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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Is Boehner Helping Obama’s Second Coming?

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  January 25th, 2010 at 12:21 PM  | 

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This is an interesting column by Jed Babbin.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) popped a surprise on the Republican Conference in their January 20 meeting.  President Obama had accepted his invitation to appear at their Baltimore retreat scheduled for January 29, two days after the State of the Union speech.

According to several dismayed conservative members that attended the meeting and sought me out in the two days that followed, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx asked Boehner whose idea it was and was told it was “the leadership.”  When Foxx pressed him on precisely who among the leadership came up with the idea, Boehner demurred.  So what is the point to the invitation?

Boehner’s high-risk strategy apparently is to engage the newly-weakened president on Republican alternatives on health care and the economy in the hope that he will admit that the ideas are worth including in his 2010 agenda.  If he does so publicly, it will be a huge Republican win. But if he doesn’t — and Obama is too smart to fall into this obvious trap — Republican ideas will again be cast aside and Obama’s agenda revived.

Either way, it appears Boehner could be setting Obama up for a loss.

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COMMENTS

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  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    they will tout the semi-Conservative aspects he, at times, attempted to co-opt during the Election and be passing them off as Obama’s own — “Tax Cuts” for one….

    we’re already hearing the usual BS that they will masquerade as “helpful to the economy” Tax cuts from the Middle-Class Task-force….

    from here (with active sub-links
    Biden announced the year end results, and no surprise, it?s the same old Liberal Class warfare and Dem. Money Laundering (PC excuses to $pend) (plus ?extent possible? language) schemes?..

    It?s for the Children BS abounds?.

    1st?. divide and conquer and play up the Children angle with more Child Tax Credits?. Basically, anyone that hasn?t had children are told TOUGH, you don?t get to keep more of your own money because we want to use it to SUBSIDIZE those who have had kids to buy additional votes.

    2nd?. reward the Colleges/Universities?. Oh wait, they aren?t directly going to state that, but it is all about rewarding their Elitist allies by subsidizing and lowering Student Loan ?burdens??. you know, so they can be paid off even longer periods and/or more of them forgiven, while the Colleges and Universities can then DRIVE UP THE COST OF ATTENDING to pad Salaries even more as more Federal monies and regulations (harming Banks, for one) are doled out.

    There?s more? but it is NOT as if you shouldn?t have known in advance the same old Liberal/Progressive playbook wasn?t in play.

    It is up to us, of course, to keep the pressure on regarding REAL Tax Cuts (including making Bush’s permanent) for Job creation, not more usual Liberal gimmicks/Class-Warfare. We still keep hearing how “Republicans have NO PLAN” in regard to HC reform, which is (of course) complete BS….

    Cross-State line portability (which States will resist giving up Mandates/Controls), Tort reform min. 50Billion, PreExisting condition exclusion (guaranteed issue) elimination (not allowed in MI, enact that Nationally), post/transitional employment coverage (modifying COBRA and HSA/MSA accounts to NOT ZERO OUT each year so multi-year savings can/will PAY FOR OWN COVERAGE while between jobs), (avoiding the HR3200/HR3926/HR3590 consequences/fact) opposing More Govt. regulations and paperwork which will DRIVE UP not reduce costs and bring us more Lawyers and Office Administrators to deal with it NOT Doctors, etc….

    more in the Obamaocare primers: here, here, here, here, here, and HC issues summary here

    The REPUBLICAN plans/goals for HC are laid out in both the House and Senate sites as well as many GOP related sites.

  • snowshooze

    I am confused on the Medicare “Waste, fraud and abuse” cut that was identified as an issue in the “Wealth Reform” ( health care reform) package.
    If they can identify 500 Billion in waste fraud and abuse now, why aren’t they working on the cleanup? Oh, they won’t do that unless they pass their package? It would seem that if they were aware of this, they should have been on top of the problem for a while as indicated by the figure they came up with, 500 Billion.
    So they know all about it, how much w.f.a. there is and where it is…or how could they generate the value?
    And…therefore…why haven’t they done something about it?
    Somebody….explain this to me…
    Thanks,
    Mark

  • E Pluribus Unum

    I think he’s still too much in love with the establishment Republican koolaid.

