John Boehner

Boehner Invites CEO Of Gibson Guitar To Watch President's Speech

Susan Crabtree | September 8, 2011, 4:49PM

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) isn't done tweaking the White House over the President's address to a joint session on jobs tonight.

Boehner's latest commentary over the Obama administration's economic policies will come in the form of a special guest invited to attend the speech and sit in the Speaker's box: the CEO Of Gibson Guitar Henry Juszkiewicz.

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Barack Obama

"Childish!" Dems, GOP Snipe Publicly Over The Timing Of President's Job Speech

Brian Beutler | August 31, 2011, 6:38PM

For the first time in history, a U.S. House Speaker has publicly rebuffed -- or at least moved to rebuff -- a request from the President of the United States to address a joint session of Congress.

The unexpected request, and unprecedented diss, have touched off a round of public partisan sniping so bitter, it's been at least since debt limit negotiations broke down waaaaay back in July that we've seen anything like it.

The White House confirms to TPM that it gave Congressional leadership the heads up before announcing its request publicly and no objections were raised at the time. Republicans say they never signed off, and were never asked to sign off.

"No one in the Speaker's office - not the Speaker, not any staff - signed off on the date the White House announced today," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner. "Unfortunately we weren't even asked if that date worked for the House. Shortly before it arrived this morning, we were simply informed that a letter was coming. It's unfortunate the White House ignored decades - if not centuries - of the protocol of working out a mutually agreeable date and time before making any public announcement."

A senior Democratic aide, granted anonymity to explain the sequence of events honestly, does not dispute that the White House acted hastily.

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Israel/Palestine

Netanyahu Addresses Supportive U.S. Congress

Susan Crabtree | May 24, 2011, 3:13PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rounded out a tumultuous visit to Washington with a speech to a largely sympathetic Congress Tuesday, compared to the tense relations on display with President Obama last week.

During the address, Netanyahu reaffirmed the close ties between the U.S. and Israel and once again rejected any suggestion of redrawing Israel's borders with a future Palestinian state along 1967 lines.

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John Boehner

After Brief Honeymoon, Americans Sour On Boehner

Jon Terbush | April 28, 2011, 5:01PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

After giving Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) a brief post-election bump, Americans have gradually become less favorable toward him, as they are now evenly split between viewing him in a positive versus a negative light.

According to a Gallup poll released this week, 34% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Speaker Boehner, the same percentage who view him unfavorably. That's a sharp reversal from January, when Gallup found that 42% of Americans viewed him favorably, compared to only 22% who said the opposite.

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Gas Prices

Reid to GOP: Just Try Voting Against Ending Subsidies For Oil Giants

Susan Crabtree | April 27, 2011, 3:52PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is following the White House's lead by seizing on the populist idea of ending subsidies for the five largest oil giants.

Reid said he would hold a vote as soon as possible on a bill to eliminate the tax breaks for the five largest oil companies, Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips, which have reported record profits in recent weeks and months.

"We have to take away the subsidies for these five major oil companies," he told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. "There's no need for these subsidies. The companies have broken records [with their] profits."

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Gas Prices

Obama's Targets GOP Divisions On Oil Subsidies

Susan Crabtree | April 26, 2011, 4:46PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and other members of the GOP leadership

President Obama knows all too well what it's like to feel the wrath of rankling his base by embracing compromise with Republicans on one of their ideological positions. That's why he didn't hesitate when House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) appeared to open the door -- just a crack -- to the idea of ending payments to oil companies in an interview with ABC News released Monday afternoon.

Boehner's office spent all day dialing back the bosses' comments.

"We have pointed out for years that raising costs for energy producers will raise costs for consumers," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told TPM. "And we want to 'take a look' at anything that lowers gas prices - but the President's proposal won't do that."

But the damage was already done and the rest of the GOP leadership team was forced to quickly putty over any cracks appearing on the surface -- real or perceived -- while Obama did his best to exploit any divisions.

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Barack Obama

Obama Steps Up Role In Endgame Budget Talks

Susan Crabtree | April 4, 2011, 4:29PM

President Barack Obama

With the threat of a government shutdown looming if Republicans and Democrats don't agree on spending cuts by the end of the week, President Obama is stepping up his role in last-minute budget negotiations and plans to meet with Congressional leaders over lunch Tuesday.

Democratic senators and Vice President Joe Biden have said both sides have agreed to a rough spending-cut figure of $33 billion but are still haggling over whether to include several policy riders on the bill and exactly where to focus some $6 to $8 billion of the spending cuts.

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Budget

Biden Announces Budget Breakthrough After Huddling With Dems

Susan Crabtree | March 31, 2011, 8:58AM

Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden announced a breakthrough in talks to avert a government shutdown as top aides continued to hash out a proposal with cuts of nearly $33 billion in the 2011 budget.

Although Biden said no deal had been reached as of Wednesday night, he was optimistic that the agreement on the top figure was the beginning of the end to the standoff between House Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House on how to fund the government through September and keep it up and running past April 8.

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Budget

Dems Open To Bending On Some Policy to Strike Budget Deal

Susan Crabtree | March 29, 2011, 3:48PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for the first time expressed a willingness to consider some GOP policy amendments that House Republicans are insisting lawmakers tack onto the spending bill to fund the government past April 8.

The concession is one hopeful sign in an otherwise stubborn standoff that both parties can strike a deal that avoids a government shutdown next week. But as with anything, the devil is in the details and which policy amendments the Democrats are considering.

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John Boehner

Quinnipiac Poll: What Do Boehner's Tears Say About Him?

Jon Terbush | January 20, 2011, 11:57AM

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) cried when Republicans took back the House. He sniffled in an interview with 60 Minutes. And he's teared up in several speeches on the House floor. Perhaps now he'll cry again, as a pollster has gone and asked his constituents whether the House leader was tarnishing his image with all that sobbing.

Yes, Quinnipiac University recently gauged Ohio voters' opinion of several lawmakers, tacking on a bonus question asking whether Boehner's wet-eyed sentimentality was a sign of strength or weakness.

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John Boehner

Boehner Cries, Claims He Doesn't Go Tanning In 60 Minutes Interview (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | December 12, 2010, 8:14PM

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who cried during an emotional speech on election night, let the tears flow once again in an interview with Leslie Stahl of "60 Minutes" which aired Sunday.

Stahl asked him why he got choked up on election night.

"Talking, trying to talk about the fact that I've been chasing the American dream my whole career," Boehner said.

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Nancy Pelosi

The Next Gingrich? How Democrats Could Win, And Pelosi Still Lose

Brian Beutler | October 21, 2010, 11:48AM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

A small but growing number of Democrats have abandoned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the GOP's second-favorite bogeyman in contested districts. Depending on how you count, about five have even said they oppose her continued Speakership if the Democrats retain the House.

That may sound like no big deal -- who cares if some of the most conservative Democrats in the House won't vote for Pelosi, so long as a majority of her caucus still supports her, right? Wrong.

The Speaker is a unique office-holder on Capitol Hill, elected by a plurality of the full House of Representatives. Even if Democrats can retain the House, their margin will likely be slimmer than it is now. And that could touch off a scenario in which there's a majority of Democrats in Congress, but a minority of members of Congress willing to vote for Pelosi as Speaker.

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