Boehner Letting Senate, Obama Act First On Major Issues

He says 'it's my rear end that got burnt' in past negotiations

After years of battling it out, House Speaker John Boehner is taking a new "you first" approach in negotiating with President Barack Obama and the Democrats. He's letting the Senate pass bills before he takes them on, the Associated Press reports.

"If he's got such good ideas, his party in the Senate could pass it," Boehner told the AP. "Then we'd be happy to take a look at it."

The Ohio Republican has been letting Obama and the Senate take the initiative on some major policy issues: gun control, immigration reform, and the sequester, the AP story said.

After two failed rounds of budget negotiations in the past, Boehner said, "Frankly, every time I've gotten into one of these high-profile negotiations, you know, it's my rear end that got burnt."

Boehner said it's up to Obama and the Senate to propose a way to avert the looming automatic, across-the-board spending cuts known as a "sequester" set to kick in on March 1.

"Remember, this is the president's idea. He insisted on this," he said. "And until he puts forward a plan to replace the sequester and his Senate Democratic colleagues pass it, we're going to be stuck with it."

Via the Associated Press

Do you agree with Boehner's approach?

[Food4thoughts]

Con los teroristas!

[Dan_Tien]

"If he's got such good ideas, his party in the Senate could pass it," Boehner told the AP. "Then we'd be happy to f**k it up."

[MaxPain]

Orange glow man the Nations Super hero to the Fruit Loop Crowed.

[justapirate]

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
A smart move on Boehner's part. Makes sense, too.

[DogLady_1]

smart for him maybe, but it doesn't do us any good... what? Is congress now gonna sit on their hands until the senate does something? ludicrous! More do-nothing, procrastination and game-playing, IMO...

[justapirate]

@DogLady_1 As I replied to Grubby, yep, that's a dysfunctional bunch. Something had to happen. Why not this?

[DogLady_1]

@justapirate - why not this? because it's more games... If he wanted to do something novel, he should get his butt in there with the dems and be a part of the solution process. I think this is sour grapes... and I am tired of the games... partisanship is ruining our republican form of gov't! I'd rather him be ignored in a room full of dems than sitting on his hands and doing nothing... and given his past record, he will wait to see what they offer, then he'll shoot it all down anyway. games...

[Tralee]

Agree, he's been tricked too many times, time for Obama et. al. to do a little work for a change. LOL - sure, like that's going to happen.

[DogLady_1]

@Tralee - It is not the job of a president to legislate... that is a violation of the constitution! The senate needs to get off their duffs and do some work, but the only thing a POTUS can do is set the agenda... he cannot write legislation.

[Real4WheelDrv]

I dunno why he bothers, he's doomed no matter what he does. If he throws anything BACK for negotiation, his own party says he's weak, if he says no and asks the Senate to come up with something new, then the Republicans are once again seen as obstructionist. If anything I think he should keep proposing things for the Senate to vote down so they can be seen as equally obstructionist...it's not like all the spoiled brats in D.C. will DO anything until hours before...or in case of the last major lockup...hours AFTER the deadline.

[Tralee]

It's time for the House to just let things happen, after all, unless one is deaf and blind, we KNOW that we will be blamed no matter what happens. So, let Obama and crew do a little leading and planning for a change. I think, if the MSM was not in Obama's back pocket, we would have seen that the R's have proposed many things to have them sit on Harry's desk and never get out for even an up/down vote. There is plenty of evidence, unfortunately, no one in the MSM is interested in reporting on it.

[Real4WheelDrv]

@Tralee Sad thing is, in the months I've been on Politix, I'm even more convinced that the entire country is full of morons who would March in lockstep straight to Hell as long as they were the ones making the final decisions, even if D.C. had a GPS they STILL couldn't find their ass with both hands. Sad too, because I was ALREADY a jaded old codger who was convinced everyone was out to !@#$ in my Cheerios, and I'm not even 30 yet lol.

[Tralee]

@Real4WheelDrv Well at my advanced age, I got to see DC actually work, both parties mind you, for the GOOD of all America. Sometimes I didn't agree, but I never once felt any of them, not even poor old Jimmy Carter, meant actual harm to the country and to a whole segment of it's citizens. Now, we have a president who have basically written off white males, and conservative women in favor of selected minorities who can be influenced by a hand out or favor of some sort. It is sad, and I don't see it getting any better until we get a less divisive president. Unfortunately, a certain progressive tone has been set and I doubt that will be able to change any time soon. The hate the rich, soak the rich, you didn't build that mantra is a handy crutch for those who have no real desire to extend themselves and do the hard work and spend the years needed to succeed in any endeavor. It's all gimme mine now, I don't want to wait and work for it.

