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If you're the Democrats, you can make all the policy points you want, but in a campaign year like this one, what you really want is to have all the bad things you want to say about the other party personified in one very easily caricatured opponent.
And in 2010, that easily caricatured opponent has actually identified himself. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) set himself up as the new Republican standard-bearer by calling for President Obama to can his economic team and by then advancing his own economic platform for the nation.
President Obama set about making Rep. Boehner as famous as possible in his stimulus speech yesterday in his home turf of Cleveland. Mr. Obama called out the congressman eight times by name. "Mr. Boehner dismissed these jobs we saved –- teaching our kids, patrolling our streets, rushing into burning buildings -– as 'government jobs' -– jobs I guess he thought just weren't worth saving," the president told the crowd.
There's political gain to be had in personifying your opposition, Princeton professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell said. There's also political risk. "You've suggested that your president can be beaten by a potential speaker of the House," she told us on the show last night.
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Koch Brothers and Corporate Tyranny : Back in the 70s, High School degrees in Florida required taking a course called “American vs. Communism”. We were told to boycott the Beatles because Paul McCartney was a Communist for writing “Back to the USSR”. Regulation and zoning were branded “creeping socialism”. This course was funded by the Billionaires Club. In return, Corporations were repeatedly absolved of accountability and corporate profits increased. The definition of Fascism is “Industry in control of Government” (Mario Cuomo). No socialism here…
This is the result of deceiving America.
WARNING - THIS IS PRETTY RAW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1MazfmZYxw
Boehner is lazy and he's a drunk. The people of Ohio are tired of his nonrepresentation of them.
He has a big surprise coming in November.
Agreed. THe ten point spread the Republicans had last week has all but fizzled. I think Obama needs to be out giving speeches more. Inspires the public and it makes the masses feel good. Feel good means people are happier, spend more and spures the economy.
I don't believe polls anymore. I think the pollsters have all been bought.
The republicans will do anything to keep thir jobs in Washington. Boehner's approval ratings are worse than the IRS (around 12%).
How about an ambush interview of Boehner as he comes out of that bar at 2:00 am every morning?
Interview him with his favorite backdrop, a bar, not in the middle of Congress. Ask him about his hard work to get jobs for America or something. At least help him to his car.
More than anything Mr Boehner has been the poster boy for obstructionism, which has been the GOP strategy since Mr Obama was elected prez. How can someone like him could be even considered as competition for the Democrats is beyond me. He is definitely a joke, a caricature of sorts, with a lousy sense of politics and an all out mean spirit against change and social progress. But then again, this is America and seems like America can't have enough of them greedy, corporate loving, xenophobic leaders. To each its own
Haven't all the Republicans been running against Speaker Pelosi for years? And I mean nastily, too! The gaggle of them in our district primary weren't really campaigning against our incumbent Blue Dog Democrat...they were all frothing at the mouth to get to Washington to take on Nancy!
So, although I don't recall any Republican President actually calling out Tip O'Neill in the past, I don't really think the punditry has much of a point here: the "diminishing the President" bit is fluff. President Obama has demonstrated a very solid sense of when to be sober, mild mannered Mr. President and when to step into the phone booth, roll up his sleeves and jump out as Campaign Superman. Let's not let our Lois Lane romanticism carry us away...we all adore Campaign Superman but really, it's Mr. President who gets things done.
I will now put away my fan and step down off the soapbox.
John Boehner=Scut Farkus the bully from A Christmas Story
I fear Obama's appropriate calling out of Boehner is too little, too late. The "framing" and hammering of Boehner, the Tea Party and Republicans should have been initiated by the President the moment he was sworn in. Instead, the MSM have written the narrative - Dems are going to lose badly - and will admit no responsibility if indeed the narrative comes true. Nor will they lose if the narrative is proven false - they will simply say "all of the polling told us one thing, but voters told us another." It's always a win-win for the MSM. And Faux News just keeps on spinning and spinning, stirring up the ignorant and lunatic fringe bent on exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. God and Rachel, help us all.
