Dear John
Yet Another Open Letter to Speaker Boehner
Dear John,
It's over. I'm taking the kids, the dog and the money in the checking account. It's not you. It's me. No wait. It's you.
Love (or not really, but like...),
The Conservative base.
Hey John - remember me, I'm Joe. I get sent up here when power has screwed up so badly that the truth spoken to it needs to be blunt and in face.
I knew that I felt too good after the speech rebutting Obama. Compared to our President Barry in petulance mode, you looked and sounded positively Presidential. You know what they say John, just when things feel really, really good, you're about to get kicked in the face.
This morning, and through the morning that good feeling unraveled. You tripped all over yourself on Rush this morning, and hurt your own cause in a manner that we have become painfully used to regarding your deals.
Let's go over it. One trillion dollars gets immediately spent. That's what raising the debt ceiling does. It will take a few months to do it. Even by your numbers it gets us back to this same place sometime around February or March of 2012. Tactically, it's a great move - nothing like having a tax and spending battle while Obama is busy trying to run for re-election. We actually think that part is brilliant. Then the plan goes south.
We can start with the numbers. You claimed $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. Sounds good. Then we find out it's over 10 years. Ten years to collect the cuts that were a trade off for giving Obama another trillion dollars now. Okayyyy.... That would be $100 billion a year. That's not really a lot out of a $3.5 trillion dollar deficit budget but... okay, you needed to make a deal.
But wait - for fiscal 2012 there are only $7 billion dollars in actual cuts. The rest are creative accounting. Oh, so we get the real savings down the road in years six or eight or ten. Except that the only budgets that this Congress has a say on are 2012 and 2013. The next Congress is not bound by it. No Congress is bound by the actions of another. Marbury vs. Madison established that a President is bound by the treaties and agreements of previous Presidents. No such provision exists in Congress.
Then CBO reports out today that it's not even $1.2 trillion, it's more like $800 billion. It's a nice number John, but it's bigger than the debt ceiling raise which was the point of this exercise. BTW, we were sort of expecting the $1.2 trillion in a lot less than 10 years. But you are now rewriting your plan - which is a good thing because it will never pass as is. You have once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. What happened to Cut, Cap and Balance?
The super-committee is either redundant or just stupid. Congress, not the Senate sets the budget. You propose an idea where 6 Democrats and 6 Republicans propose another 1.8 trillion towards balancing the budget. Not cuts, necessarily - just ways to balance the budget. It's redundant because we already have the Ryan Plan, which we are not fighting for and Obama has Simpson / Bowles, which he is ignoring. We already have this work done, twice. It's stupid because it dilutes the power of the House in setting budget priorities and spending levels. No one gives away power John.
This bill is nothing but kicking the can further down the road. It is as much of a fantasyland plan as the joke that Harry Reid came up with. Both of you - imaginary spending cuts (half of Reid's budget cuts are when our military engagements conveniently end and we join hands and sing Kumbaya). Smoke and mirrors might be fun in the House barber shop, but not so much in setting the country back on fiscal solid ground.
It's not that we don't like you, John. You are a good and decent man, and we believe you to be a conservative. The problem is that you want to be a nice guy, and have everyone get along. Obama is not interested in getting along. He is interested in advancing his agenda. You thought you had a friend in Harry Reid, and he instantly screwed you over as well.
You were asked directly about entitlement reform, and you gave an aw shucks. There is no real room for cuts because of all of the boomers who are starting to retire. I get it John, you want to be fair. We never said to take granny's check away, we asked for reform and restructuring so that her grandchild would have a benefit as well. Seriously, do you talk to Paul Ryan, or do you just meet for pictures?
We know you love to deal, it's how you got where you are. Now that you are there you need to push back as hard as you are pushed. You have been shaken down twice, at least, by someone who came off as a two year old throwing a tantrum in front of the cameras last night. Even the reporters turned on Press Secretary Carney today. The literally had him for lunch. Then you got a knife planted in your back by a double-dealing old man. These guys are not now,and never will be your friends. Stop hoping to join the club.
