John Boehner: Naked and Gelded

Bob Schieffer is the most astute interviewer in television news today. He's been around a long time. His show, "Face the Nation" is punctuated by his wisdom, experience and keen observations gleaned during fifty years in the business of reporting. This is our Speaker of the House, John Boehner. He's being interviewed by Bob Schieffer and he doesn't want to commit to any plans or ideas that involve immigration, the economy etc. He claims not to know of the President's agenda. He just wants to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act aka "Obamacare". Who's in charge here? Certainly not John Boehner. Boehner's pedantic and dismissive remarks, unwillingness to answer specific questions, annoyance with Schieffer's dogged persistence, are the stuff of an eye opening interview. The interview lasts 16 minutes, the first 7 are must see tee vee.




Aside from Boehner's insufferable attitude, what is most obvious here is his reluctance to commit to any plan of action resulting from his fear of retaining the position of Speaker of the House. He kowtows to the extreme elements in the GOP. He is a man being pulled in many directions by many demanding factions, including the President. He is resentful, he is ineffective, he is, in effect, a gelding.



As always, Schieffer puts things in perspective by reminding us, once upon a time, the country was working to accomplish great things. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57594758/face-the-nation-transcripts-july-21-2013-boehner-and-snyder/

The Ryan Bill, Newt Gingrich and the GOP

House Republicans approved a budget on Friday that would fundamentally alter Medicare and Medicaid, lower taxes on individuals and corporations and cut $4.4 trillion from the nation’s deficit over the next decade.  The Washington Post 4-15-11

Ryan's bill will end Medicare as an "open minded entitlement for new retirees", begin raising the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 and create a Medicare exchange from which we can all choose a private policy.  Individual states would receive less money from the federal government and have more management control over the programs in their state.  This is scary stuff to me.  I'm in the "Live Free or Die" state...emphasis on the die part.

Newt came out strongly against it and a firestorm of punditry from the media and alarm from members of the GOP.  But frankly, and I never thought I'd say this, he's right. 

“I think that that is too big a jump. I think that what you want to have is a system where people voluntarily migrate to better outcomes, better solutions, better options.” The Washington Post  Eugene Robinson  Op-Ed 5-19-11

And the talking heads were all over it this morning.  Both "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press" were on point with the subject. 

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Even Mitch McConnell, if you believe Huff Post, is not wild about the Ryan bill. 

What I want to know is, why don't we just bring home our soldiers from all three fronts and save ourselves, a staggering $1, 198, 130, +++,+++.