DNC Blasts Boehner For Claiming GOP No Longer Plans To Legislate

Democrats are taking aim at Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) for admitting that he has advised his fellow House Republicans to no longer think of themselves as "legislators," but rather as mere "communicators."

"As I told my colleagues, we don't have enough votes to legislate," Boehner said, according to Saturday's New York Times. "We are not in the majority. We are not kind-of in the minority; we are in a hole. They ought to get the idea out of their minds that they are legislators. But what they can be is communicators."

By Saturday afternoon, the Democratic National Committee has released a web ad highlighting the quote, arguing that Boehner had admitted that Republicans are focused entirely on winning a public relations war with the White House.

From the DNC press release:

Boehner defended his Party's refusal to offer an alternative to any of the Obama Administration's plans, including the President's budget, by saying his party's lawmakers don't have to offer any plans and, in fact, "ought to get the idea out of their minds that they are legislators." It was the second time in a month Boehner has been quoted telling his caucus to stop offering policy alternatives and just say "no" to everything the President proposes.

The DNC's new web ad, called "No Responsibility," contrasts President Obama's responsible plan to create jobs by investing in health care, energy independence and schools with Congressman Boehner's insistence that his Party has no responsibility to say anything but "no" despite the economic crisis facing our country.

This video is also part a broader political story about the return of the DNC to the daily political fray.

Barely a week had passed after November's election before operatives at the Republican National Committee were back in campaign mode, blasting out stories that undercut Barack Obama and trying to shape the national media narrative.

Now, after a longer period of reorganizing and staff overhauls -- with Brad Woodhouse taking over as director of communications and research -- the Democratic National Committee is back in the game as well. In this case, the DNC highlighted a potentially damaging quote, drove it into the media discussion, and turned around a web ad advancing their message in a matter of hours.

Comments

[knockoutpolitics]

If Barack Obama had been honest in his presidential bid against John McCain, he would have told us the following: “In my first 100 days in office I’m going to triple the national debt, put out the most pork laden budget in the history of the country, appoint a tax cheater to head up the IRS and bank bailouts, send 17,000 troops into Afghanistan without a clearly stated exit strategy, close Gitmo without a plan on what to do with the terrorists, stop calling terrorists enemies, and I promise to alternately spread panic and then laugh about the state of the world economy, and just to top it off I’ll make fun of the Special Olympics on National Television.”

Do you think he would have won?

[knockoutpolitics]

It’s time for David Letterman to change his name to David Lettermouse….or maybe David Lettermonkey would be better.

In any event, there can be only one word to describe his recent renewed attacks on The Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, and her daughter, who had a baby.

He has not attacked or ridiculed the baby yet, but probably will when he learns the child’s name, as he has already ridiculed the father for having the name Levi.

How could anyone be so uncool as to be named Levi, right Dave?

Anway, what it all adds up to is cowardice. The left is scared crap-less of Sarah Palin because she represents the way government is supposed to be and the people she governers love her for it. Great, solid, All-American things like that really threaten imbeciles like David Letterman, John Podesta, Paul Bagala, James Carville, Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the left wing democratic ghouls. Apparently they cower in abject fear over thoughts of things like the Ten Commandments being displayed in a public courthouse, or the government actually giving back money to it’s people instead of hosing them for more and more.

[Hank10303]

THE PARTY OF NO

The more I listen to the republican talking points, their defense on past performance and their goal/objectives; the more I wonder about our future. It leads me to be more and more convinced that there should be a mentally sane certification to be in government office for any positions paying - $150,000 or more. Its one thing to make it legal for the mentally ill to sign themselves out of mental institutions and its another thing for them to be attempting to run the country.

Mental capacity certification act of 2009

[foxbat]

Said weeks before, but seems to be even more applicable now ...

GOP House/Senate Leadership: "Grumble, grumble, grumble, Obama" *no direction given*
GOP House/Senate Leadership: "Gripe, gripe, gripe, Obama" *no alternatives offered*
GOP House/Senate Leadership: "Name call, name call, name call, Obama" *no responsibility taken* GOP House/Senate Leadership: "Complain, complain, complain, Obama" *no positive action taken* GOP House/Senate Leadership: "Do what I say, do what I say, Obama" *don't do what we did*

That's not leadership. Time for folks to lead, follow, or get out of the way.