The Speaker of the House is by design the most powerful person in the legislative branch. The Speaker is to be an equal counterweight to the President and the Chief Justice in preserving our liberties and our republic. It's hard to be a counterweight when you come off as such a lightweight. Being perceived as naive or stupid reflects badly. When the info comes out that the great deal is a lousy deal, you look dishonest. It makes you look like you think WE are stupid. That just angers us. In politics, nice guys really do come in last.
We like you John, but you've been as out of your depth since taking over the Speaker's gavel as Nancy Pelosi was deadly. I don't know if she will mentor a Republican, but if she will, take her up on it. This was another golden opportunity that has turned to crap. If you can't get the job done, we can find someone who will.
I'm Joe, I'm really pissed, and I vote. I am not alone.
Joe
Comment from The Crow's Nest
We share Joe's concern. We trusted in Mr. Boehner, and were sorely let down again. As we understand it the Speaker's staff is busy rewriting his proposal, because it is getting no support from fiscal conservatives who want real spending cuts. That's a good idea. That is what the voters chose in 2010, and they have a reasonable expectation of that being delivered.
Mr. Boehner delivered a great speech, with no substance. We would have thought that he might have learned to do better by the example of Obama who does the same, all of the time. So far, by our count the Speaker has come up short on all deals with the White House. The Bush tax rates got a 2 year extension instead of permanent status. This fed the continuing troubles in the economy as most businesses project 5 to 10 years into the future. The 2011 "budget" deal was a total sham with cuts at less than $1 billion. And now this dog and pony show. We are disappointed. Our patience is running thin, and our country is in peril. This is no time to go along to get along. These problems need to be fixed.
We are willing to allow Mr. Boehner to try again at this. He is an honorable man, and we're not exactly sure why we are in this place again. Still the patience of the American people is being tested by a man who just doesn't seem to really grasp the seriousness of the situation. That could be said of either Mr. Obama or Mr Boehner. Mr. Obama is willing to throw a temper tantrum to get his way. Mr. Boehner needs to commit as well to his constituency.
If he cannot, or will not, he is not serving the American people, and he needs to go. We did not give him a majority in the House to roll over and play games with people who have no intention of negotiating in good faith. What was it George W said? "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and uh, uh, uh... I won't get fooled again..." We understand that it is Obama who is the problem. We are not sure that Mr. Boehner is aware of it.
Mr. Boehner - either truly lead, or get out of the way. Common Sense demands it.
RLB
Categories: Constitutional Issues, The Economy, political leadership, Partisan Politics
Tags: 2012 Elections Barack Obama budget deficit political leadership economy
No one is taking cutting spending seriously. Boehmer himself offered $800 billion dollars in tax increases, when he knew that wasn't gonna fly. It's a good thing that Obama got greedy and the deal blew up. If he's rewriting it, he might want to check in with the people out here who are tired or reckless spending and are paying more than enough in taxes. Cut. Cap. Balance. Period.
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I was hoping for better than this but what sre you going to do? It's DC, and there's nothing but lobbyists scratching the backs of career pols. It sounds fatalistic, but it's been out of control for so long I'm not sure it can be fixed.
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Boehner has been around too long. All he knows is the deal. We sent a mesage back in November, and Boehner is turning a deaf ear. Either that or he really is stupid. He needs to go.
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People neeed to remember 2 things. The first is that it's extremely hard to change direction in the federal government. It was designed that way to keep the government from lurching hard to the right or left every few years. The second is the numbers. Boehner has control of one half of the legislature - the House. He can't beat the Senate, and he can't beat the President. The GOP would need 60 Senators and the White House to do major changes.
This deal may be crap, but it might be the best he can do. He has accomplished a great feat though - now no one, Republican or Democrat, is talking tax increases. It's spending cuts. That should not be dismissed as irrelevant. He changed the debate.
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2012 is coming, and Boehner will have the power he lacks now. The Senate will turn as well, and the pouty little boy in the Oval Office will be sent packing. We are America not some socialist Eurostate.
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Look, I appreciate the numbers, butwe should be pushing harder. I like cut,cap and balance. I think that the balanced budget amendment is not going to happen right now. Maybe the cap can be sold, maybe not. We should try. But for God's sake, there are no real cuts in the Boehner plan. Even with the rewrite, by the time the cuts are in place (if the next congress doesn't cancel them) the baseline will still have us another $8 trillion dollars added onto the debt. It really does nothing. We should at least push there.