[Real4WheelDrv]

@Tralee That's the thing though, in my heart of hearts I honestly think the president BELIEVES he's doing the best job he can for the majority of people. I don't think it's any sort of con game on his part...but on the other hand...his IMAGE is divisive, because you're not allowed to disagree with him because you're a racist, even if you never say a racist word about him.

[Real4WheelDrv]

@Real4WheelDrv Just like the other day when I said the exact same thing about how conservatives/Republicans have been getting called racists since he was elected in '08...and Zazziness said "it's because of all the racist things people say about him that they're racist" Really? So all the people who hate Bush secretly hated white people too? Cause you can't point to an instance that I know of of an actual GOP official, not just an average citizen, saying anything racist against the President. Hell, Biden said one of the most racially charged things during the election with his chains comment.

[Clara007]

More whining from the Right? Boehner needs to man-up and .....oh what's that word.....oh yeah, LEAD. John, stay off the golf course and out of the family pub. Start doing your job.

[mtkopf]

Be nice Clara. You're going toake him cry.

[Clara007]

@mtkopf
You are so right. I'll try to be nice.(-:

[Speedieg]

He is so weak, he and his party won't offer anything to make things better.

[PoliticalSpice]

This is the best move for him. Anything the whitehouse proposes he cannot get through, any compromise he proposes won't be approved by the republican caucus, and if they do pass anything and he takes it to the white house any counterproposal obama makes is dead on arrival. If he wants to get anything past house repubs he needs to be able to say senate repubs have approved it this is the best we can do...

[BelinKS]

He's right. They have proven they will not negotiate with him. Obama made this bed, let him lay in it. The house can look at the bill, if it's not acceptable, send suggestions and the bill back to the senate. If they come up with something acceptable, sign it.

[CPT_Ethanolic]

When it gets to the senate, all the GOP does is filibuster. The GOP right now is a bunch of children throwing temper tantrums because they can't get what they want.

[BelinKS]

@CPT_Ethanolic
We disagree. The senate has a majority of democrats. They can pass legislation, then to the house that has a majority Republicans. It hasn't worked the other way, time to try something new. I once heard this saying, "the definition of irony should be trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." I think irony could be replaced by lunacy in this situation.

[sevenSecrets]

@BelinKS no you only gave the definition for lunacy. none of that was about irony.

[CPT_Ethanolic]

A majoriy means nothing. Unless you have a super-majority, the legislation can be filibustered. Anything not getting 60 votes in the senate is DOA.

[BelinKS]

@sevenSecrets
Think about it a little more. It's ironic too. But I did say it was lunacy.

[DapperDave]

Is he the Speaker of the House or the Meeker of the House? A coward should never be entrusted with a position of leadership.

[drpeeper]

When you ship Jobs Bill after Jobs Bill to the Senate and they refuse to vote- then what? he's giving Obama and Reid the chance to lead and put their name on things. Something they are both scared to do.

[AceLuby]

@drpeeper Again, calling a bill a 'jobs bill' doesn't make it one. Not one of those bills actually creates jobs and therefore are not actually jobs bills. At least call them what they are, deregulation bills and tax cuts, neither of which deals with the core issue w/ our economy, low aggregate demand.

[drpeeper]

@AceLuby You mean like the Keystone deal - endorses by Democrats as well? Believe it or not, Gov't pencil pusher jobs paid for by taxpayers- with healthcare- pensions retirements,raises and benefits paid by taxpayers isn't helping either.

Welcome to the real world.

[DerivePI]

So I guess we're saying that the HOR hasn't acted on fiscal issues at all. They haven't passed a budget and they continue to be the only dysfunctional part of the Federal government.

Stay happy!

http://www.thesecondset.net/blog/wp-content/u...

[Arumizy]

Regardless what we do or how bad an Obama bill is we will be cast as obstructionist if we do not support it 100%. Doesn't matter if there is tons of pork for rum distilleries and what not or if the bill will crush the economy. After all under Obama compromising and working with other parties means to ignore anything they say and go with the my way or the high way.

[Russell797]

The Republicans had better be negotiating with themselves so they have a clear idea what is acceptable and what is not from their perspective. Time is of the essence.

[DARSB]

Other than keeping his Speaker's position, what has Mr Boehner accomplished for the country in the past couple of years? He really is the weakest Speaker in my lifetime.

