One normally associates John Boehner, aka Agent Orange, with the 1%. However, there is now an instance in which the 98% comes into play. It is happening, because Boehner is trying to blame the Republican sequester on Obama. Let us not forget that the sequester was written into the law only because Republicans demanded a guarantee of future spending cuts, before they would stop holding the good faith and credit of the US hostage, and Boehner was a key player in getting it passed. Now he claims he had nothing to do with it.
With deep sequestration cuts just days away, Congress is on vacation. But they’ve still got plenty of time to play the blame game.
The latest semantic spin is to call the looming $1.2 trillion in cuts, which could throw the whole economy back into recession, “Obama’s Sequester.” House Speaker John Boehner indulged this approach half a dozen times in a floor speech before he went on break, establishing its place in the talking-points firmament.
There are a couple problems with this tactic, as my colleague Michael Tomasky pointed out Tuesday. Congress passed sequestration before the president signed it, and the whole self-defeating exercise was carried out in response to Tea Party Republicans’ insistence that we play chicken with the debt ceiling, which ultimately cost America its AAA credit rating.
But here’s the thing. I happened to come across an old email that throws cold water on House Republicans’ attempts to call this “Obama’s Sequester.”
It’s a PowerPoint presentation that Boehner’s office developed with the Republican Policy Committee and sent out to the Capitol Hill GOP on July 31, 2011. Intended to explain the outline of the proposed debt deal, the presentation is titled: “Two Step Approach to Hold President Obama Accountable.”… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Daily Beast>
Lawrence O’Donnell covered this with Krystal Ball and Ari Melber.
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So as much as Agent Orange calls the Republican sequester Obama’s, don’t forget that his fingerprints are all over it. Here is where the 98% enters the picture. Since he got 98% of what he wanted, it is 98% his own.
9 Responses to “Boehner and the 98%”
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Funny how a person's spoken sometimes come back to bite you in the ass.
I meant "Person's words sometimes come back to bite them in the ass".
This is an affliction common to Republicans.
Oh dear – first a load of fertiliser from McConJob in the previous item, then Agent Orange in this one! Can Boehner ever tell the truth? I have a mental picture of him looking in a mirror to see his reflection – and seeing just a blur as his face kept changing and changing and whirring round and round due to him lying in his teeth about almost everything in the world! Even his fellow GOPs are angry at some of this round of lies!
For the very first (and probably last) time in my life I hope Revolting Rush is right – and that all President Obama has to do is go out and make a couple of tough speeches and the Republicans will fold! Oh I do hope so!
Basically the GOP as always are lying in their teeth and they have now done a record number of lies that mean they have tied themselves in knots. But just as when Rmoney said a few months ago that they would not let their campaign be dictated by fact checkers – so his colleagues continue the same way and just lie, lie, lie…
Pat, I think I know what Agent Orange said, the last time he told the truth: "I want another drink, Make it a double."
I agree.
Are your Tories like that?
I agree with Pat A. I hope Rush is right. I shared this on Facebook so that some of my Republican friends can be reminded of how we got in this mess. Every one I know is sick of Congress and their flimsy excuses.
Ditto, Edie!
The Republican/Teabaggers have been so busy playing games, trying to out do and do in Mr Obama and the Democrats, that I think they have caught a really big fish, themselves! With all their conniving, they have managed to shoot themselves in the foot! Hence, even Limbaugh is confused, and when Limbaugh says he can't answer a question, you KNOW there is something bizzare going on. I think that Johnny boy is in his cups again! (…still?)
Still! See my reply to Pat!