Washington (CNN) - House Speaker John Boehner mocked President Barack Obama's assertion that the country was "better off" now because of actions his administration took.
An incredulous Boehner, asked Wednesday about the president's answer to a question about the status of the economy, raised his voice and replied, "Are you kidding me?"
"Why don't you go ask the 14 million Americans who are out of work whether they're better off today than they were four years ago?" Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill.
During an interview on Tuesday with a reporter from Minnesota television station WCCO, Obama was asked if he believed the country was "better off" than it was four years ago, and he maintained it was because of policies he put in place.
"I think we are better off now than we would have been if I hadn't taken all the steps that we took," the president said.
But Obama also conceded there was much more work to do, adding "I don't think the country is stronger yet then it was when the economy was still booming and we didn't have the Wall Street crisis, and we didn't have the housing bubble burst. But, we've made steady progress; we just need to make more."
Also see:
Biden and Cantor to break bread
Obama pledges to speed up road projects, add jobs
From CNN Politics
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Boehner is just that, a Boehner
Hi bone head boehner
Where are the jobs
No Boner, the question is to you, are you kidding.
President Obama, killed Bin Laden, brought down Kadaffey, will end the war in IRAQ. He gave us universal Health care, and yes the Stimulus plan worked. It created 5.3 millions jobs, and if it was not for that do nothing congress he would have created more jobs. We are better off than we were 4 years ago. Four years ago, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. For the last 19 months we have been seen job growth. Take that to your rich friends on Wall Street.
All democrat liberals are pretty delusional, but Obama is even more so.
The Country would be much better off without Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, et. al. lurking around the Capitol building.
Since Boehner constantly refer himself as Obama equal because he is speaker of the house, what in the hell has he done to make things better for the American people. Boehner is the worst speaker of all time (9%) to be exact. He is the cheerleader of being an obstructionist and is an ineffective leader, except to carry the NO banner. Nancy Pelosi at least got stuff done. Boehner is a LOSER on every level and he wishes he could be Obama!
Boehner looks like he is about to cry. He forgets it was George W Bush's administration that drove us into the recession ditch with no plan to get us out, GWB invaded Afghanistan with no plan on how to get us out, GWB invaded Iraq with no plan on how to get us out. Everyone see the obvious theme here? GOP Repukelicans get the country into trouble, but never have a plan to get us out of wars, recessions, create jobs, work on deficits and debt, and their only plan is to make Obama a one term president. That is their only plan and it is not helping America at all. They are obstructing real progress on creating jobs and ending the deficits and debt. I am tired of Boner, McClownell, CANTor and the rest of the idiots in the GOP clown car. They are out of touch with the 99% who are the working stiffs in this county.
Obama/Biden 2012
Maybe Obama was not talking about the economy or our standing among nations in the world or our downgraded debt load. In fact, he couldn't even have been talking about the status of the NBA. What the hell was Obama talking about, "...better off because of the things his administration has done."?!?!?
But what does this tell us all? Obama has not learned a thing from his mistakes. He has to go. Soon.
We'd be even further along if Boehner and his boys didn't block every single piece of legislation coming down the pike. And from the report just out, it seems that even Boehner himself is better off now than 4 years ago. Him and alll those millionaire congressmen. What a joke.
You might try helping the process, John. You and your Republican cohorts are the main reason that so little progress has been made in any arena. Except for making the rich richer, you Republicans are complete failures. Try representing Americans once in awhile instead of the treasonous corporations.
Obama was poised to hand Boehner trillions in entitlement cuts in exchange for relatively modest tax loophole closings and increases which could have spared us a credit downgrade and a dumpy market outlook and Boehner walked away from it. Are you kidding me??
No, Boehner, I don't think he is. Meanwhile, I think it is you (and McConnell, and the rest of the GOP/TP) who live a rich fantasy life if you believe that you or your party have done ONE thing to improve the lives of Americans over the last two years.
If your behavior doesn't reach to being treasonous, it certainly is disfunctional and useless. You (all) should be turned out on your ears!
Boner was busy preparing to vote to reaffirm "In God we Trust."
I guess we going to be kidding Boehner when we vote you out of the office 2012.
I dont think this a kidding matter when people losen jobs, homes, healthcare so we going to vote you out of
the office with the other republicans/teaparty.
Only Obama could think America, the American people are better off than four yeasrs ago.
House Speaker John Boehner
Past 10 months congress is dividing the nation , we would have better if we had democratic congress
I sure hope Eric Cantor gave tan man permission to say that.
As spineless as he has been, Obama should get credit for keeping the bad situation he inherited from becoming even worse, as GOP policies would have done. Middle-class people stupid enough to vote for a GOP in 2012 deserve to become extinct.
The obamination is delusional!
Employment is in the toilet.
Companies are holding onto their funds due to the regulatory uncertainty.
Health cost are rising BECAUSE of his obamycare.
Inflation is kicking in due to him and his printing money.
AND he keeps wanting to raise taxes.
IMPEACH HIM!
as for the House Speaker John Boehner mocking Barack Obama, that's not hard to do given the Obama record of failures.
Seriously, Deidre, you write: " Obama was asked if he believed the country was "better off" than it was four years ago, and he maintained it was because of policies he put in place." but the quote from Obama DOES NOT say the country is better off than it was, but better off than it WOULD HAVE been without the policies they put in place, which is not the same thing at all. You're free to disagree with the President on that point, but you're not free to distort the truth as you do here. Fail.
