# John Boehner and Obama too **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 1, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852 "2011-09-01T16:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/21 "2011-09-01T17:41:01Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I think someone in Obama’s admin blew it. They should have checked the schedules before setting up the speech. The next day is better for all and not a huge imposition for Obama. > Now the Repubs have a rallying point for their debates. I agree the administration should have done their homework here. But I respect Obama in this case for being accommodating and holding it off for one day, instead of turning it into yet another partisan dick-waving contest. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/22 "2011-09-01T17:43:01Z")
> **[CNN Debate: No Johnson, No Roemer, But We Invited Rudy and Palin!](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2011/09/cnn-debate-no-johnson-no-roemer-but-we-invited-rudy-and-palin.html)** > > In a statement, CNN announces its line-up for the September 12 Tea Party Express co-sponsored debate in Tampa: Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Michele Bachmann,... CNN invites Sarah Palin and Rudy Nineeleven to participate in the debates. Doesn’t matter how weird I get, I can’t possibly keep up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/23 "2011-09-01T17:47:13Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > [CNN Debate: No Johnson, No Roemer, But We Invited Rudy and Palin!](http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2011/09/01/cnn_debate_no_johnson_no_roemer_but_we_invited_rudy_and_palin_.html) > > CNN invites Sarah Palin and Rudy Nineeleven to participate in the debates. Doesn’t matter how weird I get, I can’t possibly keep up. Ratings, baby, ratings. Not sure RG would help much, but SP? You-betcha! 😉 ETA: Hey, if they could get Tina Fey to IMPERSONATE her at the debates, they would get me as a viewer, too! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/24 "2011-09-01T17:48:10Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > A very well written pitting if I don’t say so myself. I am deeply dissapointed in our government, though I am still young (only 25), I am quickly losing my optimism. When the hell is Obama going to stop giving speeches and actually put out some GREAT legislation on tax reform, job creation, etc. It’s sad to see that republicans are the only ones actually trying to do anything, with Obama just standing around to pontificate endlessly on why the republicans are wrong. He has turned into the president of no, when the republicans used to be the party of no. What precisely have the Republicans done other than almost crashing the economy by failing to raise the debt ceiling? Has there been any helpful legislation that Obama has vetoed? To my mind he has tried to do a number of things such as extend the payroll tax holiday and provide additional stimulus but he hasn’t got a prayer to get anything through the just say no congress, who’s only goal seems to be to prove how useless government is by crashing it into a tree. > [@](#): > > BTW, I am a left-leaning independent, who voted a straight democratic ticket in 2008, and mostly dems in 2010 and 2004. But I am sorely dissapointed in Obama and the democrats. They simply aren’t standing up enough for what we elected them to do, and republicans are reaping the benefits. I’m seriously considering a straight republican ticket in 2012 as a protest/punishment vote, so that hopefully the dems will grow some balls. That is pretty much what the Republicans are counting on. The police haven’t cracked down enough on organized crime, so lets put a mob boss in charge as chief of police just to show them, brilliant. As to the OP, I agree. It was petty and small minded for Obama to schedule his speech at the same time as the debates. It’s not as if he is discussing some immediate emergency crisis. If it can be scheduled a week and a half in advance it can wait an extra day or two. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/25 "2011-09-01T17:49:21Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I agree the administration should have done their homework here. But I respect Obama in this case for being accommodating and holding it off for one day, instead of turning it into yet another partisan dick-waving contest. My mom always said: Never get in a dick waving contest with a Black man or a Boehner. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/26 "2011-09-01T17:51:45Z")
What it appears like to me is that Barack Obama and John Boehner are both trying to prove that they’re in charge of things. The reality is that if either man was truly in charge, he wouldn’t feel the need to fight over trivial issues like this. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/27 "2011-09-01T17:52:57Z")
If only there were ten scheduled debates instead of one single debate. Oh waiit, there are ten debates. Boehner is a tool. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/28 "2011-09-01T17:55:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What it appears like to me is that Barack Obama and John Boehner are both trying to prove that they’re in charge of things. The reality is that if either man was truly in charge, he wouldn’t feel the need to fight over trivial issues like this. Only one of them felt the need to fight about it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/29 "2011-09-01T17:56:58Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > If only there were ten scheduled debates instead of one single debate. Oh waiit, there are ten debates. > > Boehner is a tool. If only there were 364 other days in the year for Obama to give this speech. If only he could just fucking implement his damn program and spare us the speechifying. The speech isn’t what is important. What’s important is getting the damn thing through Congress, which is going to be a monumental task. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/30 "2011-09-01T18:00:37Z")
Well, at least Obama did the smart thing and moved it to a time that won’t piss anyone off. No one will mind if NBC preempts the kickoff of the NFL season (even if it _is_ the final hour of pregame coverage), right? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/31 "2011-09-01T18:03:41Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If only there were 364 other days in the year for Obama to give this speech. It’s not the President’s job or problem to tailor his schedule around Republicans’ curricular activities. If he needs to speak to them, he needs to speak to them. Their playtime plans are of no consequence. It isn’t their job to have debates. It’s their job to address unemployment. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/32 "2011-09-01T18:05:20Z")
