Reply #1: Boehner: ’ Americans Aren’t Ready For Solutions.' After 30 years, still spreading the snake oil.

[seafan]

This illustrates David Michael Green's point perfectly.


From Dan Farber at CBS News, September 26, 2010:


Boehner: Americans Don't Need to Talk about Solutions Now

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, John Boehner (R-OH) was asked about the lack of solutions, such as for costly entitlement programs like Medicare, in the GOP "Pledge to America."

The House minority leader responded that the purpose of the Pledge was to "lay out the size of the problem," not "to get to potential solutions." Boehner reasoned that once Americans understand how big the problem is, then the talk can turn to potential solutions.

Boehner chastized the appearance of Stephen Colbert before a House committee on Friday. "Washington is spending more time with comedians than debating (our) economic future....They have time to bring a comedian to Washington, D.C., but they don't have time to end the uncertainty."

It seems that Boehner is content to leave the American people uncertain as to what the Republican's would do to help the economy besides extending the Bush tax cuts.

.....

Think Progress has the exchange:

WALLACE: Congressman Boehner, as Willie Sutton said about banks, entitlements are where the money is. More than 40% of the budget. Yet, I've looked through this pledge and there is not one single proposal to cut social security, medicare, medicaid.

BOEHNER: Chris, we make it clear in there that we're going to lay out a plan to work toward a balanced budget and deal with the entitlement crisis. Chris, it's time for us as americans to have an adult conversation with each other about the serious challenges our country faces. And we can't have that serious conversation until we lay out the size of the problem. Once Americans understand how big the problem is, then we can begin to talk about potential solutions. <...>

WALLACE: Forgive me, sir, isn't the right time to have the adult conversation now before the election when you have this document? Why not make a single proposal to cut social security, medicare and medicaid?

BOEHNER: Chris, this is what happens here in Washington. When you start down that path, you just invite all kind of problems. I know. I've been there. I think we need to do this in a more systemic way and have this conversation first. Let's not get to the potential solutions. Let's make sure americans understand how big the problem is. Then we can talk about possible solutions and then work ourselves into those solutions that are doable.

House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio announcing the Republicans "Pledge to America" agenda.
(Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)



Are we going to fall for this stale Republican snake oil yet AGAIN?



Colbert is so intellectually far ahead of these dolts.

Stephen Colbert plays an angry conservative man on television. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, plays one every moment of his life. On Friday morning, they met in the hearing room of the House Judiciary Committee. The result was kind of funny.

Colbert had been called to testify about one of his pet issues, the plight of migrant farmworkers. King's pet issue is also migrant workers, but he wants to get rid of them and replace them with "everyday American workers."

"Maybe we should be spending less time watching Comedy Central and more time considering all the real jobs that are out there, ones that require real hard labor," King said bitterly. He invoked the "Joe the Plumbers of the world who, many days, would prefer the aroma of fresh dirt to that of the sewage from American elitists who disparage them even as they flush."

There were groans in the committee room.

Colbert, in character, delivered his opening statement: "This is America! I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican! I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan, and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

King glowered.

.....

Colbert largely stuck to his stage persona. Was the farm work hard? "Certainly harder work than this." Does he endorse the GOP's "Pledge to America?" "I endorse all Republican policy without question."

But Colbert eventually dropped his Bill O'Reilly routine. When Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., asked him why he chose migrant workers as his pet issue, he scratched his head.

"I like talking about people who don't have any power, and it just seems like one of the least-powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work but don't have any rights," he said.

The punch line never came. It was awkward for everybody.

Stephen Colbert (photo via Globe and Mail)



Stick a sock in it, Boehner and King. And that goes for Steny Hoyer as well.


There isn't a toilet big enough to flush all of these putrid failures.