Typical rightwinger with a selectively short memory. I guess he does not remember the collapse of the stock market and resulting devaluation of millions of retirement savings invested in the market, the and banking financial industry crisis, housing crisis, the unemployment (they have risen sight) the sense that the entire world was on brink of .recession/depression because of the all of the above industry run amok because of the lack of oversight that neocons invariably expouse. Its the old addage that if you say it often enough, the faux (Fox) news watcher and Hanity/Limbaugh listeners will believe it.
I think the same question needs to be asked to Mr. Boehner. He's done nothing to make conditions better for anybody but the top 1%. Where are all of those jobs that the Republicans promised back in 2009 when they were campaigning for congress? Hmmmm..... seems like jobs just aren't priority number 1 anymore. Rolling back bank regulations, busting unions, giving tax breaks to the rich, , defunding healthcare, and making sure that gays can't marry have risen to the top of the priority list above job creation.
Well lets just take a peak at the math. When Obama took over our economy was losing 800K jobs a month. Now it is gaining. If that's no the very definition of improvement then what is?
Is it all better? Hell no. But that has more to do with the party of "no" being in charge of the Supreme Court and the House than anything Obama could control.
Actually if you really understand what happened in 2007 and 2008 (before President Obama took office) we are better off. We were in the worst recession in our history, we were lossing jobs at a tremendous rate. We have gained jobs (granted slower than we would like) but we are gaining jobs since President Obama took office. Deregulation caused alot of this, no controls on banks, wall street etc. Now we have regulations to help consumers and the GOP says we are hurting job creators. NOT TRUE, tax cuts for the wealthy in the last ten years has caused the wealthiest among us to have gained over 270% of the nations wealth. Why others (99%) gained 20% if we were lucky. They did not create jobs with all their tax cuts.....Big oil recieves 6 billion dollars in tax subsides (WHY)! Ever since the American people made a terrible decision in 2010, the GOP/Tea Party folks donot want to work with the President and have admitted their only goal is to make President Obama a one term president.
In ten years since 911 we hailed our first responders(Firefighters, police officers) as heros. Yet, last week the GOP defeated a bill that would help communities to hire more police and firefighters because they did not want to raise taxes by .5% on millionaires and billionaires. So, now firefighters and police officers are bad people because they are employed by the GOVERNMENT.......I could go on......Study the facts folks...Please wake up America! Do not make the same mistake in 2012!!! Please.
Mr. Boehner, do something for our country not just for your party.
Boehner is twisting the President's words. Obama did not say we are better off than four years ago. He said we're better off than we would have been without his policies- the stimulus and bailing out the auto industry being two key ones. Beohner can't have an honest discussion on the issues without twisting people's words.
Does Boehner think the country is better off since he became Speaker of the House? Or is it his claim that he's just limiting the damage caused by the administration? The truth is neither can accomplish anthing without the other. The President cannot enact policy without cooperation from congress. Congress is ineffective when its sole pupose is to hijack the presidency.
What, exactly, has Boehner done since taking his position? Oh, right. He's said no. A lot. Sorry, that's not a job, that's a hobby. And perhaps he should go out and get a real job. He's not fit to hold the position he's got.
Since President Obama prevented the collapse of the banking and auto industry yes the country is better off. What has Boehner and the rest of the GOP done...NOTHING. They have been the biggest obstructionist to our recovery. Speaker Boehner needs to get over thim self considering he has saved anyone’s jobs.
Speaker John Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , are BUMS !
VOTE THEM OUT !
No, Mr. Speaker, you and the GOP are kidding not only the American people by your actions in refusing to help Americans in your quest to discredit the Pesident, but you are fooling yourselves as you will see at election time.
That was rude. I know it's hard for republicans to remember it was they who put us here and also they who keep us where we are. Failure of the US economy is a win for them. I hope they're happy now.
Ask Boner to ask those 14 million Americans who are out work who is trying to help them get back to work, the president or you Mr. Boner, the President or the GOP? The American people know who's on their side and who is not. Say goodnight Mr. Boner.
Just keep it up republicans and tea partiers. You keep digging that hole deeper.
Is Boehner kidding, too, or just kidding himself? He and his GOBP deathcult have been devoted, 24/7/365 to obstructing any and all economic progress. By lowering the bar so far, ANY economic progress at this point is (a) a credit to President Obama and (b) further proof the GOBP deathcult cares only for the greedy and not the needy, and needs to be tossed out of office ASAP.
Boehner: "Are you kidding me? We (Republicans) did everything we could to make it worse, so we can blame Obama for it all." It's the only justification they have for the obstructive moves and stonewalling on jobs and the economy. The only thing is, the 99% now on the move in this country may be the undoing of the Republican plan to make Obama a one term president. They have stated that their main goal is to make Obama a one termer. The country be damned! FIRE THE HOUSE!
"Why don't you go ask the 14 million Americans who are out of work whether they're better off today than they were four years ago?" Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill.
Yeah, Boner, and if Obama hadn't worked to counter the policies of the GOP, that number would be far higher. These problems didn't start overnight and they won't be fixed overnight. The last time I checked, the first priority of the GOP, when winning back the House, was to put forth a jobs bill. Well, where is it, Republicans? You people are long on complaints and short on solutions.
