WSJ: The Education of John Boehner

[TheWalrus]

What stunned House Speaker
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more than anything else during his prolonged closed-door budget negotiations with
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was this revelation: "At one point several weeks ago," Mr. Boehner says, "the president said to me, 'We don't have a spending problem.' "

I am talking to Mr. Boehner in his office on the second floor of the Capitol, 72 hours after the historic House vote to take America off the so-called fiscal cliff by making permanent the Bush tax cuts on most Americans, but also to raise taxes on high earners. In the interim, Mr. Boehner had been elected to serve his second term as speaker of the House. Throughout our hourlong conversation, as is his custom, he takes long drags on one cigarette after another.

Mr. Boehner looks battle weary from five weeks of grappling with the White House. He's frustrated that the final deal failed to make progress toward his primary goal of "making a down payment on solving the debt crisis and setting a path to get real entitlement reform." At one point he grimly says: "I need this job like I need a hole in the head."

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An interesting story about the fiscal cliff negotiations from Boehner's point of view, including a preview of the coming debt ceiling debate.

This particular quote from Boehner deserves special mention:

Even though a majority of Republicans voted no, and he took flak from conservative groups as a sellout, "in the end, most of our members wanted this to pass, but they didn't want to vote for it."

Sums it up pretty much, in my view. Boehner seems fairly confident about the coming debt ceiling fight, but the same quote will apply then that applied now.

[MoFinz]

I thought the most interesting part wasboehner quoting the President as saying wedont havea spending problem.

Well, i guess when you control the money presses and can print all you want without any kind of accountability, you can spend as much as you want.

And this is the man some people present as the most intelligent President we have ever elected? PuhLease

[Valandui]

I thought the most interesting part wasboehner quoting the President as saying wedont havea spending problem.

Well, i guess when you control the money presses and can print all you want without any kind of accountability, you can spend as much as you want.

And this is the man some people present as the most intelligent President we have ever elected? PuhLease

He doesn't control them, though. The private bankers that own the Fed do.

[Spesh]

Good article. I like his hesitation over using the debt ceiling as leverage. He did express one thing that i found questionable:

Mr. Boehner is frustrated that Republicans were portrayed by the press as dogmatic and unyielding in these talks.

Only to then say:

Even though a majority of Republicans voted no, and he took flak from conservative groups as a sellout, "in the end, most of our members wanted this to pass, but they didn't want to vote for it."

Eh? If they were willing to compromise and yielding and not dogmatic at all then why didnt they just vote for the thing they supposedly wanted? Rhetorical question, dont answer.

Article states that Obama made a political mistake with the sequester. Depends on how you look at it. Way i see it, everything Obama did was to get reelected. He figured he could afford to take the political hits when he doesnt have to worry about another campaign or it would be someone else's problem. Not unsurprising. He made this bed now he has to...ugh, negotiate from it. Either way, this next year is going to be bloody.

[MoFinz]

He doesn't control them, though. The private bankers that own the Fed do.

They control Obama as well.... he is still the man that can order more money printed. Think Geithner or Bernanke would ever tell him no?

[Valandui]

They control Obama as well.... he is still the man that can order more money printed. Think Geithner or Bernanke would ever tell him no?

You're looking at it the wrong way. It's more like would he ever tell them no?