This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
Obama: "John, What Happened", Boehner: "I Got Overrun, That's What Happened"
Perhaps no (albeit brief) conversation sums up how the debacle of the last couple of weeks started than the following exchange that took place on October 2nd, according to Politico,
Obama: "John, What Happened"
Boehner: "I Got Overrun, That's What Happened"
The question, prompted by the shutdown in the face of Boehner's pledge to avoid it, set the scene for what Politico notes was a fiscal drama set on a series of complicated relationships - internicine Republican warfare and rare Democratic unity - as the House Republican confernce ran roughshod over Boehner.
House Speaker John Boehner just wanted to sneak out of the White House for a smoke.
But President Barack Obama pulled him aside for a grilling. Obama wanted to know why they were in the second day of a government shutdown that the speaker had repeatedly and publicly pledged to avoid.
“John, what happened?” Obama asked, according to people briefed on the Oct. 2 conversation.
“I got overrun, that’s what happened,” Boehner said.
It may be the most concise explanation of a chaotic, 16-day standoff that prompted the first government shutdown in nearly two decades and ended only hours before the world’s largest economy nearly exhausted its ability to pay the bills. The fiscal drama turned on a series of complicated relationships, internecine Republican warfare and rare Democratic unity.
The House Republican conference ran roughshod over Boehner, a 22-year veteran of Washington who started the fight demanding to strip funds for Obamacare but settled in the end for the reaffirmation of a minor provision already in the law.
...
Republicans never believed Obama would hold firm on his refusal to negotiate and Democrats would maintain an unusual level of cohesion — united by a visceral desire to put the tea party in its place and an almost mama grizzly instinct to protect Obamacare.
“It was not a smart play,” McConnell said Thursday of the GOP’s Obamacare strategy. “It had no chance of success.”
...
Obama and Reid stuck together, emerging as the political victors. Their hard-ball tactics were designed to “break the fever” brought on by the tea party, but it also helped drive the country to the edge of default.
Republicans cycled through every option possible during the three-week standoff to save face.
Politico's account of the behind-the-scenes drama was drawn from dozens of interviews with key players in Congress and at the White House. The look back reveals how Republicans waged a fight on Obamacare that their leaders knew they would probably lose but pushed anyways because many in their ranks truly believed that Democrats, like they’ve done so often before, would fold — especially under the threat of an historic default on U.S. debt.
As the Speaker himself summed it up...
“We fought the good fight,” Boehner told WLW radio on Wednesday. “We just didn’t win.”
»
- 13112 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -
Is that a reverse caption contest?
politics is the last refuge of a scoundrel
the sub text...
Boehner and Obama clearly had a side agreement of how this was supposed to play out, thus Obama's question to John.
The people want jobs, not government shutdowns. When will our congress start listening to the people and stop pandering to right wing extremists? We've wasted valuable time fighting about a non-issue while the livelihoods of many government employees and the people who depend on them are severely disrupted.
DOES GOVERNMENT MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER?
Now that Obama and the Dems "won" what is to stop them from doing it again? All negotiations will begin and end with "I will not negotiate" (although I may throw a few traitorous Rs in the senate some money for their assistance)
The Debt Ceiling must be elminimated or put under my control. There will be no negotiation.
The Sequester cuts must be fully rolled back. There will be no negotiation.
I must be allowed to run for a 3rd term. There will be no negotiation.
Tell me under what circumstance this doesn't continue to work?
Libertrians need to start living in the real world. Do you seriously think that we can just cut social security and government pensions that people are depending on? I sometimes wonder whether libertarians actually understand the things that their saying, or whether they're just masochistic nihilists with a personal agenda for destruction.
DOES GOVERNMENT MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER?in response to questioning whether things can be cut the answer is undoubtedly yep... and it won't be pretty but going clean never is when you been on the junk as long as we have....
Other part of the conversation...
"John, do you think your Rastafarian son-in-law could spare me some of his weed?"
