tagged w/ Boehner
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Boehner could not reshape and reform the House as speaker until he — and the Democratic leadership — bring full, immediate transparency to the corporate cavalcade of cash contributing to the election of members of the House. Without an honest financial accounting who gave what money to whom for what reason, the corruption in Congress will continue unabated, Boehner’s high-minded speechifying notwithstanding.Boehner could not reshape and reform the House as speaker until he — and the... more
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srpr
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added this
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1 year ago
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http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/12/us/politics/Boehner/Boehner-articleLarge.jpg
House Democrats were preparing late last year for the first floor vote on the financial regulatory overhaul when Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio and other Republican leaders summoned more than 100 industry lobbyists and conservative political activists to Capitol Hill for a private strategy session.
The bill’s passage in the House already seemed inevitable. But Mr. Boehner and his deputies told the Wall Street lobbyists and trade association leaders that by teaming up, they could still perhaps block its final passage or at least water it down.
“We need you to get out there and speak up against this,” Mr. Boehner said that December afternoon, according to three people familiar with his remarks, while also warning against cutting side deals with Democrats.
That sort of alliance — they won a few skirmishes, though they lost the war on the regulatory bill — is business as usual for Mr. Boehner, the House minority leader and would-be speaker if Republicans win the House in November. He maintains especially tight ties with a circle of lobbyists and former aides representing some of the nation’s biggest businesses, including Goldman Sachs, Google, Citigroup, R. J. Reynolds, MillerCoors and UPS.http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/12/us/politics/Boehner/Boehner-articleLarge... more
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Last Friday Blue America was really hopeful, even optimistic, that we'd raise the $5,000 necessary to put up a BeatBoehner billboard on the I-75 near Boehner's gated golfing community in West Chester in the very southern part of Ohio's 8th CD. Digby, John and I put up some posts and our friends at People For the American Way and the AFL-CIO did the same and generously offered to match whatever we could raise towards that goal. We were jazzed and we were sure we could pull it off. And did we YOU ever!
In fact, we've raised over $16,000, ordered our first billboard and reserved the space for a second one. The first one will be up in just over a week. It's for 119 Times, the design that got the most votes. As of this writing there were 187 votes for that one (and $3,214.00 donated towards it). The second and third place is a seesaw race between Par For The Course and (143 votes and $2,614.00) and I'd Rather Be Golfing (141 votes and $2,465). We're going to close the voting down tonight, so if you want to get in one last vote for second place, please have a go. And remember, whether you donate $1.00 or $500.00, it counts as one vote. Vote by clicking on the image you want to see us put up as a giant billboard in western Ohio:
As for Boehner... don't take his heartless agenda-- limitless war, limitless tax breaks for the wealthy, no breaks for the middle class-- personally. His sister, Lynda Meineke, says Boehner has two brothers and two brothers-in-law back in Ohio who are out of work. He told reporters after he voted against unemployment insurance last week that three brothers had lost jobs during the recession and he wasn't sure which if any had found work. He did remember that one is named Bob Boehner though.Last Friday Blue America was really hopeful, even optimistic, that we'd raise the... more
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Taken from First Read post:
"...a caution to Boehner and Republicans who agree with him: The public wants more regulation, not less.
According to last month's NBC/WSJ poll, 65% said they wanted more regulation for the oil industry (versus 16% who want less); 57% want more regulation for Wall Street firms (compared with 15% who want less); 53% want more regulation for big corporations (versus 21% who want less); and 52% want more regulation for the health-care industry (compared with 27% who want less)."
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/16/4690835-boehner-calls-for-less-regulation-public-calls-for-more-Taken from First Read post:
"...a caution to Boehner and Republicans who agree... more
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Congressional Democrats and the White House are toying with different ways to force BP to cover the costs of damages from the Gulf oil spill. But they face stiff opposition from industry...and it seems leading Republicans. In response to a question from TPMDC, House Minority Leader John Boehner backed Tom Donohue, President of the Chamber of Commerce, in saying taxpayers should help pick up the tab.
"I think the people responsible in the oil spill--BP and the federal government--should take full responsibility for what's happening there," Boehner said at his weekly press conference this morning.
On Friday, Donohue made clear that he opposes efforts to stick BP, a member of the Chamber, with the bill. "It is generally not the practice of this country to change the laws after the game," he said. "Everybody is going to contribute to this clean up. We are all going to have to do it. We are going to have to get the money from the government and from the companies and we will figure out a way to do that."
So I asked Boehner, "do you agree with Tom Donohue of the Chamber that the government and taxpayers should pitch in to clean up the oil spill?" The shorter answer is "yes".
The Chamber is extremely influential in Republican politics, so on that level it's not particularly surprising that Boehner has Donohue's back on this one. But the politics of asking the federal government (i.e. taxpayers) to help cover the multi-billion dollar cleanup and rescue efforts are deadly. Look for Democrats to jump all over this one.Congressional Democrats and the White House are toying with different ways to force BP... more
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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is demanding that Paul McCartney apologize for expressing his gratitude that America again has a president "who knows what a library is," Human Events' Connie Hair reports.
