Boehner goes from "I got 98%" to "I can't negotiate with Obama"
At the end of the debt ceiling negotiations in August of 2011 Boehner famously said that he got 98% of what he wanted.
He didn't get anything. He set himself for a fantastic fall.
The President has played him like a fiddle, eaten his lunch, drunk his milkshake and stole his candy.
Now Boehner states he can't compete with one on one negotiations with the President and gives up:
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/275295-boehner-tells-gop-hes-done-with-one-on-one-obama-talks
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is signaling that at least one thing will change about his leadership during the 113th Congress: hes telling Republicans he is done with private, one-on-one negotiations with President Obama.
. . .
The Speaker is ending his first term weaker than at any point during his two years with the gavel. He was unable to win enough Republican votes for his own fiscal-cliff fullback plan last month, and in the final hours of the 112th Congress, watched as more than half of his conference including his two top lieutenants in leadership voted against the Senates tax compromise. Earlier Tuesday, party leaders failed to garner enough GOP support to amend the Senate bill.
And on Wednesday, he faced withering criticism from Republican House members and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) over his decision to scrap a vote on legislation providing relief to states damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
Republicans in both the House and Senate are determined to confront Obama over the debt ceiling, despite the presidents repeated vows not to negotiate with Congress over increasing the nations borrowing authority.
Next up Boehner will try and re establish his position via the debt ceiling confrontation and will follow Gingrich in shutting down the government and further alienate the Republican Party from the American people.