There's that "We" word again. It's a convenient word placing the weight of the entire population on the side of one's own argument. In political arguments, "We" is usually "Me" turned upside down with the change shaking out of my pockets.
similarly, "the American people" ...
Right, why bother reigning in unsustainable spending, to the tune of a trillion a year with another trillion of QE thrown in? It doesn't matter, we can just print more. We're the world's reserve currency.
Oh wait, not for much longer.
*they're. douche bag.
Million,
If you want people to take you more seriously, you need to stop promoting racial discrimination. Your question, "does government make people happier?" links to an article of the same name, which is fine. The problem I have is the photo above, showing mostly white individuals. This does not help to promote your stance and implies: "does the government make white people happier?"
You didn't read the article. I clearly stated that we need to promote diversty in the form of racial and gender equality and that this should a top priority for our governent:
Empowering under-served demographics is one of the keys to creating a happier society , and our government often has strict quotas for diversity in government positions. Our government is actively working to promote women and minorities in the workplace by improving access to government jobs and promotions. A study carried out by the Partnership for Public Service reports that within the public sector women are more satisfied with their jobs than men, which compares very favorably to the private sector. The studies also reveal that women and minorities are do not believe that enough is being done to further gender and racial equality in this country, and that they want our government to do more. Ironically, men, whites and Asians were most likely to report that diversity is being sufficiently encouraged, even though these groups were the most highly paid and over-represented.
DOES GOVERNMENT MAKE PEOPLE HAPPIER?My statement wasn't about the article, but your use of photographs. Big group of whites on the top, and "ethnic" photos below. I am more of a visual person (a picture is worth a thousands words). I am suggesting you consider this within your site.
Look at all those white people. It looks like Obma's campaign headquarters, or maybe the staff of the New Republic.
gas yourself
I enjoy point/counterpoint to make sure I'm taking all into consideration, but when the article's excerpt reads as stated below, I lose all faith in this obviously skewed dribble. So 98 out of 100 people want bigger gov't? Give me a break. And one more thought... nothing is 'for free'. Someone is paying for it - this was written at the 3rd grade level (actually that may be insulting to 3rd graders, my apologies).
"When interviewed about whether they would prefer a private company to carry out government services like helping the poor, building roads and garbage collection, 98% of people say that they prefer the government to provide these services. People report that having the government provide these services for free makes them feel less anxious about whether they can afford the services. People also don’t want to have to worry about whether the poor can afford these services, and prefer to know that our government is providing these services for free."
Extremist is battlefield smoke. When you call someone an "extremist" it implies that they are so far from your position that "they" are extreme from your "just and balanced look at things". Use of this word determines their "just and balanced response" when they look back across the deep valley at your "extreme" position. It is not extreme to hold any required position necessatated by a given set of circumstances. Mother Nature will not be fooled.
baaa
Or......
"You got a date Wednesday, baby"
egg-zack-lee
Is he a new movie star? When his will come out?
I assume he is Bruce Lee's son.
please don't rape a good quote. Samuel Johnson said "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"
and it's usually scoundrels who demean politics. it's easy to ask for radical, non-democratic solutions. yet "who lives by the sword, dies by the sword"
of course you'd have to understand the words "democracy" and "republic", first
Politics is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
There was no attribution to Johnson; borrowing the form of another's statement is a rhetorical technique older than written language. Samuel Johnson would prefer the truth be written, in his words or not.
It's far easier to ask for democratic "solutions" than accept the impossibility of either democracy or any solutions coming from it (to problems of its own creation, no less).
Of course you'd have to understand that your conceptions of democracy and republicanism are (hilariously naïve, unworkable, the finest system of enabling, promoting, and maintaining political and economic tyranny ever devised) subject to interpretation, and never anything more than politics... the last refuge of a(ll would-be) tyrant(s).
I'm pretty sure that "religion" is actually the last refuge of a scoundrel.
"Patriotism is the last refuge of scoudrels".
Politics is merely an intermediate step.
