The Washington Post‘s account(1/6/11) of John Boehner’s first day as Speaker of the House could have been a press release from Boehner’s office. The headline was “A Modest Boehner Takes Congress’s Most Powerful Office.” Post readers learned that”Boehner tends to shun big moments such as these. He’s more at home on the golf course with his rank-and-file buddies.” He’s just one of us! The Post adds:
About 500 of Boehner’s constituents, including family friends from the Cincinnati area, came to see him sworn in. Many of them, as well as some D.C. lobbyists, came through his office late Wednesday morning for coffee and to pay their respects.
How did those lobbyists sneak in to say hello to this Man of the People!?
Boehner’sperhaps best known in Washington for being extraordinarilytight with corporate lobbyists. Even the recent Time cover story admitted thatDemocrats’ critique of him as cozy with lobbyists is true:
Many of Boehner’s closest personal and political friends really are lobbyists for banks, insurers and other corporations. Ever since he first joined the House leadership 15 years ago, he has been a leading Republican ambassador to K Street.
Maybe those are his “rank-and-file” golf buddies? Time adds:
He drinks his share of Merlot and hangs out with a crowd of influence peddlers in what’s known as Boehnerland. He’s a frequent flyer on corporate jets and successfully fought a ban on privately funded congressional travel in the 2007 ethics-reform bill. This election cycle alone, special interests have paid for him to take 40 trips worth $158,000. Just hours before his victory speech, he held court at his favorite Washington restaurant, Trattoria Alberto, with his 40 closest friends and advisers, the bulk of whom are corporate lobbyists.
And:
To Democrats and many in the media, “tireless fundraiser” is just a nice way of saying “bagman for K Street.” Boehner received $32,000 from clients of corrupt GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He’s raked in $2.6 million from the financial sector. When he chaired the Education Committee, Sallie Mae gave him $122,500–and his daughter a job. His lavish parties–an annual beach bash, golf tournaments in four states–are practically lobbyist conventions.
But, you know, he’s also “modest.”
matt taibbi has a counter narrative..
John Boehner is the ultimate Beltway hack, a man whose unmatched and self-serving skill at political survival has made him, after two decades in Washington, the hairy blue mold on the American congressional sandwich.
The Democrats have plenty of creatures like Boehner. But in the new Speaker of the House, the Republicans own the perfect archetype â┚¬” the quintessential example of the kind of glad-handing, double-talking, K Street toady who has dominated the politics of both parties for decades.
In sports, we talk about athletes who are the “total package,” and that term comes close to describing Boehner’s talent for perpetuating our corrupt and debt-addled status quo: He’s a five-tool insider who can lie, cheat, steal, play golf, change his mind on command and do anything else his lobbyist buddies and campaign contributors require of him to get the job done.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-the-crying-shame-of-john-boehner-20110105
Thanks for that link, Woodward burnstein. The great Tea-flaker Boehner (and it’s pronounced “boner” until that fraud calls the “Democrat Party” the Democratic Party) perfectly sums up the total co-optation of the erstwhile but stunningly naive Tea Partiers by the whores and knaves who work the lobbyists. Boehner is the champ. Expect disaster–both legislatively, and morally, as the faithful apparatchiks at FOX attempt their 24 hours-a-day covering-up of Boehner’s crimes. lies, and utter depravity and malfeasance.
Actually the e after the o takes the place of the Umlaut. We don’t have an Umlaut on our keyboards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12139150
Did anybody see that fake shark smile Polosi gave as she handed over the gavel?She wanted so much to wack him a good one on his noggin.We in the tea party will be watching him.His grace period was over ten seconds after he said thanks for the job.His first job is to defund all of Obamas so called accomplishments.
Boner, just like the astoundingly ignorant, stupid tea-baggers work solely for wealthy vested interests like the koch brothers. The only difference is that boner knows what he is doing and for who he is acting for; who is worse?
I suppose the tea-baggers deserve pity, but they are so gleefully damaging to society one finds it hard to find any for them.
Dear michael e. If I had been Nancy, my smile would have least been that of a shark. You support the Great-Obstructionist-Party which is determined to become the Great-Destructionist-Party. / I grew up in a Tea Party-mentality family. I know the us-and-them, sucker-punched TPers who support lobby-lovers like Boehner. // Jean Clelland-Morin
Well, the teabaggers “grace period” for the orange krush should be over already..
