Patterico's Pontifications

1/6/2013

Okay, Boehner: Take A Damned Stand

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 12:27 pm



They want to play the “no negotiation” game? Obama, Mr. Stimulus, wants to blame CONGRESS for overspending?

Fine. Here’s what you do.

You draw up a budget that has what you want. No more whining about what the other side will agree to. Just figure out what you want and then pass it.

And then approve nothing else. Whatsoever.

You have the House. You have the spending power. Obama is blaming YOU for not exercising it wisely.

And he’s right.

So raise the debt limit. And then pass what YOU think is a defensible budget.

If the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Democrat president won’t pass it, that’s on them.

The debt ceiling is not a way to make a stand because it’s suicidal and you know it. So raise it.

And then, pass exactly what you want. If they’re going to blame you, then you vote only for a bill you feel comfortable taking FULL responsibility for.

Dammit. Take a stand for once in your life. Why are you doing this job if you’re not going to take a stand?

43 Responses to “Okay, Boehner: Take A Damned Stand”

  1. Forget short- term political worries. Either you fix the problem the way it needs to be fixed, or they vote you out and they own the coming collapse.

    Just take a damned STAND.

    Patterico (895f38)

  2. Bravo.

    MayBee (17f9e7)

  3. I don’t think there is anything I can add to that at all.
    Bravo Zulu

    NavyspyII (96e9e0)

  4. The problem is that every Congressman has his/her own set of priorities, and very few agree.
    This is where a minority party (one which does not reside at the other end of PA Ave) has a distinct disadvantage, as they have no National Leader to set their priorities.
    The Dems have that leader, and though not all of them may agree with those priorities, they know damn well that their political life depends on supporting them, as the alternate course can be “deadly”.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  5. The House just needs to dust-off one of the two past Ryan Budgets, and re-pass it and send it to the Senate; then pass a Debt Ceiling adjustment that agrees with that Budget. Then they need to say that there will be no reconciliation; that they have passed their Bottom Line.
    That puts the ball on Reid’s side of the net and makes it his problem.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  6. The Dems didn’t have that leader from 2001-2007, they had Daschle then Reid, and Pelosi, but they know what they want to achieve, our side doesn’t

    narciso (3fec35)

  7. “Our” side wants the same thing “their” side does, but doesn’t want to reveal that. You’re asking that he betray The Grand Unification (that the Democrats and Republicans are but two faces to the We Want Power party.)

    htom (412a17)

  8. Boehner knows the chuckleheads he leads won’t agree that the sky is blue if Obama says it is. That is the problem. (Or did you not notice the triple flip on Medicare costs in just a couple of months?)

    Insofar as there are rules to politics, a prime example is that letting your adversary lead you by the nose means you lose. Our orange friend from Ohio is – barely – sitting on a throne as spokesmuppet for a bunch of folks who don’t understand , or more likely, dont care, about that.

    Which is all fine by me, of course.

    Jamie (029f5e)

  9. Yes if only they would be responsible as this fellow;

    http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2008/07/obama-on-the-su/

    Of course, once we pulled out, AQ in Iraq, is expanding their operations, and returning the favor,
    in Syria

    narciso (3fec35)

  10. “Why are you doing this job if you’re not going to take a stand?”

    Because unemployment sucks at his age?

    C. S. P. Schofield (fdfc57)

  11. Waste of breath. He won’t take a stand. He’ll huff and puff and cave. He doesn’t understand Obama, the Left or even power and how to use it. It’s who he is.

    rrpjr (0766bc)

  12. And our guys voted to retain him.
    They all need to go.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  13. taking a stand is something Beltway RINOs do not do, under any circumstances.

    the only thing they care about is their personal access to power and the perks that come with it.

    redc1c4 (403dff)

  14. Wait, That would require Boehner to have a brain AND a spine. Clearly, he has neither…

    WarEagle82 (97b777)

  15. useless as tits on a nun, this john boehner

    happyfeet (dc521a)

  16. D & R are two sides of the same coin: tax & spend. Only they and their cronies prosper. We The People, at least the working tax-paying part, are suckers for putting up with this monstrous government as long as We have.

    twolaneflash (40d2b8)

  17. Asking Boehner to take a stand is like asking a penguin to fly.

    As Jesse Lacey of Brand New sang, “I’ve seen more spine in jellyfish, I’ve seen more guts in eleven year old kids.”

    Ghost (2d8874)

  18. 16.Yes, Yes 1000 times yes. The Democrats *finally* stood up and started making specific proposals about tax increases. No more “loop holes” or vaguely worded strategies. It’s time for the Republican’s to do the same with cuts. I think it will involve both (I know this isn’t a popular idea here) but Obama won’t propose cuts. He doesn’t want to cut anything. Playing around with PBS and ignoring Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid and Defense isn’t going to get the job done. The GOP needs to grow a freaking set, take a risk and put forward a real proposal.