Support your local pussy.
http://www.gop.com/
Grand Old Pussies.
These people are all a bunch of clusterfucktards who always manage to take a bad situation and make it worse. Government is a gigantic Sword of Damocles that hangs over all of us, and these morons keep finding new ways of making it heavier.
Take the test.
www.lp.org/
But what if I'm a little left and down from you?
Scary thought.
A pure nation is such a hard thing to achieve.
If you are a right-handed shooter, then Low and Left with a pistol always means you have a flinch.
Sights on
Slack up
Slow squeeze
Surprise
The shot MUST surprise you. This drill can help...
Ball & Dummy Drill
Oh, fuck - I'm too embarassed to even show my score. I entered too many "maybes" I guess. I also missed the question where I favored eliminating personhood for corporations, that would've helped, I bet.
I've never been dogmatic enough to be a (L)ibertarian - you guys are so sure of yourselves. I envy that.
I guess I get kicked off the island, now.
Bye.
Me
Your PERSONAL issues Score is 60% Your ECONOMICS issues Score is 80% This quiz has been taken 19,920,135 timesMy score shows a little red and a little red neck.
My score should scare the stuff out of statists.
I took it multiple times: Personal Issues - "Disagrees" push you to Left, Economic Issues - "Disagrees" push you to Right, and "Maybes" just nudge you left or right depending on Personal/Economic classifications.
When you "Agree" on everything you are of course a Libertarian (top-center).
When you "Disagree" on everything, you are of course a Statist (bottom-center).
Interesting.
The only thing it takes to be a libertarian is a little bit of self-reliance and no fear of dying.
you could not "sell" this chart in europe. we are used to three-dimensional politics: liberal, socialist and conservative
in your chart, our communists and our fascists would be at the bottom, and they could not disagree (and fight against each other) more on many vital issues
But in the end, does it matter if your statist is a communist, or a fascist, or wants to carve giant stone heads and prop them on the beach all facing east?
I'd like to be a localist, but haven't found any particular locale all that appealing.
perhaps it matters more when instead of living in an isolated place you live on the biggest landmass of the planet. 'cause then, you have the other groups, nations, states, hordes or whatever that matter often more than your groups
take Russia, for example. ask the average Russian how likely it is that if national borders are abolished, the Chinese stay put
yet take the same average Russian, tranfer him to a tiny island, and watch how his political outlook changes
"statism" and other political outlooks have often their reasons in both history and geography
And yet total control over people is the desire of both parties.
LOL, I got the EXACT same graphic as you did!!!
My only gripe would be that in the graphic they could substitute "statist" with "authoritarian" to show what it really is.... Both Hillary Clinton and John McCain live in that group.
I'm 100% and 90%, my issue was "free trade".
BTW, I am and have been a member of the L and my numbers have become more L over the decades.
Classic HH. lmao
Cry you RINO pussy, cry....surrender French Republikickthecaners.....as we print another $ 5 trillion. and the $ collapses....
"print and cry." votem all out. including this crybaby Boner and Canter. Gets someone in this balless party
In all truthfulness I am sure some folks have made a killing in these "fiscal cycles of stupidity" that drive the markets up and down. I am not one of those folks.
When are the democrats ever split? They are the fucking borg unless it is for a token vote. Or the republicans ever not divided? This event clearly showed that more than half of the republicans are democrat-lite and the tea party types are in fact the RINOs.
It had no chance of success because the fuckheads of McConnell and Boehner were always going to capitulate. They can't hamstring the effort by not playing hardball, not blocking the senate bills, not reining in McCain/Pete King types, and then deciding to do away with the Hastert Rule in total capitualiton and then say the it was the strategy's fault... For fuck sakes, what is this bizzare reality they try to push forward as a story.
remeber, this guys is thrid inline to the president.
Somehow I think he'd still do a better job than the first 2.
One definition of insanity.