He keeps saying that we are better off, but cannot affirmatively point to any data that says so. I refuse to believe anything this guy says about the economy until the numbers indicate that we are "better off."
We are better off than we were, because we were able to change some of the policies that were put into place for 10 years, that got us into the mess we were in in 2008 and early 2009. Boehner, you cannot turn that around on the President. Although they were difficult choices the choices were made that saved us from going deeper into a recession or depression. Please people don't let R's pull the wool over your eyes.
At no point in history has a legitimate political party shown such disdain for the office of the president. Conservatives say, "that's how the Libearls treated Bush, so do be hypocritical". To them I say this. How many times did the Dems use the fillibuster to thwart the will of the presidency? In a joint session of the congress, how many times was Bush "heckled" by the oppostion party. The media's silence is deafening. Racism is rampant, "and all eveil needs to prevail is for good men to do nothing" (or something like that)
Boner should be admonished for his behaviour, he should also act like he is a part of CONGRESS, and speaking about the PRESIDENT. You can clearly see, Boner sees Obama as a black man.... Not the President
Too bad that Boehner didn't say that the country was better off due to actions taken by Congress. We'd have two bold-faced lies then.
The spin continues. The fact is those people unemployed now would have been out of work anyway after Bush and Cheney scr3wed the economy, and they would have been joined by many others. Obama (and the unemployed) have been paying for their sins. McCain had no viable economic plan. Why is it that 90% of America's economists have been saying for the last year that Obama's stimulus definitely helped reduce the impact of the recession, but people keep believing this is Obama's fault? If Republicans place so much importance on personal responsibility, why don't they take some?
How dare Boehner even reference the 14 million people unemployed. He and his republicans ran on jobs, jobs, jobs. In the last 300 days since they took over the House, NOT ONE jobs bill has come onto the house floor. Not one.
An incredulous Boehner, asked Wednesday about the president's answer to a question about the status of the economy, raised his voice and replied, "Are you kidding me?"
There's REAL professionalism there along with the usual sarcasm. This is why he along with his congress has the lowest approval rating in history. These people are classless and useless and need to be sent back to the bars, TP trailers or wherever they emerged from. Enough is enough.
That's funny. "Are you kidding me?" is the same reaction i've had to almost everything Boehner has said this year.
Isn't it about time for Boehner to look in the mirror and admit that he and his cronies, McConnell and Cantor have done absolutely nothing for this country in the last three years. THey have continued to be the "Party of NO" and have left the voters struggling to hang on to what ever they have left after the Bush administration gave it all away to the wealthy!!!!... WAKE UP people....do you really want the Repubs to be running this country into the ground forever. They don't care about YOU...all they care about is money,money,money on the Repub side of the ledger!!!! TAKE THE BOTTOM AND THE MIDDLE OUT OF ANYTHING AND THE TOP WILL COLLAPSE!!!!!!This can apply to government ,you know!!!!!!!!!
Boner, where are the jobs you promised? Let me guess, anti abortion bills and reaffirming "IN GOD WE TRUST" is your jobs bill. Time for the house to take a vacation, because doing nothing is such hard work, you welfare abuser.
uh John go ask the folks in the auto industry how better off they are now instead of doing what guys like you and Romney would have done to them.
Obama is either deceiving himself–not impossible; he's a long way out of touch with the people of this country–or he thinks that if he says it often enough people will actually start to believe him.
Yes, if we could've only elected W. to another Four Years. Dang Constitution.
Without your help I might add....I'll ask you, where are the jobs? That was what 2010 was all about, wasn't it?
More robotic opposition by speaker Boner. Like the rest of the republicans, if Obama said the earth orbits the sun, they'd have to claim the sun orbits the earth. Obama is doing the right things by sidestepping a dysfunctional congress.
"Why don't you go ask the 14 million Americans who are out of work whether they're better off today than they were four years ago?" Boehner told reporters on Capitol Hill."
Psst. John-Boy, listen up ... jokes now on YOU, Mr. Speaker of the Useless. Kind of hard to mock the President when Boehner himself hasn't done a thing for those 14 million Americans who are out of work ... well, besides humiliating, ridiculing, and using them for votes in the 2010 election. You know, that not so long ago election where GOPers ran on Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! ... and then, once gaining the control they so covet, they spent the next 11 months saying Not now! Not now! Not now! Still waiting for GOPer hopeful Flipping Mitt to publicly address how he plans on uniting the Grand Old Party with the Grand Old Tea Party to eliminate the political gridlock running rampant in his party, because Boehner certainly hasn't been up to that task. If anything, since Boehner took control, the TeaPers have brought the GOPers into the trickle down gutter right along with them, and are setting their hopes on dragging all of America into that same gutter. Well, dragging 99% of us anyway.
"Are you kidding me?" He then followed up with "you ain't seen nothin' yet. Just wait until we get full control."
Why does this article not point out the obvious nonsense of Boehner responding to something the President didn't say? The President said that the country is better off now than it WOULD HAVE BEEN if not for his policies. He did not say that the country was better off than it was four years ago. It is the media's job to highlight politicians using such obvious slights of hand to peddle mistruths to the public. Must do better CNN!