[PoliticalSpice]

Don't say that. You're gonna make him cry. Really, boehner is in a no win situation. Anything he proposes the tea types will block, anything they would agree to would be a starting point for obama. Once he took it too obama and obama made a counter proposal his tea types would block that. The drama thatensues just hardens positions. This might be the only practical solution left...

[Grubby]

A pretty good tactic. Actually, Harry Reid cannot get anything passed by his Democratic controlled Senate. He can't even muster a majority by keeping all the Democrats in line. Hard for Reid and Obama to blame Boehner if the Senate cannot pass a bill. Boehner has sent dozens of bills over to the Senate that have passed the house, and Reid just sits on them. He won't bring the House bills up for a vote, and cannot get anything passed in the Senate. Let's highlight the real problem in Washington....it sure isn't the House.

[justapirate]

I agree. I'm not sold on Boehner, he can't get his house in order, but the Dems are gonna block ANYTHING that comes out of his house. He's got a no-win scenario. He just called out the other side and he was right to do it. First step to breaking gridlock. Now he's gonna have to get his bunch under control. I wish him luck.

[Grubby]

@justapirate The thing is, NOTHING can pass the Senate. Reid is unable to get all his Democrats on board, so he just sits back and waits for Boehner to pass something, he sits on it and never brings it to a vote, then calls out Beohner and the Republicans for blocking legislation. Reid and Obama went to the same school - lie enough and pretty soon people might start thinking you are telling the truth.

[justapirate]

@Grubby Oh, I gotta agree, the whole bunch is dysfunctional. Right now, though, Obama thinks he wants to call the shots and the Dems are willing to give him carte blanc and block or ignore ANYTHING out of the Pubs. It's a stalemate. One of the players just threw it back in the other's face. Eh, I'd a done it, too.

[Grubby]

@justapirate I am sure Reid is panicked right now. Obama is demanding and Reid can't deliver. Boehner took his ball and went home, so the only thing Obama can do is put pressure on Reid.

[justapirate]

@Grubby Yep, and I wanna see what they do now. Personally, I love it.

[zabba]

He and the GOP need to get with the program. The days of old flabby cry baby religious dudes and dudetts controlling America are over. Progressiveness is the new wave.

[Buckfan4life2]

Barrack HooBlame Obama, I have sit back for 4 years and watch this man accomplish NOTHING but blaming everyone under the sun but himself for all his miserable failures even throwing his own people under the bus at times. I have always been told all thru life about people like this and it looks like you Obamamites could have figured it out by now. How come half of this country can see this man for what he is and the other half is completely blinded by his every move. The only time he didn't blame Bush for something was when he should have and that was killing Bin Ladin. Boy Obama sure was lucky Bush waterboarded the terroist instead of flat out zapping them dead from drones because dead men don't talk. How does this man not make you want to PUKE!

[AceLuby]

The problem Boehner has with this is, like what happened w/ the domestic violence bill that was overwhelmingly passed by the Senate, he will still refuse to hold a vote on any of these bills. Boehner makes Pelosi look like she did a good job (and I can't stand that woman).

[DogLady_1]

Hey Boehner: If it's too hot, get out of the kitchen! It's not your butt that we are concerned about.... you ran for office for your butt to get burned so our's wouldn't... More games... that's your strategy? Ugh! Listen, I know you are dealing with a bunch of selfish titty-babies, but someone's gotta wear the grown-up pants. I don't like you, but I respect you alot, but this do nothing until the senate does stuff is not gonna fly with me... there is too much on the line and too little time for you to act. Get your butt back in the kitchen!

[Tralee]

Finally Charlie Brown is not gonna fall for Lucy's football trick. About time.

[harold_lloyd]

Boehner is probably the least effective house leader in my memory. He can't negotiate because he can't deliver the votes of his party members. Chaos reigns in the Republican caucus.
Teabaggers are still desperate to have it all their way, and there may not be any effective action on the economy until after the 2014 elections. If we're still at an impasse by then, I think most of the ultra-conservatives will voted out to be replaced by more moderate people.

[texas_cutie75]

Everyone in D.C. needs to get with the program and fix our issues. Quit blaming everyone else and do the jobs your constituents voted for you to do! Hell, I might run for office, its getting freaking ridiculous!!

[Russell797]

That's exactly what they are trying to do, and neither side will give an inch because their constituents will hang them out to dry if they do. The issue isn't really with the politicians, it's the widening ideological gap permeating the general population they represent.