    I don’t know what it’s going to take to get a serious shake-up of House leadership, but something needs to have. We want our top dogs to have names like Pence, Flake, Hensarling, and Bachman. We need a whip who is a nasty, hateful SOB who has both DeMint and some RINO-hating legbreakers on speed dial.

  • E Pluribus Unum

    I think he’s still too much in love with the establishment Republican koolaid.

    I don’t know what it’s going to take to get a serious shake-up of House leadership, but something needs to have. We want our top dogs to have names like Pence, Flake, Hensarling, and Bachman. We need a whip who is a nasty, hateful SOB who has both DeMint and some RINO-hating legbreakers on speed dial.

  • http://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com louesc

    To JLenardDetroit Did you see smoked out Joe Biden is pledging to appeal the charges on the contractors from blackwater This Administration is so anti American they are going to lose big if they continue to attack Americans. Check out plugs in this video.

    http://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com/Biden_Will_to_Appeal_Dis.html

  • http://www.americanpatriotsprevail.com louesc

    I don’t understand why would any Conservative have a person like obama to a conservative meeting. Obama is a failed man with thoughts of how he can control America and destroy our great history. Boehner needs to revoke this clowns invitation have you heard enough of his lies. Ms Foxx press the issue reject this invitation.

    www.americanpatriotsprevail.com

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    but I’m betting you really already knew that ;-)

    The real w/f/a of the Fed. Govt., of course, is real easy to spot… it is any of the funds going to the usual Liberal suspects.

  • snowshooze

    And Obama is buying.
    Pretty clear what is going on here.
    Soon as Boehner saw the crack in the wall he was on it like a duck on a junebug.
    Ok….I am a bit cynical..

  • snowshooze

    Of coarse..
    But I wonder why nobody jumped all over this at the start.
    Waste is poor management, abuse can be too and Fraud is an outright crime.
    So…if they knew of waste and abuse, their Management should be replaced, and if they knew of Fraud and failed to act upon it what would that be? Malfeasance ? I don’t know but at the admission of these problems, immediate actions should have followed to correct them.
    These problems should never be allowed to go on without prompt action, and here the Democrats claim they will address them only after passage of their legislation?
    I cannot see the relevance of passing new legislation.
    Waste Fraud and Abuse stands on it’s own, and $500 Billion is a noteworthy value.
    Where is the outcry to go after this problem now? Why wait?
    I guess I better get after my Congressmen again…

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    as the lefty loon, easily fooled, Politically Brain-dead, pay no attention to specifics but glued to the historical hysterical RaceBaiter-In-Chief (see Tony Cruz’s But He’s Black) and get their warm-fuzzies.

    Republicans – The PARTY OF KNOW – Republicans must be the Party of HELL NO [to Bigger Govt.] not the Party of SLOW[er Liberal Incremental-ism]

  • fpete13527

    EPU, I like the way you think

  • Scope

    and Boehner is stupid to reach out to Osama Obama. I considered Boehner to be a step up from Cantor in the brain cell area, now I’m not so sure. Axelrod, and Pee Wee Gibbs will spin this no matter what comes of it, and, it won’t be anything in the Republicans favor. They are on the down hill slide, don’t put a speed bump up to help them.

  • http://www.ssce.net/Web-Articles/Web-articles-indexed-authors.html#authors-l JLenardDetroit

    the MSM can’t play it up too much because the Democrats “double counting” Budget gimmick to be able to declare their HC Takeover boondoggle only $900 Billion would have to be revisited. The “savings” can’t be therefore both used for the “Doctors fix” and to fund their “WeRefuseToCallItSinglePayerIncrementalism” competition plans, coop, or whatever falsehood (yet another one of those details they kept hidden and why it had to be rushed through without further examination) they are trying to pass it off as this month. They started to get called on that, and they want it to stay quiet with the help of their MSM allies.