President Obama is right. There are some things he had to put in place so that we can bebefit in the long run. Microwave doesn't meet our need. Strategy does. We can't keep taking short cuts. That is what got us in trouble and plus the greed of the people. JOBS ARE ON THE WAY!!!
The GOP TEA Party plan to make Pres.Obama a one-termer is backfiring on them. The American people see clearly that the GOP is willing to make millions suffer all for one job. The President. OWS # needs to keep hammering the greed of Wall St and Citizen United cash to make America a plutocracy society.
I can think a more effective strategy for Obama. Compare and Contrast, to illustrate the Republican hypocrisy. Remember when he visited that bridge between Ohio and Kentucky he stood in front of several weeks back? That was pretty good.
But, Obama needs to contrast that work. He needs to go stand in front of some of the successful projects within the districts of Republican House members that were paid for with Stimulus money. Compare that with standing in front of projects not in their districts which the Republicans have opposed.
Boehner should stop with the hyperbolic language and useless coin legislation and get to work. At least our president is trying.
Time to "occupy" DC. Fire all of them. Find responsible replacements. How long do we have to experience this embarrassment in view of the whole world, just because politicians are playing standoff games???
Boehner... I never lost my job during the recession and I attribute that to the fact that the country didn't fall into a severe depression, which is almost certainly what would have happened without Obama's leadership on the stimulus and the auto industry. So instead of asking the 14 million out of work if we're better off, why not consider the other 80+ million who never lost their job in the first place because of Obama's actions.
The president is right.We would probably be in a Depression if he had not taken the actions that he did with the Stimulus, bailing out the financial sector, and creating and saving jobs in states.He needs to do more, but our system of government isn't designed for presidents to go it alone.A lot more needs to be done, but he needs partners who are honest brokers in Congress, not gamesmen bent on destroying him, and America in the process, to get the job done.
Most of his major accomplishments ( the Stimulus bill, health care reform, Dodd-Frank) happened before Congress changed over earlier this year, when Democrats still controlled both houses of Congress.I think that the president is still the right man for the job, with his heart in the right place where the needs of the American people are concerned; but we need a different configuration of Congress, with more Democrats, to get something done.
Boehner acts like unemployment is none of his responsibility. The 14 million of unemployed Americans is under your watch too, Mr Speaker.
Are you kidding Bonehead? I just love the way the GOP expects Obama to roll over and play dead. President Obama has decided that he doesn't want to be the GOPs whippig boy anymore. The GOP's only goal is to make Obama a one-term president; they've said it over and over. Now that Obama has finally gotten the message and starting working without Congress, the GOP clowns are crying foul. Good for you, President Obama. You should have kicked Congress to the curve a long time ago.
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! Boehner! where are they? you and your party promised! but instead you go to work quietly on things like ensuring "In God We Trust" remains to reflect America, and you get alot done on the subject of abortions...but where are the jobs!? seriously! you promised the nation, and you promised to get votes and majority. but what have you DONE since 2010 but stand in the way?? you will NOT be re-elected!
Obama goes in with a 7% unemployment rate, and now we have a 9.1% rate. Our national debt exploded at a faster rate under Obama than it did under Bush..
Really, Obama... Who do you think you are fooling?!
so boehner if you think that the economy has not gotten better because of obama, THEN TELL US WHAT YOUR PLAN IS?????????????? where are the jobs you promised when elected a year ago????????????? quit bashing and start doing something.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We're better off now than we were the day BEFORE Obama took office. If we were still on the same track, we'd probably have 25 percent unemployment and rising.
Why would I be interested in anything boehner says? He and his Republican buds have done nothing for the working
people of this country. Did the Republicans come up with a plan to get this country working again. No! Did the Republicans come up with a way to make the rich pay their fair share in tax. No!
Yes Obama has made some mistakes. The republicans don't make mistakes because they do nothing.
Well Mr. Speaker, please tell us EXACTLY what you and the Republicans in the House have done. Name ONE bill you have passed to create jobs. We're waiting.........
The Greedy Old Pigs have declared class war on US!
Is Boehner kidding, too, or just kidding himself? He and his GOBP deathcult have been devoted, 24/7/365 to obstructing any and all economic progress...
________________________________________________________________________________________________
No, you must mean blocking out-of-control government spending. In that regard, the Republicans have had several huge successes for the American people. Cutting Obama's 2011 federal budget by $100 billion. Huge success! Getting a bipartisan commission cutting government spending tied to the debt ceiling increase. Huge sucess! Finally someone in Washington working for the American people. And making progress we can all enjoy.
Yes Boehner, the US and most of the developed world is in better state now then 4 years ago. And yes, had the world not acted (I'm talking world wide bank bailouts) many more would be bankrupt and out of a job now. Obama did his part, alongside many other world and business leaders. Not all went well but the situation as a whole is more positive now then it was 4 years ago.
Or do you want to go back to 2007 and crash the economy again? I guess if it prevents a second Obama term you would...
"He keeps saying that we are better off, but cannot affirmatively point to any data that says so."
