Obama tries to reach out to GOP leaders, here's what happened

[Enrique]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/us/politics/president-obama-begins-work-on-second-term.html?pagewanted=all

After his speech, Mr. Obama tried to call both Mr. Boehner and the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, but was told they were asleep.

[villager]

1. he needs to quit reaching out to these pricks -- that didn't work in his first term, either

n/t

[maxsolomon]

3. Turning the other cheek is a Christian value

plus, it makes the other guy look like a dick.

Eventually it might work, but I hear ya. I'd like to see him punch them both in their flabby smug faces.

[polichick]

4. Reaching out to sociopaths never pays off.

[villager]

7. Exactly. They're just ready to saw off your fingers.

n/t

[polichick]

12. I was hoping the President got that now.

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. +1000!

[Blue4Texas]

18. GOP reaching out is a lie

I agree villager. He needs to pretend to reach out as courtesy but not delude himself into thinking they will work with him like he did first two years of first term and use Executive Orders to the max.

[SaveAmerica]

19. Who has the upper hand in this scene? He does, by a lot

I think that's why so many people are still so involved with his campaign, they don't want what those two goons and other haters have to offer. Obama just demonstrated why he did so well in this election.

He was the better man.

[EnviroBat]

2. John Bohner was probably passed out drunk.

Alcoholic piece of garbage.

[demhottie]

13. ^^This

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. "When he called the next morning, he was told Boehner had 'food poisoning'"

[Skidmore]

5. Boenner asks the President "to be led."

Mr. Boehner, be prepared to do some following if you are not going to step up and do your job as the Majority Leader of the House. This statement is a bullshit trap being set.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. ...with each other.

[patrice]

8. Excuse me while I break one of my personal rules, . . . CHICKEN SHITS!!!

[txdemsftw]

9. Here we go again...

[SammyWinstonJack]

17. We knew it was coming. These pukes won't change. President Obama has to know that.

[BeyondGeography]

10. Obama: Asleep? Now tell me something I don't know.

I like the sound of this:

Mr. Boehner entered the ornate Capitol room with none of his usual bonhomie, walked to a lectern and spoke in formal tones from two Teleprompters. He then hastened out of the room, ignoring shouted questions.

[sabrina 1]

11. Well, he's had his answer, he made the effort, now it's time to remind them that they

lost, they lost seats in the House, in the Senate and the WH. And it's time for the victors to do what is best for this country, present it to them and then set about using the power the people have entrusted them with, and no more attempting to cater to Republicans.

As someone said, maybe it was Obama himself. One of the mistakes he made in his first term was to try so hard to negotiate with Republicans instead of with the people who elected him. He has the people behind him on the major issues, he has the power given to him by the people, now it's time to get tough with the losers.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

14. Boner willing to raise tax revenue, but not the top tax rate?

Translation: "Poor people need to pay more taxes"

Can anyone suggest a different interpretation?

[siligut]

15. Our idealistic president

He has the force of centuries of white man's presumed and manipulated superiority to overcome. They will not go willingly. He has to get mean. He got a taste of the most sophisticated, white assholes I have ever met with the Mormons, he needs to learn from them.

[argiel1234]

20. Mr President

stop extending your hand, the repuke asswipes will continue to slap it down.

You Do Not Compromise With Racist Sociopaths, Mr. President.



Jesus Christ

[hedgehog]

21. This needs to go viral!

[hfojvt]

23. just wondering

How can he be "told" they were asleep?

Doesn't that imply that a spouse or a servant or a child or a staffer answered the phone?

[msongs]

24. repubs have learned that obama will give in eventually, so they keep playing the game nt

[Enrique]

25. it stands to reason that both sides are playing the same game

we've seen how ruthlessly he thrashed Mitt, so the naivete narrative isn't very plausible, not that it ever was.

edit; then again, we know this detail because an Obama person told a reporter about it, so maybe they are trying to make the GOP pay a price. Maybe it's up to us to get up the outrage about this.

[s-cubed]

26. Reaching out to them was the Politically Savvy thing to do.

Now they look like churlish bastards for refusing. Which puts him in the favorable position to hammer them on obstruction. Why do you think the White House leaked the story? They showed (again) disrespect for the president. Americans don't like that.

I suspect Boner was drunk, as well.