What any elected official says is absolute fair-game for the President to address. I wish he would do it more often. Obama won the election in 08, meaning his views and policies are backed by a majority of the citizens. How his opponents can think or say that they are representing the majority of the people is astonishing. They need to be put in their proper place. In my opinion, that would be the unemployment line.
I wish the president would address things much more often. The more he opens his mouth the more people realize what bull is coming out of it. I wonder if his oppenents would act the same as others in the unemployment line, which is nothing because they know that Obama will keep extending their benefits so they can sit on the couch and refuse to look for work that pays the same as unemployment. Can't blame them though. I would love the working class to pay for my expenses also.
Obviously you are someone who has never been unemployed, or known someone who is unemployed. If so, you are quite the statistical anomaly, as practically everyone today has either a family or friend who is out of work. The harsh reality is that there are 3 million job openings for 15 million unemployed. Do the math, genius....there aren't enough jobs for all the unemployed. The myth of the lazy unemployed person sitting on their couch, buying drugs, alcohol and big screen tvs on the "bounteous" unemployment benefits is the 2010 version of the stereotypical welfare queen that repubs trotted out for years, and is just as fallacious.
Compassionate conservatism? Another myth. Just be honest and admit you hate the "real" Americans that repubs claim to support, all the while doing all they can to cut off help for them and doing their best to help the "poor" corporations that stole over a trillion dollars from you, the taxpayer, in the form of bailouts. Repub = liar and hypocrite.
Until Wall St and the banks wreaked the economy the Republicans called these people "THE AMERICAN WORKER - BEST IN THE WORLD".
OK, which is it? Best worker in the world or lazy scum? I just want to know what to believe so I can say the right thing now....
Political risk? I don't see it. Boehner and his Party has been very successful in attacking Obama and his Party, no? It is good that O is attacking Boehner, and not Bush, because Boehner is still "in the game." Game on!
No, but members of the world's largest tabloid media empire, Rupert Murdock's Fox News have been doing a professional job.
The rest of the world looks on Murdock's media the way we look at the National Enquirer. He made his fortune by buying struggling legitimate newspapers and increasing circulation and value by creating controversy by making up outrageous accusations at famous people and running "Teen Mother Gives Birth to Three Headed Baby" stories. They are used to him, but Fox was and is taken seriously here.
Get a clue, it is all about anything for ratings and making money. They have no interest in informing the public, just hustling it to buy GoldLine and stuff they are paid to sell.
I see that I'm not the only one who noticed that he was clearly drunk. I can't stand Joe Scarborough but, I remember that a few months ago he stated that Boehne wasn't a hard worker according to Washington insiders and that you could find him at one of his favorite bars at 500pm sharp most of the time. Looks like Jethro Scarborough finally got one right!
Come on Dems, start calling this recession the "Republican Recession!" It's catchy and TRUE!
There are other good comments on this thread, but this one deserves to be framed and sent to the DNCC. The Republicans have been winning the framing wars for all too long.
Calling this the Great Republican Recession of '08--?? is a stroke of genius. It is short and snappy and it has the added virtue of being accurate.
Moderators, please pass the original post of nickjurjens along to Rachel and encourage her to begin using it in her broadcasts.
John Boehner talked around, but never condemned the planed burning of the Quran. After hearing the warning from our military leaders,and heads of state, of possible retaliation against our solders, Boehner played the game of sitting on the political fence. How is that the member of congress would not do everything in there power to protect our soldiers? Boehner choose political gain over the protection of our American solders. So, this is the wisdom and judgement of a man that could become leader of the US House of Representatives? I think Boehner's political stunt amounts to betrayal of our solders. Boehner in fact may win political gain with his stunt, but would the price of blood of American solders worth it?
Although Mr. Boehner's most newsworthy attribute is his tan, only his cosmetologist will know. One might also wonder about the evolution of his "poker face." Making note of the phenomenon on television appearances combined with his tendency not to listen to himself when he talked, I had a tendency to get him confused with Dean Martin. An observant friend noticed that he doesn't have any wrinkles, almost at all. Aha, the innocent appearing face may not be a plaster mask but Botox. Imagine if other politicians used the same treatments.
How come you guys call the republicans the party of hate when all you do is try to make fun of every repub out there. I know, its because you can't argue with policies.