He was on NBC news Thursday evening with Brian Williams , who asked this “gotcha ” question:
WILLIAMS: Name a program right now that we could do without.
BOEHNER: I don’t think I have one off the top of my head.
Woodward…..We in the Tea party will most def be watching.And you are correct that their will be no grace period.It is a funny question and answer.My guess is the question was so nuanced, yet hidden that he refused to play.We could do without Obama care- yet not healthcare change.Of course if you want to delve into the tens of thousands of state and federal programs the question becomes Flippant.
Jean I absolutely support 180% Obstruction and destruction of most all of Obama’s legislation.Damn straight.As far as growing up in a TP family… that would mean a family that adheres to the constitution. Smaller government involvement in size and scope in our daily lives .A family that believes in personal freedom over collective.A family that believes in the rugged individualism and exeptionalism inherent in this country.A country as enumerated in the constitution with a strong hand against the ever expanding power of the federal government upon its citizens.Your folks sound like my kind of people.Love to meet em
Only in Mikey e’s weird world could this question: “Name a program right now that we could do without,” be considered “so nuanced, yet hidden.”
Boner’s been yapping for months about cutting the budget, gets a softball question right in his wheelhouse and whiffs… that’s not “refusing to play,” that’s “not being able to play.”.
perhaps it was past happy hour by the time the interview took place…
By all means read Taibbi’s article on Boehner–disturbing and raucously funny, all at once. Thanks for that info about the umlaut, Mr. Grant.
Reduce the cost of health care by debunking all arguements that keep it artificially high: “I’ll save my bull while we sacrifice your’s.”
Was Enron’s “mark to market” accounting a liberal or conservative device? Whatever it was, it hurt a lot of people. Do we need to allow similar mistakes by worshiping the false god of de-regulation?
Government: No representation without taxation: Why not make taxes paid, pay us back? I’m tired of being ripped off with tax breaks for some, but not for everyone. Why not have a federal income tax rate which is the same for all individuals, no exceptions. Corporate “persons” pay no federal income tax (and have no representation).
Why is that T-baggers sound more and more like a bad actor trying to play a villian. They rant about values (until one of thier own screws up), they rant about the constitution (which they neither understand nor follow once it’s inconvinent to them) and they pretend to be the big fish on the block when they are just being lobbiest bait?
John, are your serious about all individuals paying the same income tax. Are you saying we should have a regressive taxation system? It’s been shown to be unfair to many. If we as a group care about fairness, someone who has lots of money to live on and someone who has very little to live on, are they the same? If I can live on $1 million and have $10 million why wouldn’t I as a human being want to share naturally, because there are those who have to live on much less. The hardest hit are mothers and children, where is our compassion? It would be great if we had a system of government that didn’t treat minorities unfairly, I’m talking about the minority of the rich. Yes, they are being treated unfairly to the rest of us. The rich aren’t paying their share of the benefits because they own the power and the minds of the lawmakers.
Great link about Matt Taibbi.
Yes Tim, but alas, if you do it in German it sounds a little like our “Booner.” At best it is a kind of a “Planet Of The Apes” term. It wouldn’t be quite right for a situation like this.
Dick
Here are a few simple questions.
Mr president how high should the tax rate go for he so called rich.What is the absolute limit?
Mr president we now have just about the highest corporate tax rate in the world.How much higher would you raise it?
Mr president why have you given next to nothing to charity in your lifetime?
Mr president why do you have dirt poor relatives that you refuse to support ?
Mr president how much have you spent this year on lavish vacations while the rest of us go without?
Mr president why is Congress exempt from your health care, and please explain their huge benefit package that locks in after one year of service?
Mr president CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN infers an us against them mentality of Rich vs poor.We know who’s side you are on.So my question is how much are you worth?
Will you put your children into elitist ivy league schools or city colleges?
Will you leave them an inheritance ,or give it all back to the government that truly owns your lifes work?
Do you hope they go into social work as your wife advised,or will we wake up to your daughters having some high falutin job in 15 years or so?