Yes he can...do you live under a rock (or maybe a bridge?)? There is widespread professional consensus among economic experts that the stimulus package and other measures enacted by Obama and the Dems prevented us from spiralling into an actual depression and unemployment reaching as high as 13%-14% instead of peaking at 10% and then going back down. Moreover, there is clear, irrefutable evidence that the economy was not only stabilizing, but starting to slowly grow, by the end of 2010 and then stopped and reversed course again when the GOP/Teatrolls took the House in 2011 and started threatening shutdown and default on the national debt and playing brinksmanship/hostage games and causing the nation's credit rating to drop, etc. In fact, most economists say the stimulus package needed to be BIGGER, but the GOP/Teatrolls prevented that too. The reality is, an economic recession and austerity fever are two horrible things that go horribly together and we have nobody but the GOP/Teatrolls to thank for that.
@ Four and The Door
Maybe Obama was not talking about the economy or our standing among nations in the world or our downgraded debt load. In fact, he couldn't even have been talking about the status of the NBA.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
You do know all that was caused by Tea party Repubs after the 2010 election right ??.. just wanted to update your info. .. you always seem to have selective memory .. lol.. it will b ok .. I really don't think any facts will change your mind about Obama .. so sad .. enjoy ur day
I m make sick of ill that I mocked out of david poffle that obama have too much pproblems of his job
I ask david poffle why alex aderod was left leave at white house so maybe he make afraiad of presdient obama.
"Why does this article not point out the obvious nonsense of Boehner responding to something the President didn't say?"
Because that would make Boehner look like a game-playing partisan hack who spews irrelevant, tangential, preprogrammed talking points instead of thoughtful responses and therefore doesn't deserve to be listened to. However, in order for CNN and the MSM to sell us he-said-she-said controversy on a daily basis, they need for Boehner and others like him to be perceived as people that should be listened to.
Obama - what a joke! He can rightfully claim he has made the country a better place for those buying into a Marxist agenda. Not much else.
Let's just make sthis very freekin simple:
2008/2009 – Impending depression, economic collapse and an economy bleeding 750K jobs per month.
Now – None of that.
Any questions?
And we didn't have the congress working against their own people but just for their parties.
And that's all Boehner's done since becoming speaker of the house is mock the president. Where are the jobs Mr. Speaker you and your kind promised before taking office? Boehner is the biggest joke of the all.
hey John go ask the upper 1% if THEY are better off..tell us what answer you get then. And they are better off thanks to you and your cronies NOT Obama.
Boehner and the rest of the GOP/Tea Party are the problem and have been for several years. vote them all out in 2012.
We are a lot better off now than we where when Bush was in office. It could be a lot better if the Republicans/Tea Party would stop taking $ out of our education system like the $4 Billion they took in Texas causing over 100,000 of our teachers to be fired. Now they blame HISPANICS and under privilege children for bad test scores
Where are the jobs John boy? Deregulations and tax cuts for the rich does not equate to a jobs plan. Go cry in a gin and tonic.
and for those of us that pay attention know that the previous administration 'tanked" our country and then left the barn on fire as they walked off.
I DONT suffer from short term memory loss, so now I say "Boehner, are YOU kidding me? you think Obama put took us to war and oursourced our jobs? puhleeze.
Obama's actions, by every independent account, saved this nation from falling into a Depression. Almost all of the job losses in this country occurred during the last year of the Bush Presidency and the first 6 months of Mr. Obama's. Then, from the implementation of the Stimulus up until the day the Tea Party took control of the House, we were gaining jobs and seeing economic growth. Throw the Republicans out and we might just see a real recovery.
coming from the obstructionist weeping willow your words bonehead is laughable
Nice one Aaron – so true.
People who are in office who do nothing except obstruct should be voted out or recalled. Period! The GOP insurgency has wrecked this country and until I see a mojor shify in their agenda I will make sure my vote will go towards removing them from office.
America needs solutions – not inaction and posturing.
@ Goodbye Obama, you might want to save that for another 5 years. Wishful thinking on your part and only that.
CNN: Multi-National, Billion Dollar, Globe-Straddling, Corporate Giant, doing everything it can to surruptiously help the right wing try to damage President Obama's image and candidacy.
This country is by far worse off than we would have been without Obama in charge. Look at historical recession recoveries. By now we should be trending way up on most economic indicators. Instead we are flat or trending down. Unemployment numbers, GDP vs. Inflation, consumer confidence levels, etc are all indicative of this. Obummer is following FDR's path. FDR MADE the Great Depression. If it wasn't for him and his Marxist ilk that Depression wouldn't have lasted 17 years. It would just have been a bad recession.
As usual the speaker of the house is so busy flapping his gums he never hears the whole answer. Why would he want to give an informed response to a full intelligent real world answer by the President.? It might make him look like an adult with a brain! Hoping for to much I know. The tanning lights have baked his brain!! That or his ego is out of control. Either way we the people pay the price for "leaders of this caliber. No repubs not talking about guns.!!
We are not better, and were are these so called jobs that the Obama administration created, why is the unemployement rate still over 9% , he has done NOTHING but waste tax payer money on fail stimulious, and raised our debt, somebody needs to take his check book away, I don't how all of you brain washed socialist (liberals) think Obama and his administration have done anything good for this county.
Boehner is such a pompous idiot who can't even get his House together. Weren't they to be the country's saviors and get us jobs? Who does he think he is anyway? His time will end come 2013 anyway. This President has worked non-stop to dig us out of the ditch and all he & his party of "No' have done since Day 1 is sit back and collect their unearned pay. It's really quite unbelievable and sickening!!