[Mintcondition]

They will get away with it. Their constituency will never hear about this, thanks to the msm. So, let it go folks, another day in the life of the rethugs. They do wtf they want.

[Hank10303]

Well that's where the wonders of the video tape come into play. I can see it now - 2010 and the republicans are in a fight for their lives; the DNC attempting to make even more gains in both the house and senate. The smears are flying left and right and then the 427's come into play and its September.

When the country needed leaders and ideas where were the republican members of congress. When unemployment and housing foreclosures were at a all time high where were the republcians in congress. Giving press conferences and interviews as commentators for the party of NO.

[In the background all the clips of the first 7 months of 2009]

[MsYellowDog]

Well,never mind about them...they weren't "legislating" during the Shrub administra­tion,eithe­r: they were rubber-stamping whatever Karl Rove and Paul Wolfowitz dreamed up in their witches' coven meetings.

[nini516]

If they're not doing their jobs, they should step down. See how the poor and middle-class live.
If they're not going to help get the country back on track, what are they good for?

[toppermost]

for God's sake... this is what America needs. If these people want to drop out of the government, GREAT.

[lvdragonlady]

Maybe the states, they are from, can just fire them?

[John Nolan]

What would be the point of offering alternatives to the Liberals? Pelosi and Reid have both made it abundantly clear that they wouldn't entertain any such alternatives.

[Grunty1]

That is their JOB, genius. If they don't want to do their job (like they ignored for the last 8 years), they should resign and let someone who WILL do the job take their place.

[CitizenJ]

Last I checked, the people voted for their representatives. Maybe if the Republican platform and politicians weren't so insane, they would have more representation.

Let's remember: this is the party of Bachmann, Limbaugh, Cantor, Boehner, Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, etc.

Hardly a bastion of moderation.

[pgobrien]

Oh, spare the outrage, please. Obama had Republican legislators over for dinner; he invited them to talk over popcorn and the Superbowl. They DON'T WANT to talk to him. They DON'T WANT any legislation to succeed on his watch, even if they can take credit for what's in it. THEY WANT HIM TO FAIL.
Republicans developed the "squeeze the opposition party out of the process" model when they got the power in the late 90s and for the past 8 years. Whining about being squeezed out of the process now -- what bunk. Just unadulterated bunk. If they want to be influential and not just oppositional, how about they GROW UP!
This whole spectacle is sickening, actually. Just plain sickening.

[WilliamProc]

Boehner, Cantor, and the Repubs are evoking the ghost of Senator Jesse "Senator NO" Helms to stake out new turf for their party. Just disagree with any legislation that isn't representative of the base's values and all will fall in line. Vote NO, stonewall, fillibuster, do whatever it takes to blur the issue and turn a talking point into policy.

The problem is that Helms is dead, the NO vote meme won't work effectively with small minority parties, and even Helms knew that if you wanted to vote NO to something, you had to offer some alternative. No one in the Republican party has the clout or voice to push the NO vote idealogy along the rails, not even Rush. Boehner knows his party is in the Doldrums of the political ocean, with no breeze to blow them to safety.

A party without a platform is a focus group, and even Repubs don't listen to them, as Bush stated.

[mmgbizgirl]

Legislators that don't actually work should have no pay or significantly reduced pay.

Those dollars could help struggling home and business owners.

[nini516]

Amen

[larmar]

Boehner is refusing to represent his constitutes. People of Boehner's district in Cincinnati and Dayton areas are being taxed but not represented.

Didn't we have a war with Britain over taxation without representation?

[lennonunitas]

why do they keep saying Bayner? Nobody says tay for toe or Jay for Joe.

[George Schadler]

Boehner is a German last name. Because we don't use umlauts in English (the o with two dots above it) we substitute 'oe'. In German, o umlaut, or 'oe' is pronounced 'ay'.

[Grunty1]

Sounds like an admission that the Republican Congress has abdicted their job for the last 8 years in order to allow Dubya his dictatorship fantasies.

[toppermost]

great point... they are just doing more of the same now.

[PWM]

So now the Republicans are trying to get out of their elected responsiblity in Congress. Why vote for these people?