    Also, the Debt Ceiling is all about money we’ve already promised to pay. We need to raise it and then move forward with a new, lower budget

    time123 (46cc0f)

  19. You can’t just presume that every time money is appropriated congress expects us to beg it off the chinese crack whore style

    happyfeet (dc521a)

  20. Boehner sits to pee, I doubt he will stand up for tax paying Americans.

    mg (31009b)

  21. “…Also, the Debt Ceiling is all about money we’ve already promised to pay. We need to raise it and then move forward with a new, lower budget.”

    The fight over the Debt Ceiling has nothing to do with paying back money that has already been borrowed – there is more than enough cash-flow to manage that. It is all about continuing the level of Porkulus Spending that this administration embarked upon four years ago.

    Without raising the Debt Ceiling, and allowing ADDITIONAL borrowing, the administration will be forced to prioritize its spending, and not undertake any new programs without the wholesale elimination of older ones.

    They wish to continue spending on everything in their wish list as it is the only way to ensure the loyalty of the nomenklatura.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  22. Dammit. Take a stand for once in your life. Why are you doing this job if you’re not going to take a stand?

    How does a tower of quivering Jell-O take a stand?

    Smock Puppet, 10th Dan Snark Master and Accidental Death And Dismemberment Promoter (98ae1f)

  23. Also, the Debt Ceiling is all about money we’ve already promised to pay. We need to raise it and then move forward with a new, lower budget.

    The fight over the Debt Ceiling has nothing to do with paying back money that has already been borrowed

    He didn’t say anything about money that has been borrowed. He said money that we’ve already promised to pay. I assume he means money that Congress has already appropriated, and thus required the president to pay.

    Without raising the Debt Ceiling, and allowing ADDITIONAL borrowing, the administration will be forced to prioritize its spending, and not undertake any new programs without the wholesale elimination of older ones.

    And will thus be breaking the law. Don’t forget that the president is required to spend every penny that Congress appropriates. Congress has ordered him to spend it. It just hasn’t actually provided him with it, so he will have no legal choice but to ignore that order.

    Milhouse (15b6fd)

  24. [serious look on face]
    I think that we can count on John Boehner to take the tough stands.
    [face crinkles up and finally completely loses it, laughing hysterically]

    OK, OK, OK, Patterico, you got me. You are the better comedian. There is NO way that I say that and keep a straight face. You kidder you! Waitwaitwait, let my try one more time…

    John Boehner, principled politician trying to prevent excesses in the Federal govern….

    HAHAHAHA!!! I can’t do it. Epic fail.

    I M A Psuedonym (d88c77)

  25. Wow. I wrote my above comment before reading everyone else’s. Why do I get the feeling that Boehner is not a popular guy?

    I M A Psuedonym (d88c77)

  26. He said money that we’ve already promised to pay.

    No! What this is about are continuing programs, not bonds.
    You notice that Obama said “promised to pay”, not promised to pay back”, or “promised to return”.
    It is about more Porkulus, and keeping his campaign promises; not the re-payment of promissory notes.
    This administration doesn’t give a Tinker’s Damn about the strength of the Dollar vis-a-vis Gold, or the Euro, or the Yen, or Aunt Minnie’s China.
    It is all about making good on the promises he made to secure his election and re-election, and keeping the nomenklatura on the public teat.

    askeptic (2bb434)

  27. 23-…more….
    What Congress has required, Congress can un-require.
    In lieu of a debt-ceiling increase, Congress can demand that the Executive maintain all current programs for this Fiscal Year, but at a reduced rate – meaning an across-the-board reduction in funding.
    Then, for FY-2013, they can just reduce the appropriations to match the anticipated revenues – sort of what you and I do when the boss calls us in and says he can keep us on, but he has to cut our hours, or our rate.
    So, we go home and start figuring out where we can cut our outflow so to match our new decreased level of income.
    That is what this government now needs to do – START TO LIVE WITHIN OUR MEANS!

    askeptic (2bb434)

  28. Finally. Some sanity creeps in. Tip of the hat and another one to Tip O’Neil.

    But, after, Baleful Bawling Boehner didn’t get his name by mistake.

    cedarhill (96ef64)

  29. Patterico makes a good argument. But it seems to me that there must be some way to take advantage of the debt ceiling issue. I suggest a way here:

    http://www.redstate.com/andrewhyman/2013/01/06/a-totally-new-strategy-on-the-debt-ceiling/

    Andrew (725309)

  30. This post should be addressed to the Republican caucus in the House as a whole not Boehner as an individual. Boehner can’t pass something by himself, he needs 218 of the 235 Republicans in the House to vote for it. As shown by the plan B fiasco this isn’t easy. There are enough Republicans in the House willing to vote against proposals supported by the vast majority because they aren’t 100% to their liking to make passing anything at all controversial next to impossible. Unless this changes it won’t matter who the Speaker is the House Republicans will flounder around ineffectively as in the recent tax fight.

    James B. Shearer (e64877)

  31. John Boehner is a jellyfish.

    Jellyfish: no brain, no balls, no backbone.

    Kevin Stroup (fe711f)

  32. This post should be addressed to the Republican caucus in the House as a whole not Boehner as an individual. Boehner can’t pass something by himself, he needs 218 of the 235 Republicans in the House to vote for it. As shown by the plan B fiasco this isn’t easy.