Yawn!!!!! The Crying Speaker will ask the very same question in 2012 when they get their derrière kicked by the Dems! LOL
Boehner and the rest of the Teapublicans want ONLY ONE thing ...... to make sure "Obama fails" ..... these clowns do not care about America!
The Teapublicans spent countless hours making sure that no Federal Funds pay for abortions....... which IS A LAW on the books since the 1970's!
The Teapublicans spent countless hours yesterday re-affirming that our National motto is STILL "In God We Trust"..... more WASTED TIME!
Where are the JOBS 112th Congress????????????????
The Teapublicans also passed a bill that says "When Congress works for 2 weeks, they get a week OFF with pay"!!! How many of us, have this privilege???????????????
112th Teapublican Congress....... approval rate 9%!
The Speaker of the House and his counterparts in the Senate need a wake up call – which I hope the voters in their districts remember. They have done NOTHING, will continue to do NOTHING until they are voted out of office. The President is trying to undo 8 years of ^%& from the GOP, and while I do not always agree with his plan, he is at least attempting to address the issues. Can anyone honestly say the current field of GOP candidates can do better? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tan man is lost. McCain and the screeching e-bola Harpie would have made things worse than Duh Duh Duh-bya's dismal position
Here's a question for Boehner and his supporters: Are we better off than we were one year ago (before the GOP took over the House and 40+ seats in the Senate)?
Truthfully, Obama is a moron.
No, Boehner he's NOT kidding....YOU ARE!
Let's see losing 800,000 jobs a month, a crumbling financial system on the brink, markets dropping, America's Auto Industry closing and Terrorist on the Loose....enough said! And We ARE NOT there NOW!
HIGHER unemployment, MORE debt, HIGHER deficits, HIGHER food and gas prices, a healthcare system waiting to implode when Obamacare goes into effect....
If this is this buffoon's idea of being better off then he is not only clueless and out of touch with reality, he is downright dangerous. He might attempt to make us even better off, I mean let's shoot for 30% unemployment, $5 trillion deficits, $200 trillion in debt, $8/gal. gas and $5 bread.
Truly unbelieveable AND SCARY. I think he just lost another million votes with that insane statement.
What a loser Boehner is. He cant even control his own party, let alone tell this President what to do. This tea party controled republican party are ruining the country. They have devided this country, haters versus the nonhaters, made racism popular again and think poor folks should die and rich folks get more tax breaks. Lord help us.
No, that clown only cries when he's drunk! He' can't look the President in the eye is his problem in the picture, because he knows he is a "swine'
The GDP was -8.9% (negative) at the end of the Bush admin. Obama got it into the positive numbers up about 10% over the Bush years. Then the republicans took over Congress and nothing and I do mean nothing, NADA, has happened since.
Really, is anybody able to understand the conditional tense of a verb? Mr. Obama said "than it WOULD have been". I understand that many of the right wing extremist prefer to ignore it playing their favorite sport of twisting the reality to conform to their wishes, but english has still rather clear rule... or do Four in the Door et al. plan to amend that too?
"Obama is either deceiving himself–not impossible; he's a long way out of touch with the people of this country"
_______________________
Really? Sorry but it's the Repubs/Tea Partiers that are way out of touch as every poll indicates. When will you people wake up from your 10 year slumber??
Boehner....just another Republican with no sense of reality;
Here's the Before and After Mr. Boehner since you're long-term memory is apparently on the fritz;
When Obama took office in January 2009, we were in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, a crisis which began in December 2007. The U.S. economy had already lost 2.6 million jobs, the highest total loss in more than 60 years. The GDP registered a -6.8% growth rate. By early 2009 the markets (Dow, S&P 500, LEI) were at their lowest level of the recession. From January to April 2009 job losses averaged 650,000 per month, giving many a feeling the economy was quite literally in free-fall.
Since the low point in 2009's 1st quarter and early 2nd, the recovery has moved forward, slow for many but forward nonetheless. GDP recovered from its negative levels to a high of 5% in January 2010 with its current growth rate standing at 1.3%, averaging 2.4% growth since 2009's 4th quarter. The markets have improved on a positive trend reaching some of their highest levels since the beginning of 2008. The Congressional Budget Office Director stated in congressional testimony in January 2010 that, “... aggressive action by the Federal Reserve and the fiscal stimulus package helped moderate the severity of the recession and shorten its duration...” but went on to say this support was expected to wane, as it has. Ben Bernanke reported in June 2011 that the Fed's 12 districts are growing at a solid pace and as of October are continuing to grow albeit at a slower rate. And, according to recent Commerce Department figures, foreign investment increased 49% in 2010 over the year before contributing to manufacturing job growth.
As of June 2011 the economy experienced 15 consecutive months of private sector job growth. Recent updated job growth figures for July and August of this year indicated there were 127,000 and 57,000 jobs added each month respectively. In addition, Gallup's Job Creation Index currently indicates a 44.4% increase in job creation from the year before and is higher than the long-term average. Despite the slow growth the economy has added 1.34 million private sector jobs this year.
