Daily Dose: Boehner Chastises Conservatives

Submitted by Collin Berglund on September 22, 2011
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Daily Dose
John Boehner

Boehner chastises conservatives: You voted to spend more money - The Hill

Russell Berman -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) delivered a tough message to conservatives who rejected his government funding bill on Wednesday: You voted to spend more money. Four dozen House Republicans broke ranks and opposed a stopgap spending measure, killing the bill after Democrats pulled their support. GOP leaders are now scrambling to rewrite the measure, and Boehner hinted on Thursday that Republicans would not end up with more spending cuts as a result.

Don't bet the House on Democrats - Politico

Dan Hirschhorn -- No one’s ready to write off the House yet. But in the wake of two recent special election defeats and President Barack Obama’s declining poll ratings, Democrats are increasingly pessimistic about their prospects of winning back control in 2012. As recently as May, when the GOP plan to overhaul Medicare looked to be a silver bullet after a dramatic special election victory, Democrats held a glimmer of hope that the House might be in play.

No more Mr Nice Guy - The Economist

FOR a few days in July Barack Obama and John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, flirted with the idea of a “grand bargain” to hold down entitlement spending while increasing tax revenue. This, they briefly hoped, might unite their parties behind a durable solution to America’s deficit. But if any hope of such a grand bargain remained, it evaporated this week. In a speech in Washington, DC, on September 15th, Mr Boehner flatly declared tax increases “off the table”. Four days later Mr Obama proposed a detailed deficit-reduction plan that combines token trims to entitlements with multiple extra taxes on the rich. The newly combative president also promised to veto any attempt by Congress to cut health-care benefits without also raising taxes on the wealthy.

House leaders trying to smooth disagreement over disaster aid - CNN

Tom Cohen -- A delayed or canceled recess for Congress loomed Thursday after the House defeated a temporary spending measure the night before that would fund the government for the first seven weeks of the new fiscal year that begins October 1. With a one-week congressional recess scheduled to begin Friday, House Republican leaders warned of a possible weekend session to continue work on the funding plan, known as a continuing resolution. However, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, insisted to reporters that an agreement would be reached and the spending measure passed to prevent a possible partial government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends on September 30. "There is no threat of a government shutdown. Let's just get this out there," Boehner said, later adding: "We are going to meet with our members later on today and present some options and decide on a way forward."

Red vs. Blue? Most Americans are Stuck in the Middle -- PolicyMic

On our blog: Jake Horowitz -- By almost every conceivable measure, Americans today are more dissatisfied with government than ever. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, congressional approval ratings have dipped to a historic low (12%), while recent Pew polls reveal that public trust in government has reached rock-bottom (22%). This disconnect can be explained by the public’s distaste for the soaring level of partisanship in Washington, D.C. Indeed, from the vicious bickering over health care reform to the rancor over the debt deal, congressional polarization is on the rise ...