Was Nancy P really a trustfund baby?
We hear VP Bidon has been a terrible guardian of his own money.A classic slips through your fingers kind of guy.Should he have any imput into this economy?
Rahm E never ran a fruit stand.Should he really be handed the keys to this economy.What is the skill set for that?
mr president what programs would you ADD for the good of us all?
Nuanced?……………Guarenteed silence
Het beleid van de vernietingsbedrijven is verschillend op diverse punten: de prijs, de manier van archiefvernietiging.
michael e: But all the questions you asked are loaded with assumptions or personal or both, whereas, “Can you name one program that should be cut?” is fair and topical. If the question had been, “Does the fact that you are an obvious hypocrite explain why you cannot name one program that should be cut?” then, yes, what you wrote would be a fair parody.
Political questions are all front loaded and back loaded with assumptions and minefields.To make a statement when you do not have the numbers in hand would be suicide sir.In such important matters there is little room for off the cuff remarks.The president does not answer such questions until he is ready to move”we will find out what is in the bill after we pass it”.To ask it of a ranking R leader is disingenuous.
OK, but your questions were loaded in a way the question to Boehner was not.
Funny isnt it………Reminds me of the election.All the questions unanswered,or played off to the side.Never could get a straight answer from Obama on damn near anything.Like nailing jello to a wall.Endless things that the left never noticed or cared about.Half truths and lies piled upon damnable lies.None of those questions over the months of asking them seemed loaded.DID YOU EVER HEAR REV WRIGHT IN THE 25 YEARS YOU KNEW HIM INTIMATELY EVER USE THIS RACIST /SEPARATIST TALK FOUND ON TAPES OF HIS SERMONS”??????????DID YOU START YOUR CAMPAIGN AT BILL AYERS HOME??????Volumes of simple questions slicked by ,by a very slippery character.Did it ever occur to you that you have a lot of nerve pointing fingers?
I am not sure which “lies” you are talking about; but the specific questions you cited seem like the kind of attacks based on marginal non-issues that opponents try to smear each other with in every major political race. These questions never warranted a response, because responding to them would confer an undeserved respectability on them. This is as opposed to the question posed Boehner, which is about a core political issue.
But let’s say you’re right, and Obama was wrong for not answering these questions exhaustively enough. So, what are you telling us turns on that? If Obama has evaded valid questions before, that means nobody is allowed to criticize an Obama opponent for avoiding a valid question?
For the record Obama ran and won on healthcare. How soon some seem to forget. That the teabaggers don’t like it (and renamed it-how clever!) is no surprise. Also worth my mention – I’m not here to defend him.
Boehner? When two vowels go walking the first one does the talking. Therefore it is pronounced Boner, at least in English.
Jedna let me answer you this way in a definative manner.If I were still on Clinton or Nadars pay role and they asked me(they wouldn’t) ….”If i am asked what programs would i cut,how far should i answer?”My answer to them would be….You can give no answer until you have numbers in hand that you are willing to back up 100%. How deftly a polititian evades being nailed down(and he was far too brusk) is inconsequential really except in a sound bite world.Nancy P was forced to say about the HC bill that you will not know what is inside until we pass it because it was so massive.Stupid but hey it was honest.
Ed You seem a smart enough guy.Please think about using the term “tea-baggers”for people who believe in the constitution and who feel the Fed is to empowered in our lives.It is a filthy term meant to insult.I would say the same to you if you used the N word for our president, or the C word for our secretary of state or the ex gov of Alaska.
For the record Obama ran and won on a very well run campaign against BUSH (who strangely was not running and did not fight back:)most people were a bit mystified but hopeful of all his rhetoric.It was time for a change..any change and he road that in.The rot set in quickly as people realized this guy was far too left for anyones taste in his legislation and his beliefs.He was talking nonsense.Today people in the majority disagree with his healthcare bill.He governed against the people and is paying for it.
By the way…..Im an early tea party member and i have always referred to the bill as the healthcare bill.If you are speaking of death panels that is only a small problem within the greater whole.The bill is never referred to in that way.
Michael e., C’mon be serious; you ask Obama rhetorical questions that are loaded with prejudice and dishonesty.
They are like this: Mikey, Are you still beating your wife???