Obama, Boehner Clash At White House Over Debt-Ceiling Hike

[Purveyor]

Source: The Hill

By Russell Berman - 05/16/12 02:06 PM ET

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) clashed during a White House meeting on Wednesday, with the Speaker telling the president that he was “not going to allow a debt-ceiling increase without doing something serious about the debt,” Boehner’s office said.

The president convened the meeting of the bipartisan congressional leadership to discuss his “to-do list” for Congress, but an aide to the Speaker said the bulk of the meeting was spent on other issues, including a pile-up of expiring tax provisions and the next increase in the federal debt limit.

According to a readout of the meeting from the Speaker’s office, Boehner asked Obama if he was proposing that Congress increase the debt limit without corresponding spending cuts. The president replied, “Yes,” the Boehner aide said. At that point, Boehner told Obama, “As long as I’m around here, I’m not going to allow a debt-ceiling increase without doing something serious about the debt.”

Shortly after the meeting, White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that the president warned the leadership that he would not allow a repeat of last August’s debt-ceiling “debacle,” which led to a downgrade in the U.S. credit rating.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/227793-obama-boehner-clash-at-white-house-over-debt-ceiling-hike

[lsewpershad]

1. Hope you stand your ground, Mr President.

[lastlib]

2. Boner is a horse's ass

Wrecking the country just so his rich buddies can have big tax cuts is totally immoral.

[Beer Snob-50]

8. I have to give boner a pass on the wrecking the country for his rich friends

i believe he is doing this because he doesn't have the guts to stand up to the idiot teapartiers in his caucus. they are also not doing it for their rich friends because they truly believe ( i think due to a definate lack of education or at least not a active brain cell in their heads) they are doing this for the good of the country.

[lastlib]

13. Cowardice and stupidity are no excuse--

they are wrecking the country. Period.

[tclambert]

16. That's their electoral strategy.

"President Obama FAILED to keep us Republicans from ruining the country. So you should vote him out!"

[Beer Snob-50]

20. i agree with what you say

but i don't think he has nefarious reasons for his stances. he is basically a lousy leader.

[Richardo]

3. "As long as I'm around here..."

Please do something about that, voters in OH District 8.

[lastlib]

14. Second that!!

[coalition_unwilling]

15. Or maybe cut the defense budget by say 10%? = $65 BILLION - N/T

[Andy823]

18. Don't forget subsidies and tax breaks for big oil

Put the oil companies "welfare" handouts on the table and make republicans stand up for why they won't take away things from the rich, but only want to cut programs for the poor!

[AlbertCat]

5. doing something serious about the debt

Tax churches and their businesses?

Minimum mandatory corporate tax?

Raise really rich people's taxes to 20th century levels (39.6%)?

[liberal N proud]

7. The only thing on the table for the GOP regarding debt reduction...

Social programs.

Can't raise taxes on the filthy rich, cant cut spending on bombs and other pet projects of Congress.

I think all the President has to do is look at Boehner and point to his shitty approval numbers and say, I will take this to the people.

[aggiesal]

9. Or how about ...

trimming all the fat from the military budget.

That alone would cover everything that Cantor wants to remove
from our services.

The money used for nuclear weapons is not even on the military budget.
Instead it's in the Department of Energy budget.

[dennis4868]

6. Wasn't Boehner...

around during the Bush years when they raised the debt ceiling while doing NOTHING about the debt? God damn fucking hypocrite!

[leftyohiolib]

11. yes but this is gop sop they rack up a hugh debt then when dems take offc they scream about the

defecit they created and how spending is NOW out of control

[BadgerKid]

10. 2011 debt ceiling deal

Debt Ceiling Deal That Cuts Trillions, Creates 'Super Congress' Announced By Party Leaders


WASHINGTON -- Congressional leaders and President Obama on Sunday night announced they've cut a deal to avert a historic U.S. default, saying they have assembled a framework that cuts some spending immediately and uses a "super Congress" to slash more in the future.

The deal calls for a first round of cuts that would total $917 billion over 10 years and allows the president to hike the debt cap -- now at $14.3 trillion -- by $900 billion, according to a presentation that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made to his members. Democrats reported those first cuts at a figure closer to $1 trillion. It was unclear Sunday night why those two estimates varied.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/31/debt-ceiling-deal_n_914538.html

[obxhead]

12. ok, no problem.

We'll tax the .05% at a 90% tax rate and return to balanced trade through tariffs.

Debt crisis solved.

[DallasNE]

17. Has Boehner Ever Made A Proposal That Is Serious About The Debt?

I can't think of any. He and Obama almost agreed to a grand bargin that would have been serious about the debt but he was unable to deliver. Other than the grand bargin that Boehner walked away from I cannot think of anything Boehner has done that could be considered as serious. The Ryan budget increases the debt while also gutting social programs and pointing the country in the direction of a recession and that is a sure way to further increase the debt.

[underpants]

19. Obama knows that he has LOWERthe debt in relation to GDP (the favorite RW measurement)

Rightwingers just LOVE to sound intelligent repeating the RW talking point of the "debt in relation to GDP"

Whoops


CHART: Spending, Taxes, And Deficits Are All Lower Today Than When Obama Took Office

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/05/15/484767/obama-budget-chart/

In January 2009, before President Obama had even taken the oath of office, annual spending was set to total 24.9 percent of gross domestic product. Total spending this year, fiscal year 2012, is expected to top out at 23.4 percent of GDP.

Here’s another interesting fact. Taxes today are lower than they were on inauguration day 2009. Back in January 2009, the CBO projected that total federal tax revenue that year would amount to 16.5 percent of GDP. This year? 15.8 percent.

One last nugget. The deficit this year is going to be lower than what it was on the day President Obama took office. Back then, the CBO said the 2009 deficit would be 8.3 percent of GDP. This year’s deficit is expected to come in at 7.6 percent.