It’s all those mean old nasty republicans fault. They just don’t want to let him rule, if he could just get every bill passed he wanted, this country would turn into as libertarian utopia in no time. Before your rebuttal, you might want to understand there has been a copious amount of creative accounting to make things look good for the POTUS. Take immigration for instance, the way deportations are reported have been changed, so now Obama is reporting people actually turned back at the border instead of actual deportations. Unemployment is still 9.1%, how can we have all these jobs created by the Obama administration if the number never goes down. The economy is teetering on the brink of a second recession. I mean the whole Solyndra thing is bad enough, but should the government really be awarding high risk loans to Obama’s bundler’s? Obama brings the troops home, no he just actually ran out of time to make an agreement with the Iraqi government for a continued military support.
He did do one good thing I can give him credit for; he signed the order to assassinate Osama.
His job bill is great if you belong to a union, or are construction workers. He does have a lot of fanatical supporters, but from the post I read I don’t believe many of them actually do any research outside of liberal propaganda websites. It is sad so many had so much hope for so much change.
“But what about Bush, and the TeaParty, aren’t they to blame?”
Time and time again I see the liberals blame bush and the tea party, which have no relevance to Obama’s performance. Bush and the Tea party are not making or breaking Obama’s presidency. Obama has no less to work with than any president before him, but yet it somehow not his fault.
“So is Obama really that BAD?”
Again he is not that bad as long as you like paying more for gas, less jobs, more government waste, more expensive health insurance, amnesty for immigration, band aide economic fixes, more imbedded taxes in the products you buy, guns for drug cartels, corporate welfare for failing solar companies, creative accounting, divided country, divided congress, and miss directed political efforts.
Sounds like a libertarian utopia to me…
Boehner better tread lightly because I have a strong feeling his majority in Congress may be depleted substantially next November if not gone altogether. America has seen what this do nothing Congress has done all the while President Obama is doing everything he can to get America moving again. Shame on you Mr. Speaker – you should have stood up to those TP wack jobs in your party and worked and compromised with President Obama, perhaps then your Congress wouldn't be sitting at a 9% approval rating!
Our country was improving until the GOP and the Tea Party fooled enough people into putting them into power. That stopped all progress in its tracks. Thanks alot Republican voters.
4 years ago the stock market had just dropped 1,000 points to 13k on its way down to 7500!
4 years ago we were on our way to a 2.5 million job loss in 2008
4 years ago we had the TARP bailout for almost 1 Trillion dollars
4 years ago we were being driven into a recession that except for the democrats would have become a depression
Mr Boehner, can you really say we are not in better shape than we were then?
Boehner suffers from what most of the GOP minnions do, selective amnesia. How convenient to forget that in '08 we were losing about 700,000 jobs a month toward the end of that year. Give me a break!
"Are you kidding me" is a polite way of saying that Obama is a fool. The bigger fools are the libtards who defend this guy's record of economic wreckage.
Can I please fight Boehner for charity? PLEASE? just a few minutes in the ring with him is all i ask.
Mr Speaker, Just what have you done for the 99% lately? I don't recall anything substantial except hearing "No" far more than I should.
Barack Obama's assertion that the country was "better off" now because of actions his administration took.
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Well, that seals the deal. We officially have a certifiably INSANE person at the top of our government. At this time I would like to ask that he immediately be committed to Bethesda Naval Hospital for a complete psychiatric evaluation and eventual commitment. Even Crazy Joe Biden wouldn't come out with this insane statement.
Diedre Walsh needs to take a few courses in remedial English. What the President said bears no resemblance to what she said he said. And for the record, the President is right – we are better off than we would have been if other policies had been pursued and we are no where near as well off as we were before Bush and the Republicans got their hands on the steering wheel. The modern American conservative philosophy of governance is morally and intellectually bankrupt. The GOP has proven that every time they have lied their way into positions of power. The Democrats are wrong on a lot of issues but the Repthuglicans are wrong on just about everything, and most especially on the things that matter. Just Saying...
And this just in, Forbes Magazine lists President Obama as one of the ,ost Powerful People... http://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/gallery...no sign of Boehner et al...
TRUTH ~ something the so-called Christian GOP/TP's SHOULD be standing on ~ has been lost to lies & greed!
CNN, why don't you run an article on when Boehner sued Clinton & admin, wasting untold thousand$$/million$ of Tax Payer money because he didn't get immediate cola, Bush had just passed prior to leaving office, his 1st year! Thank goodness Pres Obama put those on hold; that law should be abolished! Seniors & disabled Finally get cola after 3yrs; avrg person getting a whopping $<$40/MONTH!
GREEDYOLDPIGS PARTY NEED EVISERATED FROM OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM!
The country will be a lot better off after 2012,.. when the voters kick every Republican out of the Senate and out of Congress. Obama has done his job,.. the GOP has obstructed him at every turn, to make him fail,.. so shut the heck up Boehner
hey mr bone-head redface.....You are the worst politician ever... You are worst than a racist because you are traitor... You cater to the tea party not America...Your stupidity will be marveled in history books...You, and the rest of your pathetic republican congress can go to hell...When you lost the house I will personally find your number to call you and laugh in your ear...
If I remember correctly, wasn't it Boehner who said if jobs are lost - then so be it.
More sounds bites for his followers to eat up. The economy went for losing hundreds of thousands jobs a month and negative GDP to gaining some jobs and positive GDP. Like the president said there is more work to do.
