We imagine John Boehner to be some sort of fat Congressional King laughing at all the political gymnastics he routinely puts the POTUS through. It’s like an ongoing game of “Wabbit Season/Duck Season” with these two! The latest: GOP Debate vs. Presidential Address.
So in a move in utter balls-in-your-face comeuppance, the White House announces that the president will be addressing a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Sept. 7th, the day both houses will be back after an August recess, and also the date of a newly planned GOP televised debate. Sensational. Cut those jokers off at the knees with things that matter right now, not months from now, especially when there will be many, many more debates. The focus of the presidential address? Jobs. You know, the hugely important topic that has the entire nation’s attention. Jobs, the state of which has unemployment rates skyrocketing to 9 percent and above, yes, that little topic that oh, just everyone is concerned about. Most probably think this is something that should bear a bit of fanfare, and importance, since it’s hitting many of us right in the financial gut. But we would be so wrong about that! No! We shouldn’t be concerned about feeding our families right now! We should be concerned about:
- Will Rick Perry say some odd thing about abortion?
- Will Michele Bachman spew some random nonsense about ruining the Everglades by drilling for oil.
- Will Mittens Romney just smile and look bewildered?
- Will the president ruin opening night of the NFL?
- Will John Boehner hold his breath and cry the tan off his face if he has to accept anything the president does?
Upon hearing that the president would dare address the country with his paltry speech about job creation and upstage the GOP dung-fling show happening on the same night, Boehner says to the President, “You know, there’s so much to do that night. It’s my bowling night. I’ve got to clean my chimney. My tires need to be rotated. I need to watch a Hillbilly Hootenanny on television…yeah, I’m already so over-committed…can you move your little jobs thingie to Thursday? That’ll be great. Thanks. Awesome. You’re looking so slim. The golf, it’s good, right? See ya next week!”
And just guess what? Obama CAVES! Well, it wasn’t really a cave so much as Boehner said, “No. Move your thing.” And Obama said, “Well, actually you’re right. How dare I the POTUS want to address the nation at a time of my choosing. Obviously, I need to consult with you Sultan of Suntan before selecting a swath of toilet tissue after my morning constitutional.”
According to the Huffington Post, “White House Press Secretary Jay Carney emailed a statement to the press Wednesday evening, emphasizing that the administration had consulted GOP leadership before it requested to speak on Wednesday. But, he added, the president was willing to move the date back to accommodate House Speaker John Boehner’s concerns.”
Today, the President asked to address the Congress about the need for urgent action on the economic situation facing the American people as soon as Congress returned from recess. Both Houses will be back in session after their August recess on Wednesday, September 7th, so that was the date that was requested. We consulted with the Speaker about that date before the letter was released, but he determined Thursday would work better. The President is focused on the urgent need to create jobs and grow our economy, so he welcomes the opportunity to address a Joint Session of Congress on Thursday, September 8th and challenge our nation’s leaders to start focusing 100% of their attention on doing whatever they can to help the American people.
In a wilting move to throw the mishandling of this whole thing back on Boehner, an Administration aide says, “The whole thing is silly. We are fine with Thursday and would have proposed that to begin with if Boehner had told us Wednesday didn’t work this morning. Why he didn’t is just a mystery.”
No. No. No! The answer isn’t that you just capitulate, especially if you gave Boehner ample time to respond. And what are his reasons for asking the President to move the day? Has he given an official reason other than he needs to blow-dry his hair? And he wasn’t the only one, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) said that he would oppose a unanimous consent agreement inviting the president to speak if the date remained on Wednesday, which would have been unprecedented. Just what? You can do that? As a senator you can just say, “I refuse to let the president speak here about jobs because my stupid buddies are gonna debate to see who can lead the country based upon the outcomes of an arm wrestling competition and tobacky spittoon challenge?”
Granted, no one wants a continuation of petty debates and arguments that should be resolved quickly and effectively without drama and overexposure, this is a given. However, bending to the will of one group time and time again, on even small things, can’t instill a whole lot of confidence in a troubled economy, and when so many people are out of work and well, you ran a whole campaign on Hope and Yes, we can.
Toughen up. Sheesh.
Photo: Wikimedia