    This is true to a point. Boehner needs his people behind him. But the only way to get THEM to make a stand is to do so himself. One does not lead by following.

    Patterico (8b3905)

  33. Why didn’t anyone (like Eric Cantor or Paul Ryan) attempt to replace Rep Boehner? I think the reason is that no one wants to storm up the proverbial hillside right now.

    That’s a shame. It’s times like this that our true leadership shows up (Ted Cruz is a good example).

    But if Boehner is the leader, he’s responsible for leading. I think brinksmanship works if you are willing to let it work, and the Republicans haven’t been. They should have refused any fiscal cliff deal. The democrats can try to blame the Republicans for across the board tax cuts, but it never would have worked after a decade of ‘Bush tax cuts are evil’ rhetoric. And we would have had spending cuts.

    The problem (in my opinion) seems to be that the House leadership is in tune with the needs of lobbyists whose backers have a financial interest in short term economic stability. But long term, they and we would be better off if some historic, costly, and painful political maneuvers were made.

    We need to go ahead and have these government shutdowns and breakdowns now. By all rights, this monstrous and budget free government should be breaking down. Better now than later.

    The debt has increased from ten to 16 trillion in an alarmingly short time because the democrats refuse to pass a budget. That’s a huge mess that the democrats need to help solve with record level spending cuts and a budget. Period. That’s all that needs to be said.

    Dustin (73fead)

  34. John Boehner is the Speaker of the House, he is not the leader of the Republican party. He is technically not even the majority leader in the House–Cantor is. I do not want a dictatorial partisan male R version of Nancy Pelosi when she was Speaker. I’m not a particular fan of Boehner but it’s a thankless job to be speaker with an utterly fractured party while having to deal with a lying near criminal in the opposition party as POTUS and a thoroughly corrupt and hostile media. I think Boehner’s being treated very unfairly by many in this thread. I completely understand the frustration but I don’t understand the purpose or benefit of all the hate and sarcasm.

    On another thread here a couple weeks ago after the plan B fiasco I asked complaining commenters to put themselves in Boehner’s exact spot and suggest specifically what they’d like Boehner to say and do about the fiscal cliff and what he should do differently than he was doing considering the circumstances (see paragraph above for refresher on what the circumstances are). Helpful and specific recommendations from commenters (including many I highly respect) were, unfortunately but as I expected, in very short supply. “Let it burn”, and “stock up on ammo”, and “get a backbone” are not really all that helpful in a broadly focused practical, save the country sort of way, you know? He was just re-elected speaker. The caucus had their chance to unseat him and did not even seriously try. Ya think maybe nobody else wanted the job or thought they had better ideas or could do a better job? And where is Paul Ryan?

    elissa (b8982b)

  35. Boehner, is a symptom of the problem, a party that does not recognize the nature of the opposition, which still think they can deal with them in good faith, where do they still entertain such a notion, based on what evidence,

    narciso (3fec35)

  36. republicans deserve change

    they don’t deserve this insipid careerist buffoon when the times call for a fresh face with a lot more energy than sadsacknosack boehner brings to the party

    and they need someone that can communicate a message and that can take the battle to the propaganda sluts at cnn and fox and those paper things old people read

    boehner = stagnation

    mcconnell = old white rich white creepy white dude with a weird chin defect + also stagnation

    it’s really that simple

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  37. Feets, sorry, but it’s really only “that simple” if there are actual, tested, real, flesh and blood political people available and willing to take on the energetic but somewhat vague “change” assignment you outline . I’m curious. Just who do you have in mind for the role?

    elissa (b8982b)

  38. it’s alarming that Team R produces so many representatives that are averse to leadership

    but it’s even more alarming that boehner lacks the self-awareness to realize that he’s not the man for the job

    boehnerturd’s leadership style is to strip fiscal conservatives of their committee positions to make himself feel more secure like he has a big warm banky

    that is not what the times require

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  39. Since you like to focus on “what the times require” perhaps you’ll be kind enough to share with us a few of the people currently heading your right leaning leadership wish list, Feets? Are there any? Any at all?

    elissa (b8982b)

  40. i think is fundamentally more important that Team R communicate to its dwindling group of followers that they are willing to change and take a new approach for so they can stop failing failing failing, than it is for Team R to produce some churchillian wunderkind

    but even though she’s a deeply twisted weirdo lifeydoodle with many socially backwards views I think Marsha Blackburn would be a fresh face what could excite people, re-energize them

    she’d be a damn sight better than tired old boehner

    happyfeet (ce327d)

  41. Thugs are history if Boehner doesn’t take a stand. Debt ceiling or no.

    Personally, I’d brush off the House 2012 Budget, update the sucker, pass it and adjourn.

    Then I’d just hole up in Costa Rica.

    The Republicans have, literally, not a damn thing to lose.

    gary gulrud (dd7d4e)

  42. No, she voted for Boehner, along with Bachmann, find another lifeydoodle,

    narciso (3fec35)

  43. Republicans will loose the house in 2014.
    A third party could win it.

    mg (31009b)


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