Could you imagine the mess we would all be in if McCain had won with Sarah Palin as vp!? Boener a man who supported a tickett with the name Palin attached to it. You really used great judgement there Jhon. How dare you critize Obama how dare any of you critize Obama when you supported a McCain Palin ticket!
No jobs legislation from the Speaker, no leadership in the House from the Speaker, but we have "In God We Trust." Are you kidding ME...give me a break Mr. Speaker.
I agree with Obama is correct. If Obama had more spine we would probably be in better shape than we are. That being said, he has done an amazing job in light of the deliberate opposition that he has received from the congress. The congress has done absolutely nothing to help the country, therefore everything that has been done that has actually helped the country, was done by the Obama administration. This congress would rather let the country go down the drain than to agree with anything that Obama wants to do. Just look at what has happened when he has tried to implement some of the things that they were for, until Obama wanted to do them. What this country needs is a fresh start. Everyone in office needs to be voted out. The sad thing is that there is no one to replace them.
No Bonehead, he's not, and neither are we.
You'll find out how serious we are in 2012.
Obama 2012. SERIOUSLY America.
It is because of you and your Republicans who has this country in this shape Democrats are trying to get people to get back to work while u Mr speaker don't care about American people. You are playing politics. Don't work Mr speaker enjoy the last year of being a speaker next year we will try our best to get you out of politics.
This administration has succeeded far beyond what any Republican one would have done. Even with the GOP Tea Bagging obstrucstionist in Congess It saved the economy from a depression and saw it begin to grow and add jobs every single month until the House fell to the Republicans. Boehner and his GOP gang is a disgrace.
He never said the country is better off now than four years ago. He said it is better off now than it WOULD HAVE BEEN if his policies were not put into place.
He is saying look, where we were when markets crashed in the Fall of 2008 (time A) was terrible. And that while where we are at now (time B) is bad, it is not as bad as it could have been (time C) had our policies not gone into place.
Yesterday the House passed a bill that re-confirms "In God We Trust"... I assume they count that as a job's bill??
Obama's positive actions to head off a depression, get positive jobs growth going after a disastrous Bush term, end the Iraq war as scheduled, kill the planner of 9/11, help remove despotic rulers and get many leaders of Al-Queda and the Taliban, act to make critical drugs more plentiful, help some of the people on their mortgages, and try to force action on his much-needed jobs bill, are pretty great accomplishments considering the terrible mess he inherited. People are realizing more and more just how bad the GOP policies are for America and that Obama will restore the economy when he gets cooperation from a new group of House and Senate members elected next year.
The policies put in place by Boehner's party are part of the problem. Boehner is a hack trying to maintain power and it appears that he is well trained.
Four years ago would have been November, 2007. The Great Recession began in December 2007. A great number people were better off an actual four years ago ( in 2007 ) than they are today. Boehner is playing mind games with his words. You cannot accuse him of lying, but you can make a strong argument for being misleading.
Dear GOP,
Where are those jobs? More seriously, who was kidding whom? Exactly...
sincerely,
The American Citizen (You know, the person you forgot about)
Looks like we need to Occupy Democratic Congress Offices. 7 of the top 10 richest congressmen are Democrats.
george wrote:
hey mr bone-head redface.....You are the worst politician ever... You are worst than a racist because you are traitor... You cater to the tea party not America...Your stupidity will be marveled in history books
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Don't forget. The winners are the ones who get to write the history. Republicans have waged war on the middle class for over 30 years, and have ony begun to fight back since the Obama administration began. So far, it looks like Boehner will go down in history as a hero.
Hey @Democrat Party – leftist "progressive" socialist communist losers hellbent on destroying the USA why don't you tell us how the health care system will implode when the health care act goes into effect. We are looking for specifics here not just your typical outbursts.
Corporate lap dog Boehner should be ashamed of himself to comment. Prior comments from Boehner that the tax cuts from trickle down economics produces U.S. jobs have been a lie. The cuts have been in effect for years and you can see how this benefit actually have brought the middle class to it's knees due to the rush to foreign manufacturing and developing foreign markets. With this in your face how can you keep preaching the same old line. Expiring the tax cuts will cost U.S. jobs. It's like being in a Fellini movie and a cast of idiots and the ignorant that elect people like Boehner. Can't wait to vote. Time to take the trash out of the House.
We need to clean out the Oval Office, House of Representatives, and the US Senate and fill them with qualified people with true change in mind and not these career politicians. All politics have ever done is to divide the country into political groups that take hateful pot shots at each other. Just look at the hateful name calling banter on these blogs. Instead of constructive dialogue to civilly discuss philosophical differences, we resort to childish name calling. This is why we need leaders in our government who understand that they are supposedly elected to represent the entire citizenry and not just those who agree with them philosophically.
Though total agreement between the executive and the congress are
impossible total respect is important we pray that we may be worthy of the
unlimited opportunity that G-d has given us.
Yes, I AM better off now because had Obama not became President after Bush and his minions sank this country into near Depression, we would all be standing in soup lines.
The GOP has done nothing to improve the economy. They only care about the 1%. All they do is complain,complain and complain. Obama does not have any cooperation and needs to do it alone. GOP you are not the solution but the problem. Stay on the sidelines and you can rot till HE_L freezes over. You are nothing but a bunch of whiners and you can continue to rot.......
The republiCANT party.. enough said