I dont want to remember
You didn't win because you have no spine. Just keep spending and spending, don't worry about when the money will run out.. what will you do then? Of course you won't really have to worry about that, it's the common folk that will suffer. You are a worthless piece of shit!
You are disallusioned if you think any politician EVER acts in the interest of the common folk!!! Although your assesment of his value is spot on.
Not true at all.
Most are more than happy to roll a Fed pork barrel home because it gets them re-elected by the people who will benefit.
This is why you send them to Washington.
My (now retired, in a private conversation, obviously) Rep describes Congress as a convention of 535 pick-pockets in competition, yet, in alliances that shift daily to trade back-scratching votes.
Cut spending to lower your chances of success? Not a chance.
I see no evidence that proves him wrong.
+1 for making me laugh...
the money will run out
You didn't win because you have no spine.
they didn't win because it was not in the script.
Based on Japan, we have decades more absurdity and hardship to go before we even need to start worrying. People will just stop having babies and the suicide rate will go through the roof, but that's okay with the statists. They're importing more slaves as we speak.
it was a ringer for a ringer
Got crushed is more like it.
If we could just throw out the career politicians.....
"Put the tea party in it's place"..... Well, if you live in D.C., that group of "terrorists" that have "bombs strapped to their chests" and are "anarchists" only seem to want fiscal restraint.
I suppose in the surreal world of D.C. that in itself scares the living shit out of them.... living within a budget and all.....
"Running ... gasp ... low ...on ....swoon...Tan Power..need some ... garble... self tanning spray ... gurgle ... must get to CVS..."
What a joke.
OK, Tea "Party," become a party.
No? That's what I thought.
That might very well happen. This whole fiasco has created the perfect opportunity. Will they act on it? Based on what we've seen, probably not.
The dems fear of the tea party just ran to the end of the flag pole. You can tell that by the sheer amount of tea party attacks.
The more the democrats beat on the tea party, the stronger the tea party will become. Look what Barry did yesterday, he set himself up to fail by endorsing the blue republicans and hammering the tea party, aka, the true republicans. What that did was prove the purple party thesis, in public, and in a very undesirable manner.
A major political shift occurred yesterday, it has to sink in a little more. Very, very damaging to the now known purple party.
Why, Barry even wore a purple tie yesterday to prove that little factoid...
Agreed.
I think this was engineered, in much the same way that Occupy was, in order to to demonstrate very concretely that resistance is futile, and that the neo-liberal establishment will not be denied. The T-Wing played the role of useful idiots, although I'm sure many of them were quite sincere.
Ooops - I shouldn't be commenting. I got kicked off the island a few comments above.
This whole thing was engineered to stuff it in the Tea Party.
the trouble is, the who neo-liberal thing is fueled by trillions in debt. There has to be a debt maximum beyond which we collapse. It makes sense that there would be.
John Who?
Thats right john, you perma-tanned, witless fucking inbred imbecile.
Is this the best that 310 million people can come up with for leadership? This fucking disgrace? Nothing more than an arsehole, of which the best part of it, ran down his mothers leg.
Cluelessness in Congress.
I don't believe that conversation took place for a second. Utter bullshit.
I believe it. Its what weve known all along; these 'rivals' are really buddy-buddy and the pretend hatred is all theatre
Just this morning I was thinking, "Are these guys working together? It's the only thing that really explains the outcome."
Oh this is such horse shit....100% puppet show designed and played out per the script. Please don't try to blow smoke up my ass with this political 'red/blue cage match' nonsense.
In A.D. 2013
War was beginning.
Obama: What happen ?
Boehner: Somebody set up us the shutdown.
Obama: We get buy signal.
Boehner: What !
Obama: Main QE turn on.
Boehner: It's You !!
Bernanke: How are you gentlemen !!
Bernanke: All your bonds are belong to us.
Bernanke: You are on the way to hyperinflation.
Boehner: What you say !!
Bernanke: You have no chance to survive make your time.
Bernanke: HA HA HA HA ....
Boehner: Take off every 'BTFATH' !!