"Like millions of other Americans, I have always had a good impression of Paul McCartney and thought of him as a classy guy, but I was surprised and disappointed by the lack of grace and respect he displayed at the White House," Boehner said in a statement. "I hope he'll apologize to the American people for his conduct which demeaned him, the White House and President Obama."
McCartney made the remark earlier this week during a tribute concert at the White House, during which President Obama presented him with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. No response yet from the former Beatle.House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) is demanding that Paul McCartney apologize... more
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After months upon months of enthusiastic, cheer-leading coverage of any rally that involved tea, tea bagging or tea partying, the Fox News network has miraculously disproved itself by producing a new poll that finds Americans think more highly of the Internal Revenue Service than they do the vocal conservative minority.
Atop the fourth page of a Fox News Opinion Dynamics poll released April 8, the questioner explains that respondents would be read a series of names and asked whether their opinion is positive or not. The most popular among the names is Barack Obama, who scored a 50 percent approval rating. Second was the Internal Revenue Service, at 49 percent.
Down below Democrats and even below Republicans is the "Tea Party," at 36 percent approval. This particular poll's questions reference the "Tea Party" as though it were a unified group, akin to a third party actor, instead of what it really is: a disparate collection of middle to fringe right wing groups that originally came together as an organizing platform for Congressman Ron Paul, but were popularly coopted and briefly organized by old guard Republicans into a series of loud and angry demonstrations against the health reform laws.
Naturally, ratings for individual political leaders were lower than ratings given to entire political parties, but when asked about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, respondents were especially harsh, giving them 16 and 29 percent favorability, respectively.
The only single politician who scored lower than Democratic leadership was House Minority Leader John Boehner, one of the GOP's top men and a key public face for the party, with just 12 percent approval.
Naturally, Fox News went on to ask poll respondents questions like how in-line they think their values are with the "Tea Party" and whether they were less likely to vote for their congressperson if they cast a yes ballot on health reform. They also asked people to rate how health reform made them "feel," set to a scale of "good" or "bad," and if they "feel" like the United States' economy will suffer because of the new laws.
The placement of the IRS in double-digits over the "Tea Party" in favorability is startling, especially considering how vocal most of the group's loudest activists are concerning taxes. Though virtually all lower and middle class Americans received a tax cut by President Obama, 90 percent of tea party respondents to a February CBS poll were oblivious to this fact.
"Fox’s poll finding is particularly humorous considering that a recent conservative attack on health care reform has been to falsely claim that it would lead to the hiring of 16,500 IRS agents to enforce the law," noted Matt Corley, writing for Think Progress. “'I suspect every Republican candidate will campaign on a promise to cut off all funding in January for the 16,000 IRS agents,' said Newt Gingrich recently. 'You don’t need a health Gestapo in the United States.'”
Continued...After months upon months of enthusiastic, cheer-leading coverage of any rally that... more
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Two little girls discuss Tea Party politics while enjoying a lovely tea party.
Funny, yet terrifying how ignorance can pervade and be spun into our daily lives as dialogue that is considered rational and legitimate by so many.Two little girls discuss Tea Party politics while enjoying a lovely tea party.... more
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He says the government will make your health care decisions for you. This is a baldfaced lie. The plans in Congress offer a public option as a government alternative insurance plan only, like Medicare is right now. That's right medicare is a government controlled insurance plan. Does Boener want to repeal Medicare? It sounds like he does. Then he goes on to call this freedom. He lies that the bill will create more deficits and taxes. It will reduce the deficit and if anyone is taxed it will be the rich.
Yet it's interesting that progressives too are not happy with HR3962. They have been protesting in cities around the country this week in favor of a single payer system. Pelosi has now promised to allow a vote on Weiner's amendment for a single payer system.He says the government will make your health care decisions for you. This is a... more
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House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that the day’s tea party rally outside the Capitol is a sign that a “rebellion” is occurring in the United States.
Boehner, who spoke at the rally, made the comment during an online town hall being put on by the Republican National Committee.
“I do think there is a rebellion going on in this country,” Boehner said. “How else could you get 10,000 people to show up with only a few days notice?”
“What they are saying is ‘enough, is enough,’” he continued. “There are tens of thousands of Americans who have come to Washington to say they don’t want Pelosi-care.”
Boehner was a second-term congressman in 1994 when the GOP swept to power in the Republican Revolution. Comparing the current political climate with what he saw then, Boehner said that Democrats in the House and Senate are “far more liberal” now, leading to a stronger counteraction from the conservative grassroots.
“The intensity I saw leading up to 1994 wasn’t one-one-hundredth of what I’m seeing today,” he said. “When America speaks up, Washington listens. And we need your help.”
During his remarks to Thursday’s rally, Boehner rallied the crowd by cheering the “town hall rebellion” that took August against the Democratic health care plan.