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I can't believe that you guys are risking an economic meltdown for the entire country by fighting taxes on millionaires. It's not like they can't afford it. Glad you guys figured out Boner isn't cutting anything except his own throat. This one Obama is going to win. there will be no way to deny that the GOP sent us crashing into disaster.
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Valerie - why don'y you just go out with Chris Matthews, buy him a drink and send a tingle up his leg. Look, the deal sucks, but Boehner is right. It's a start and it'sprobably the best he can get. It shifts the blame to Reid if it tanks, and if it doesn't tank wth Reid, Obama gets dared to veto it and flush the economy. It's tactical. I get it. It just feels dirty.
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Look, it's obvious this is politics on both ends. Boehner wants a re-crisis as Obama is moving into the full on reelection press, and Obama doesn't want that battle. Are they both willing to send the rest of the economy down the toilet to accomplish their political ends? We're talking raised interest rates and adding exponentially to the debt. I really can't believe either guy is willing to do that.
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Kstowe, when did the lib scales fall from your eyes? Maybe there is hope. So what are we talking $900 million in cuts against a projected debt in 10 years of $23 trillion. Yup, thath's the CBO number. In 2020 we have a debtof $23 trillion. This is not even chump change that we are talking, and it does nothing to solve the problem. Neither does Reid's imaginary cuts. We are getting downgraded, and that will cost us all. S&P and Moody's both said that a minimum $4 trillion cut is necessary to avoid it. Boehner needs tobe challeneged. We don't need a deal, we need a solution.
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So now we get Boehner 3.0. which amazingly raises the debt ceiling by $900 billion if it passes the senate (which it won't) immediately, and cuts $900 Billion over 10 years. Boehner has been around long enough to know that the automatic budget increases are about 7% across the board, every year. He should have just saved us the drama and gave them the debt ceiling with no restrictions a couple of months ago. This accomplishes nothing.
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We're seeing it every day now. The problem is not with the freshman congressmen. It's with the DC lifers - the ruling class on both sides. Strutting around like they accomplished something when all they are doing is blowing smoke. Bring on 2012.
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It could have been worse. If it wasn't for the Tea Party members, we'd be looking at tax increases as well.
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Dammit John - it's a simple rule. You can't negotiate with terrorists and you can't negotiate with liberals. Not to equate terrorists with liberals. Although wait - they both want to destroy our Constitutional Republic.
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I think that Boehner needs to be replaced with someone up to the job. Cantor or Ryan come to mind. We can't have a teary little girl who pretends to stand up for us and then rolls over and gets nothing. I'm done with him.
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There was a big deal accomplished here. It wasn't what we were hoping for, but the debate has moved away from higher taxes to cutting spending. That's huge!
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Leon, you don't really believe that do you? Reid is going to roll out his idea of what Obama wants (since nobody really knows), and there will be the tax increases Boehner was willing to go aling with on the plan. Senate votes it up, and tosses it back in Boehner's lap where he can wet his panties and cry. This is disgusting. They all need to go - except the ones who voted no this morning in the House. That's the kind of representation we need.
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There's an awful lot of belly-aching going on with you guys. Bringing the country to the brink of disaster over something that was never going to go through? You people won't be happy til you drive us off a cliff - again. The reason your sill-ass little plan wasn't passed by the senate is because it does nothing to address the serious problems the country has now. You children need to let the grown ups handle this one. We'll call if we need you.
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Well, we have no new taxes. Yet. But the only bright spot in Boehner's original plan, a was the do-over in the middle of Obama's reelection, is gone. This was mismanaged from the start. We'd have the taxes too if the Tea Party didn't stand up. Boner, you're not very good at this. Time to go.
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Boehner thus far is an Epic Fail and has set us back instead of moving the conservative movement forward.
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I had such HIGH HOPES for Boehner... Now...I just want to cry. Wait, that's what HE DOES. I'll scream instead...Neither will help the current situation but I'm so pissed if I don't do something, no doubt I will experience simultaneous human combustion
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Boehner's weakness is his poker face. "We will not allow the government to shut down under any circumstances. Now Mr. President let's deal." OR better yet, "We will not allow the government to default for any reason. Now Mr. President, give us what we want." Yeah, real good negotiating there bud.
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