Boehner: You know what you doing.
Boehner: Move 'BTFATH'.
Boehner: For great Janet.
Fuck you BONER! You're finished you worthless sack of moldy orange peels... Payback is coming November 2014...You better go shopping for a TV and couch before they double in price asshole!
By krikey, we'll REALLY show em what's what in 2014 I tell ya! When the rigged elections put in an even BIGGER bunch of sellouts!
Of course they had a deal going in. And it's what ended up happening. We just had to have a staged "criisis" to persuade the muppets. Next we'll see more shiftiing of money from the lower and middle classes to the financial elites. The burden of taxation will be ever more firmly shifted off of ownership and capital manipulation, and onto work for wages. The cycles are getting tighter as there is less money to be taken from the lower orders, so the crises become more frequent. I'm guessing this "crisis" will be resolved by shifting more money to the finance industry out of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security through the mechanism of the ACA. And it's probably time corporations got their tax cuts. The next crisis will be driven by the decline in the economy we're just now seeing due to the "Sequester," so it's time for another hammer blow to the economy to spark the next slowdown.
A plan hinged on the idea that Democrats would do something to stop spending?
Yep, that sounds like a "conservative" plan alright.
John what happened I thought you would nuzzle up to my nutsack like always. Step aside you worthless pos.
Put the Tea Party in its place. You have fueled the Tea Party ever more !!
The teenager wants more money for tatoos and ecstacy as well as the keys to the family car.
The smart thing to do is give in and save face. Yeah, I see your point Boner & McCONell.
When fiscal restraint is seen to be radical and anarchist we are in big trouble.
Boehner: "I was Catepillared."
How can you ever win , if you always backdown ?
We need moar Tea Party and less collectivist.
The point of all this was to make the tea party look bad. Remember the IRS scandal. Republicans and Democrats worked together to intimidate and bully anyone associated with the tea party. Same thing here. Make a big mess and agree that it was all the tea party's fault.
And another thing john, if any of you clueless fucking career politicians had ever had a real job or like me, ran a business and had to live within their means, you may have more of a clue how to balance the books you bought and paid for two-bit whore.
You dont understand the real world you orange prick, because youve never lived in it for the enterity of your pathitic lives. Straight from whatever college into a position of power is all you and the likes of you have ever known. Never known hardship, never known if you'll have enough at the end of the week to make sure you and yours are fed, clothed and housed. Over privilaged, pampered and preened over cunt.
Mark my words you cunt, in a not too distant time, you will, find out how hard life is for those of whom you 'Govern', wont be me dickhead but, you will, get yours. Of that, I have no doubt.
Class 'A' imbecile.
I had to wait for the third paragraph to see the "C word." You're slipping mixer.
" The look back reveals how Republicans waged a fight on Obamacare that their leaders knew they would probably lose but pushed anyways because many in their ranks truly believed that Democrats, like they’ve done so often before, would fold — especially under the threat of an historic default on U.S. debt."
Fuck Politico, useless lefturd cocksuckers. Dems fold? When, motherfuckers?
Exactly. I can't recall a time when dems folded on anything. It's always the same. The marxist democrats force more crap on us, and the republicans pretend to oppose it, yet always and I mean ALWAYS caving in for the sake of 'bipartisanism'.
What a load of BS.
It's all fun and games until one day we all wake up and are paying a $100 bucks for a loaf of bread.
Fuck them all.
who needed the money? administration, i.e. Obama
who gives the money? Congress, i.e. Republicans (because Dems implicitly support administration)
Obama was the beggar here, and normally beggars can't be choosers, but in New Normal they are.
the are because both Dems and Reps are paid by the elites to keep the show going. this was the game of which party is more afraid to dissapoint their sponsors. nobody gives a shit about public opinion because masses have fish-like memory. it was all about Wall Street (and other elites) opinion. Dems bet Reps will be more loyal to their sponsors than values and won. that left Tea Party raging. that only shows how incompatibile with Reps Tea Party is.