That’s the day Congress gets back from vacation. The Obama symbolism is “Let’s get right to work on this!” The Boner symbolism is “Fuck you!”, with a dash of “You’re not the boss of me!” Besides, Obama says he told him, Boner has yet to deny it. So, he did. Because if Boner could deny it and get away with, bet your sweet ass he would! ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/33 "2011-09-01T18:09:27Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > . I’d rather throw my vote toward a flametarded Bachmann or Perry than have to listen to Obama’s meaningless platitudes anymore. Congratulations, you’re going to throw your weight behind electing someone that you disagree with who will probably be able to appoint at least one Supreme Court Justice, possibly two, to influence policy decisions FAR behind their term of office, all because you don’t think Obama’s been enough of your bitch. Look, I’m pretty disappointed in a lot of Obama’s performance. I think he could be doing a lot more about a lot of things than he is. But I’m certainly not going to take the chance that Bachmann or Perry, both of whom are Teabagger religious NUTBAGS, have a chance to light a flamethrower to things that are important to me in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/34 "2011-09-01T18:10:44Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > It’s not the President’s job or problem to tailor his schedule around Republicans’ curricular activities. If he needs to speak to them, he needs to speak to them. Their playtime plans are of no consequence. Apparently they are, since Boehner just made Obama his bitch on this point. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/35 "2011-09-01T18:11:26Z")
Obama made a dumb play, he took the “grownup in the room” approach. He fucked up, he trusted us. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/36 "2011-09-01T18:16:23Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If only there were 364 other days in the year for Obama to give this speech. > > If only he could just fucking implement his damn program and spare us the speechifying. The speech isn’t what is important. What’s important is getting the damn thing through Congress, which is going to be a monumental task. Dude. C’mon, I know you aren’t as ignorant as that makes you out to be. How do you want him to implement his program? It needs to get through congress. Boehner runs the house. He won’t allow a vote on anything that Obama wants even a little. So in order to implement \*anything \*he needs to sway public opinion so that the Republicans dare not obstruct. To do that he needs to speechify. And joint sessions are the most powerful speechifying tool he has. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/37 "2011-09-01T18:16:47Z")
Much ado about nothing. Few are going to watch the speech, even fewer will watch the debate. The speech is going to be boilerplate “blah blah… bipartisanship…blah blah infrastructure… blah blah tax breaks… blah blah green jobs… blah blah deficit… blah blah bipartisanship.” The Republicans will knock themselves over in a rush to get to a podium to be the first to channel the little old lady from _Blazing Saddles_ and say “up yours, nigger.” Then the NFL season starts and by the next Monday this will all be forgotten. The Obama plan will be dead on arrival in Boner Boy’s House and the right will spin it all as another Obama failure. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/38 "2011-09-01T18:22:01Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Apparently they are, since Boehner just made Obama his bitch on this point. That’s on Obama, not Boner, and it’s also beside my point that this was not a conflict between items of equal importance. Obama wanted Boner to do his job. Boner wanted to go watch a bum fight instead. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/39 "2011-09-01T18:25:11Z")
We got shit we need to fix. We will have to fix the shit, today, or tomorrow. Today, we can borrow the money cheap. And the concrete, steel, etc. is as affordable as its going to get. Thats half the point, isn’t it, to start a recovery so concrete and steel gets more expensive. Borrowing the money and buying the materials today will save us money in the long run. Plus, it will put people back to work. Its deficit spending, so its a gamble. But if the odds of winning are fifty-fifty, and the payoff is ten to one in your favor…you make the bet. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852/40 "2011-09-01T18:28:44Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I’m really quite new to this board… but after having been here a few days, I would hardly call this a “leftist” board. There are plenty of conservative and mixed opinions I’ve read here… > > Adressing a joint session of congress is NOT going to do anything, politically or practically, and OBAMA should know this. He is a fucking idiot and if he gets up on national television again without proposing some VERY specific solutions to our problems, I am going to vote against him in 2012. I’d rather throw my vote toward a flametarded Bachmann or Perry than have to listen to Obama’s meaningless platitudes anymore. All this speach is going to be is more excuses for why the current economic situation is all the fault of the House and Senate, of both parties, and not a lack of vision on Obama’s part. He is quite above the little details and will continue to deflect blame to Congress, or the Republicans, or the Democrats who are starting to question him. But he will certainly not have a real plan or solution that he will accept accountability for. He will try to rattle their cages and put them back to work _solving the problems that face this country_, something that he is far to disconnected to do. Then he will propose large infrastructure projects like light rail, high-speed rail and highway improvements, and of course more ‘green’ jobs. A stimulus to ‘get the country moving again’ that will mostly throw money at public works projects that do not create long term jobs or increase government tax revenue. None of these things will help with the job situation or with deficit reduction. Deficit reduction comes when tax revenue increases, tax revenue increases when business’ make and sell more products and services. This was the secret to the success of the Clinton presidency. Whether Bill created the boom or just rode the wave is a debate I don’t know the answer to. But throwing money at the public sector does not accomplish the expected results. He is not an idiot, but that is the only solution this president knows and his on-the-job training isn’t teaching him anything else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-boehner-and-obama-too/594852.md?page=3)