    Obamaocare primers: here, here, here, here, here, and HC issues summary here

  • snowshooze

    But only with a knife of a gun…

  • snowshooze

    Knife OR a gun…

  • joayn

    of is it’s all for appearances, for upcoming elections. Independents like that conciliatory stuff, the “let’s work together” claptrap. It’s the moderate (ugh) way to go. I can see McCain doing this.

    I agree with EPU. I like the rock-em-sock attitude.

    And besides, hasn’t Boehner noticed Iran’s responses to nice talk? That’s how we should treat Barry – like he’s Iran.

    I miss Lee Atwater …

  • Scope

    they only do so to amputate arms.

  • joayn
  • snowshooze

    I would prefer to see it in the public forum.
    Otherwise, it looks like more back room dealing and I trust none of them.
    And among the things I would approve for Boehner to say to Obama..

    Eat Dirt!
    No secret meeting necessary.

  • wolfster38

    This is why he has a 24% favorable approval rating.

  • Illinicon

    since Brown’s victory last Tuesday, If Obama is just a liberal politcian and not a radical progressive he will triangulate. This gives him a chance to do it. My guess is he is he will stick to his “I won” attitude or give empty rhetoric about Bipartisanship but stay his course. It is a gamble as he could pull a Clinton, but I dont think he will because he doesnt have the humility to admit defeat (see the Marion Berry statement) so I feel its a good one.

  • Achance

    Too old to do it myself, but I sure still know how!

  • furious

    …but let the Travis County D.A. (with the help of some of his fellow Republicans) hound Tom Delay out of office.

  • Achance

    and if what he did was a crime, you could send every Democrat officeholder, union leader, and Democrat non-profit head in the Country to jail. If we had a few Republican governors with some guts, we could put the Ds in the same place the CIA and other Western agencies put the KGB; kill one of ours with the certain knowledge that we’ll kill one of yours, pretty quickly puts a stop toit.

  • furious

    …who looks worried?

  • fsured

    The Dems invited President Bush to their retreats and the Repubs did the same to Obama. The difference is that Obama accepted the invite. Honestly, it’s silly of those Members that are making a big deal over Obama’s speech to them. I say let the Obama make some silly speech that the public will never hear and then move on. By making a stink about this, we just look foolish.

  • snowshooze

    Let Obama stew in his own juice. Don’t throw him a life ring, throw him an anchor.
    Try it my way…it works every time.
    Why in the world would I let the man that completely froze us out of Health Care Reform collect any points at our expense?
    Because I am dumb? Or is it that bag of taxpayers money he drags about everywhere he goes?
    The Republicans had several HCR Bills they could not get to the floor while Obama was spouting that the Republicans had nothing to offer.
    Any good intentions toward Obama will be used against those who have them. You will see who looks like a fool…
    Agreed, we do not need to make a stink about it, but if all we can do is give him ammunition to use on us, why do it?
    Now, that IS foolish. And stupid.
    Mark

  • E Pluribus Unum

    We need to completely deprogram the Republican group vagina-think.

    –If we’re nice to them they’ll be nice to us.
    –If we’re strict or stern, they’ll do bad things to us (of course it’s true, but nut up a little bit, and make them pay)
    –if we make a deal with them, they’ll keep their bargain

    and etc.

  • furious

    …or Liz Cheneys or Sarah Palins might actually raise the group-average testosterone level.

  • hickorystick

    Since the Tarp bill at least. He has held the caucus to No votes all year and deserves credit.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvnwOjDjnH4

  • fsured

    However, this is protocol. Like it or not, Obama is the President of the United States. If the House Republicans had refused to invite him to speak at the annual retreat, we simply give ammo to the msm that we are simply obstructionists. Our miscalculation is that Obama accepted. This address is hardly a life line, imo.

  • snowshooze

    MSM would eat us alive.
    But after what we have recently been through, I hate to see any private meetings and backroom deals.