Exactly so.
A handful of Beserkers in a ship full of squeamish limp-wrists is not going to make a conquering army.
After the first volley of arrows the Beserkers are on their own.
The whole thing was a globalist military operation against the United States of America by Washington D.C.
Now I will no longer be embarrassed when my boner goes soft, it's just a boehner.
Classique American Kabuki Theater. No way can the organism restructure itself. The velveted hammer fist will come from outside their gilded walls and the checkbook taken away....ie, the rest of the World tired of American "Exceptionalism."
"We fought the fake fight, we just lost as designed", we have another show coming three months later in capital theather, co-hosts: hurry reid, Hussein Barry.
I used to be all 'involved' and shit...now I just say 'baaa' and munch the lawn...
thanks 'John' for helping me feel safe..
That should put an end to all the negativism.
Looks like you can fix a debt problem with more debt afterall!!
I cannot believe the surprise of so many here.
Have you never watched a WWE wrestling match? Always a good guy and a bad guy. The stupid people are in the stands acting like fools as if what is going on in the ring really makes a difference in day to day life. When the fight is over, ALL the wrestlers go out to party and enjoy the money that the fools in the stands paid to watch them put on a show. The people in the stands go back to their do nothing lives and talk about who will kick whose ass next time around.
It is time to quit buying the tickets for these bastards.
The Repubs are the biggest villains in reality because they fuel a false hope of dealing with the evil of the democrats. The democrats have become blatant in their socialistic/communistic stance and the repubs just get whimpier and whimpier.
I've said it before and will continue to say it. Wannabe leaders today only TALK about what the founders DID. If the military would do its job and uphold the Constitution, they would storm D.C. and put all the politicians in prison and try them for treason against the people of these US. D.C. is full of a bunch of godfathers surrounded by their police and military henchmen and we pick up the tab.
Don't call me an anarchist either! I am for the CONSTITUTION! The way it was written and the way it was intended. Not the watered down version that allows the fleecing of America! State's rights, U.S. senators elected by the state legislature, anything not in the Constitution is the business of the States, etc. I am for law and order and everyone being held responsible for THEIR own actions.
Funny isn't it? We have reached a point once again in this country where those that are for the Constitution are the bad guys. Wonder what stigma they will try to branded us with this time?
It appears that you want the military to overthrow the constitution. Why would they when they are getting enormous appropriations under the present arrangements?
They didn't LOSE! They CAPITULATED!
And that is inexcuably and irredeemably stupid!
Would you have preferred a default?
Obamacare is another entitlement. Simpson-Bowles has documented the entitlement problem well. With a $17 trillion debt and Fed printing over $1 trillion a year, why would any sane man expand entitlements in this financially difficult environment?
The STUPID republican LEADERSHIP could never focus on the ENTITLEMENT DEATH DIVE. America was great because the people who were here WORKED.
At most, 17% of the FedGov was impacted by the so called shutdown. The big story on the national radio news was FedGov revving up and coming back to work, happy days are here again. However the local newspaper was "Fort Knox workers were already back at work so the end of the shutdown had zero effect.
It was a big show with all the name calling threats and actions you would expect from your 14 year old spoiled daughter if she doesn't get her way. Using the credit card with restraint makes you an abusive monster that should be locked up.
Fuck them. Stop working so much, pay less taxes, pull out of all big bank related investments, accounts and credit cards. Move to cash and go Galt. More time to enjoy life and you will help starve the parasites.
Bankers always get what they want, this time just a "near default". They own both teams.
I know a BLS economist. He laughed and said: I had a real rough two weeks of furlough: I fished and shot pheasants and thanks to Cruz, I get paid for it: thanks, Cruz.
You mean thanks to Boehner. He put up the bill to pay those furloughed. He put the Senate bill to the House so all the Dems and RINOs could vote for it.
Boehner is the best weapon in Obama's armoury.
After he loses his speakership, Boehner will have to give up his tanning sessions.