“It was a simple statement by Americans that they love their country, they love our way of life, they love the things that America stands for – prosperity, liberty and freedom – and they want nothing more to hand freedom off to their kids and to their grandkids,” he said.
Holding a copy of the Constitution, Boehner implored the crowd to “join us in saying no to a government takeover of health care.”
“Join us in rejecting higher taxes and more deficits,” he continued. “Join us in defending our freedom. And join us in defeating Pelosi-care.”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29202.htmlHouse Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Thursday that the day’s tea... more
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A new Republican health reform proposal would allow insurers to bypass consumer protection laws and remove restrictions on rate hikes, according to published reports.
In the GOP's 230-page draft of an alternative health care bill is the following passage:
This policy may be less expensive than others because it is not subject to all of the insurance laws and regulations of the state ... including coverage of some services or benefits mandated by the law of the state ... Additionally, this policy is not subject to all of the consumer protection laws or restrictions on rate changes ...
The bill, which caps medical malpractice awards, additionally seeks to increase the use of health savings accounts and would create insurance pools for high-risk individuals.
Rep. John Boehner is calling the bill "The Affordable Health Care for America Act."
A key to the expansion of coverage and choice is permitting health insurers to offer interstate policies, they claim. As Think Progress points out, under the Republican proposal the insurer can choose a primary state "whose covered laws shall govern the health insurance issuer" and can change states "upon renewal of the policy."
Page 129 requires a “health insurance issuer” to “provide the following notice” informing consumers in so-called "secondary states" that the policy is “not subject to all of the consumer protection laws or restrictions on rate changes of the state.”
more at link...
http://rawstory.com/2009/11/gop-health-bill-insurers-ignore-consumer-protections/A new Republican health reform proposal would allow insurers to bypass consumer... more
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House Republican leaders were furious that their healthcare reform alternative was leaked to the media on Tuesday.
After months of delays in the release of the bill, Republicans were playing defense on Tuesday after the measure was being e-mailed around Capitol Hill and K Street.
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) was “hot” when news broke that a premature copy of his much-awaited healthcare bill had been published on the Internet, aides and GOP lawmakers told The Hill.
According to members of the Republican Conference, rank-and-file lawmakers hadn’t even seen a finished copy of the bill at their closed-door morning meeting when word spread that it was all over town.
A top-ranking GOP lawmaker indicated that Boehner was upset that the document was leaked earlier in the day to various interest groups and lobbying shops downtown.
“It was a very unauthorized leak,” the member told The Hill, noting that the GOP aides were still in discussions with staffers at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
On Tuesday afternoon, GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) had to tell reporters that the document was not, in fact, the final text of their bill.
“The Republican alternative is still a work in progress, and we’re putting the finishing touches on our legislation as we speak,” Pence said hours after media outlets, including The Hill, posted copies of the document online.
more at link....
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/66203-house-gopers-angry-about-leakHouse Republican leaders were furious that their healthcare reform alternative was... more
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While leading GOP opposition to health care reform over the past few months, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) has simultaneously insisted that Republicans believe in helping Americans with preexisting conditions get health care. Currently, “in 44 states, it’s legal for health insurers to deny coverage to people who have previously been sick, or charge them more for treatment.”
“And so there are a number of things that Republicans believe are essential,” Boehner told NPR in September. “We believe that making sure that people who have preexisting conditions have access to affordable health insurance.” On Fox News last week, Boehner said that Republicans wanted to focus on helping “those with preexisting conditions“:
BOEHNER: Most of the 36 million that they say they’re going to cover already have access to some type of government program, or even their employer program, or have chosen just not to have health insurance. When you really boil this down, there are about seven or eight million people in America, those with preexisting conditions, those who are what I would describe as the working poor, and some early retirees who have a difficult time getting health insurance. We can help those people get health insurance and still bring down the cost of health insurance for the 85 percent of Americans who have it and think they pay too much for it.
But when Boehner previewed the House Republicans’ alternative health care plan for reporters yesterday, he admitted that the GOP’s proposal “will not prevent insurance providers from barring clients based on preexisting conditions.” “We do encourage more states to have high-risk pools,” said Boehner, which he called “a place where people with preexisting conditions will have an opportunity to get affordable health insurance.”
Roll Call points out, however, that “most states have such pools, but they often are much more expensive than regular insurance and have had only limited success in reducing the ranks of the uninsured.” President Obama and the Senate Finance Committee have also embraced increased funding for high risk pools, but only as a stop gap until 2013, when insurers would be prohibited from denying people coverage based on preexisting conditions under their legislation.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/03/boehner-preexisting-conditions/While leading GOP opposition to health care reform over the past few months, Rep. John... more
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Leader Boehner speaks before the House after House Democrats push through an 1,100 page, trillion-dollar spending bill with less than 12 hours of public review time.Leader Boehner speaks before the House after House Democrats push through an 1,100... more
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