What a day! So much has happened. The big item is that John Boehner, following the legacy of so many Republicans before him, abandoned the debt ceiling talks. Obama had a busy day between his town hall and his press conference Republicans are lying nonstop, trying to hide their sedition. The good faith and credit of the United States, still held hostage by Republican blackmail, wavers on a razor’s edge. I shall address these events, including concrete proof that Boehner is lying, in a series of seven videos and extensive commentary, including complete video of both Obama’s town hall meeting and his press conference.
Obama seemed relaxed and confident at the town hall meeting, addressing the concerns of common people with clarity and compassion.
If you prefer a transcript, click here.
Whoever said this man cannot function without his teleprompter is crazy.
I thought this would be the story until the bomb dropped. Boehner abandoned the talks. In Obama’s subsequent press conference, I have never seen him this confrontational.
The only transcript I could find is at WSJ, and I refuse to link to Murdoch.
Obama offered Republicans the moon, knowing Boehner would refuse it.
Next Agent orange held a press conference of his own. Here is his limp repLIE.
Note that he said he had a deal, but Obama moved the goalposts. Can we believe him? HELL NO! Less than 24 hours earlier, he kissed the ring of the de facto head of the Republican Party, and this is what he said then.
“There is no deal! No deal publicly, no deal privately, there is absolutely no deal.” As I promised, there is the absolute proof that Boehner lied. In addition, Obama is going public with the tick-tock.
For analysis, Keith Olbermann covered this with Brian Beutler on Countdown.
Rachel Maddow, after about seven minutes of introduction, discussed the Republican war on reality with Barney Frank.
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And Lawrence O’Donnell, in keeping with what I was saying even before he did, shows how Obama is keeping Republicans on the run.
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It was Republicans, not Obama, who moved the goal posts, by adding a last minute requirement that Obama remove the individual mandate from HCR.
What I have been saying, still rings true. Obama could say, “Here, take granny, put her on a spit and slow roast her over a slow fire.” As delightful as Republicans might find that, as long as he tied it to such items as tax breaks for criminal corporations and asking the super-rich to pay a little more, he would never have to hand granny over. The best solution remaining is to just raise the debt ceiling, and that is what Obama had said wanted at the start of this Republican crisis.
I may be wrong about one thing. I have believed all along that Republicans would cave-in to protect Wall Street from the devastation a default would bring. It appears that the Tea Party is too stupid to understand this. I would hope that the pre-tea Republicans would join Democrats to avert the crisis. It may be that they would rather ravage America than admit defeat in their blackmail. It that is true, for Obama and Democrats to cave-in to Republican terrorism would devastate the nation just as severely as default, maybe more so.
I originally advocated a 14th Amendment solution, but on further thought, that has the problem that enforcing the Constitution is the purview of the courts, not the President. He has no authority to do so without a court order. However, when Presidents have claimed over the years to have emergency powers to protect the nation in times of crisis, both Lincoln and FDR for example. If Republicans do throw America off the cliff, I hope Obama will invoke them at that point.
We wait and see,
21 Responses to “Obama Gets Tough; Boehner Goes Limp”
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Lets look at what these wealthy men are trying to protect beyond their corporate campaign owners who give them $$ for their re-election.
Boehner is a good example at a net worth of 8 million dollars his yearly taxes at 34% are 2,720,000 dollars, if the effective tax rate goes up to 39% that number jumps to 3,120,000 now we know he doesn’t pay taxes on his net worth but rather the gains year over year which is still substantial. Take those numbers and extrapolate them onto those who make millions & billions per year now you’re talking real money, each billionaire who actually paid a fair share of taxes would pay enough to employ hundreds at more than minimum wage level with a B tier medical insurance.
But the point being is all of them can say like Obama did (net worth 5 million) the wealthier should pay a LITTLE MORE what it would show is that they were not protecting their own self interest. In other words they are all not serving the people but rather themselves. Thatis the human way to be.
I doubt very seriously these guys on either side of the aisle are holding large amounts of T bills right now, You do know they have exempted themselves from insider trading laws right? So if they know there is a a better than 75% chance the country will default it will be in the bond market…bet they all sold their holdings in the worlds safest investment at least a month ago.
Mark I have no doubt that T-bills are scarce in Congressional accounts.
Gotta agree w/ yesterday’s strongly worded NY Time Editorial “The Party That Can’t Say Yes” – especially when they wrote:
And White House link to transcript of Pres. Obama’s news conference:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president
I fully agree.
