Orange Turns Yellow: Boehner Readout Of Meeting With Obama Leaves Out Facts

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After meeting with President Obama, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released a readout of the meeting that was missing key parts of the conversation, and read like a desperate attempt by the Republican House leader to look tough.

Here is what Boehner’s readout said,

The Speaker made clear that the American people’s top priority remains jobs and the economy. He reminded the president that there are more than 40 House-passed jobs bills that represent a great place to start on immediate, bipartisan action to help create more private-sector jobs. He has previously said that building the Keystone pipeline, restoring the 40-hour work week, encouraging our businesses to hire more veterans, and supporting innovative charter schools are examples of the types of common-sense solutions that offer a good starting point in January.

The Speaker warned that unilateral action by the president on executive amnesty will erase any chances of doing immigration reform and will also make it harder for Congress and the White House to work together successfully on other areas where there might otherwise be common ground.

Lastly, the Speaker welcomed President Obama’s decision regarding a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) for the effort to defeat and destroy ISIL, but reminded him that historically the Commander-in-Chief has identified the need for the use of military force, written a new AUMF, sent it to Capitol Hill, and worked to build bipartisan support for its passage. The Speaker urged the president to do so in this case, and said that if he does, House Republicans will be ready to work with him to get it approved.

Contrast this with what the readout from the White House reported,

This afternoon, the President hosted Congressional leaders for a bicameral, bipartisan meeting to chart a new course forward and discuss areas of common ground where we can work together right away to deliver results for America’s middle class. The President started a conversation with the leaders on their priorities for the next few months and what they think can be accomplished on a bipartisan basis in the new year. The leaders shared their desire to work together in a bipartisan way.

The President also made clear that there is still business to get done this year and he set forth three areas where Congress can work together now. First, Congress can act now to support the request for emergency funding to combat Ebola abroad and increase our preparedness at home. Second, the President urged the leaders to pass a budget for the rest of the fiscal year in the same bipartisan, drama-free way they did earlier this year because there is no reason to create uncertainty for businesses that are putting Americans back to work. Finally, Secretary Hagel, Director Donovan and General Austin briefed the Members on the Administration’s ongoing efforts to confront the threat posed by ISIL and requested that Congress provide $5.6 billion in additional resources in FY15 to support the counter-ISIL strategy. General Austin also briefed the Leadership on an expansion of our effort to train and assist Iraqi Security Forces.

The President reiterated his commitment to taking action on immigration reform in light of the House’s inability to pass a comprehensive bill.

This week, the American people sent a clear message to Washington to deliver for the American people. The President heard them and he looks forward to working with Republicans and Democrats to do just that.

Boehner’s readout makes it sound like he showed Obama who’s the boss. Interestingly, Boehner’s readout completely omitted the whole part about Republicans showing interest in working with the president. Republicans continue to live in their own fantasy land where they have no intention of ever working with President Obama on anything. In fact, they are so frightened by their own party’s reaction to working with the president that they go out of their way to rewrite history in order to avoid their supporting finding out that they were anything less than hostile to the President Of The United States.

You’ll notice that almost one-third of Boehner’s readout isn’t about anything that he said in the meeting. It is a rehash of his Wall Street Journal editorial with Mitch McConnell. The meeting most likely wasn’t anything like what Boehner was trying to sell in his readout.

If Boehner is afraid to tell his base that he expressed interest in bipartisanship, he will definitely be too big of a coward to do anything that is actually bipartisan. Orange is the new yellow as the reign of the worst Speaker in House history promises more of the same incompetence for the next two years.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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