why it took two years for the president to invite them………yeah, fair tommy

That’s idiotic. President Obama has met with GOP leaders countless times.
Tommy Christopher

lonestar77 said:
Did you used to get beat up by a bunch of young Republican’s or something?

Young Republican’s what? What possession of young Republicans do you suppose I was beat up by? Obviously, not their grammar textbooks.
Nachi

Jawohl!! Und der Republiscum der abschaum der menschheit un Bremerhaven!! Achtung!
SlurpeeSummit

Tommy Christopher said:
Young Republican’s what? What possession of young Republicans do you suppose I was beat up by? Obviously, not their grammar textbooks.

Good one Tommy!! That apostrophe saved your butt!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Ward/100000135233619 Mark Ward

BRAVO, Boehner!

Hey Obama, WE WON, YOU LOST!

You can send you edicts to your lapdogs: Pelosi and Reid, but the GOP doesn’t work for YOU.

In fact, WE, the people, don’t work for you – YOU WORK FOR US (and, thank God, it’s a PART TIME JOB, at that).
DEFENDER-90

I have just received a copy of the new pledg of elegiance proposed by Nancey Poloisey and the Democratic party in its official text.

Nachi can translate.

Obama Obama, Fuhrt er uns zu neuen Reich.

O wird unsere liebe leader Obama wir nicht sie verraten,
wir Freuen,ihr beispiel.

Wir shout SOZIALISMUS! SOZIALISMUS!,es und sie werden Fuhrer, fur die neue grenze zum
neuen Reich, wir werden nicht geleugnet werden

Wir salutieren sie wir salutieren sie unser Fuhrer, die wir sie salutieren und unser
Vaterland,fur es und sie wir sterben.O Vaterland O Vaterland sie und Obama sind eins,
eine ohne das ander und die Menschen die Naiton sind getan, fur sie und Obama sind
eine.Wir die Menschen unserer heiligen ehren sie unser leben,auf das wir sagen
versprechen,MEIN REICH!!,MEIN VOLK!!,MEIN VATERLAND!!MEIN FUHRER!!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-McGinnis/100000472625231 Richard McGinnis

” Boehner didn’t explain, and no one asked, why it would take two weeks for the Republicans to go a few blocks to the White House.”

If these clowns only knew how dispised they are by working Americans with a clue… Smile :-)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mark-Caplinger/1530802200 Mark Caplinger

Dear Tommy; please enlighten us all with PROOF of these meetings that Barry held with conservatives. I’m sure with all the transparency from the most transparent president in our history that it shouldn’t be hard for you to find multiple examples. Just don’t use the fake crap that Barry was forced into because he promised all of the CSPAN airtime.

Oh yeah….. remove that huge chip that’s on your shoulder. Liberals like yourself should be beyond happy,knowing that your lame duck congress has time to destroy America some more before they have to join the people that they are responsible for keeping unemployed for years.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jon-Martin/43100610 Jon Martin

Instead of discussing the problems in the country with Obama.. they skip it for a press conference. These guys don’t care about getting things done. Americans want problems fixed and if republicans take over the house, we expect them to do something, not do a press conference and delay everything.

Congressional Republicans need to stop delaying things, the country is hurting. It’s UnAmerican what they are doing, putting the entire country at risk for politics. Obama is trying to do things as much as people want to villify him, he’s a fair man and most of his great ideas have been sunk because he choose to take a bi-partisan route. You can listen to fox news decry him but he’s been really fair, fair to insane ideas the right-wing has.. and still they just shit on him and the country. Maybe you’ll realize in a few years like you did with Bush… but probably not, you guys are Sarah Palin fans, willing to make the same mistake over and over again, like crazy people.
timcajun

The party of “NO” does not intend to work together. The last two years they said no to everything, even their own offerings from past years and sure spend the money sent to their states that they voted against. Obama’s mistake was not calling out the conservatives for all the lies and mis-leading information. The tea party got their wish, but several races were just a few points difference and Obama could have corrected the bs earlier to narrow the gap. The conservatives are going to work for the top 2% and the tea party, which did earn their spot will be left out by that party. Obama needs to move on and do what he wants, because the lie will be “he did anyway”!
BatBoy

Someone needs to remind the President that a very famous “man of the world” once said…..”Elections have Consequences!”

Oh wait…that was our President who said that!