Thanks Nameless. That wasn’t posted yet when I wrote the article.
Arrogant thugs. Nazis.
No argument there, Leslie.
Obama talks a good game, but when is he going even to try to do something to oppose the plutocrats and forces of organized money who think they own our governmment? The only concrete proposal I heard was a veiled reference to the so-called “free trade” agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama, which are the same NAFTA types of treaties which ALWAYS make money for a small slice of American plutocrats and ALWAYS destroy American jobs for everyone else. He’s also still stuck on this idea that we’re spending too much money during a recession, which is not true, and is still comparing our government to a “family” which is economic hogwash. He has nothing to offer to try to reverse the flow of manufacturing and jobs offshore and nothing to offer to try to reverse the huge inequality of income which exists in our country, which has also helped to destroy the ability of people to move up the economic ladder. Sorry, but he talks and generally acts like a right-of-center corporatist, although he’s still light-years better than any Republican.
Welcome Ed. 🙂
I would say the CFPB. Remember that he has supported excellent progressive legislation that passed in the House and died in the senate.
“Do I have any major regrets?” He sounds just like the Kennebunkport Cowboy as he says, “No regrets.” I regret that he was much too timid to use the momentum of his election to become the next coming of FDR, which everyone, including Republicans, expected. The Republicans would have been forced to go along, just like the Democrats did when Reagan was elected and really pushed his right-wing vision and got it passed, although, of course, it has been extremely destructive to our country over the long haul. It’s just not true that we’ve become more polarized because the right-wing has become more right-wing and the liberals have become more liberal. The right-wing and Republicans have become extremely right-wing, while the liberals have also moved more to the right, just not as much as the Republicans. Eisenhower or Nixon would be moderate Democrats today. Accordingly, the President is endorsing a view which is just not true. Incidentally, those questions seemed to be one softball after the other. Were they planted in any way?
I agree that the entire political spectrum has moved to the right. Whether the questions were planted, I cannot say. I have no evidence that they were or that they weren’t.
Dude, I’m sharing this for the title alone. Great job on all of it though. Still the title is gonna make me smile through the collapse of the states like the republicans want.
Thanks Murky. I hope you’re wrong, but won’t bet on it… yet.
Tom, you are absolutely correct when you say the Tea Party is stupid. All they have is anger and they don’t even know what they are angry about other than the fact that there is (gasp!) a black man in the White House. As for Boner, someone should take a big stick and beat the shit out of him – Cantor and the rest of the GOP also. And if they just didn’t happen to survive the beating, well……..
I’d like to be the one holding that stick – beating him senseful. He’s already senseless.
C’mon guys. Violence is the Republican way. We’re better than that.
I agree that these freshman representatives are stupid. They don’t know what they’re doing.
Actually they do. They are doing as Koch commands.
Obama got tough alright—on me and other widows, orphans, old people, sick people, poor people.
Progressives: Develop your spines and call upon Obama to resign.He is the Great Betrayer in search of his idiotic Grand Bargain with Wall Street. He has a golden parachute already; we can’t wait another 1.5 years until he gets a platinum one from Wall Street.
Stop blaming just the bought-out professional Republicans in Congress-they are just as but no more despicable than the bought-out professional Democrats such as Obama and his friend Durbin of the Gang of Six. They are all playing to Wall Street by selling out the people.
I for one am no longer willing to be divided and conquered. I have more in common with any republican citizen who is or will be dependent upon social security than I do with the political-class Boehners and Obamas who work for Wall Street. These Republican voters are coming to the same realization I am.
If progressives stop the kissing the behinds of rich politicians and reach out to the workers (yes many of them Republican voters by default) they have been laughing at and calling stupid, the Left would win.
(Hint: calling people stupid , and making fun of them actually makes it more difficult to build common cause).
My question is: Does the Left want to really win for the people or just want to feel superior to the rest of typical America.
Welcome Terisal. 🙂
Interesting rant.You remind me a lot of me 45 years ago. Reality distates that we base strategy on what is, not on what we wish for.
Ween I refer to the Tea Party, I am referring to the politicians and pundits.
This whole thing has turned into a clusterfuck of “he said, he said”. I believe the president to be an honest man – Boner would lie to sell his own mother. If she is alive, I bet she’s changed her name and moved, with no forwarding address. 🙄
Good point Lisa. He lied about that too.