Tag: Billy House

When Mark Sanford debated a cardboard cutout of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in his South Carolina race last week, it was a replay of a tried-and-true Republican strategy: Demonize Pelosi and wrap her like a stone around your opponent’s neck.

The tactic can be effective, torn from a well-worn playbook that dates back nearly a decade. But it does beg a question: Why isn’t Speaker John Boehner targeted in the same way by Democrats?

Unlike his predecessor as speaker, the Ohio Republican has not yet become a standard attack line for Democrats in races nationwide, leaving some to wonder how the most powerful elected leader in the Republican Party has escaped unscathed.

via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/daily/why-isn-t-boehner-a-target-in-congressional-elections-20130501

Ouch! President Obama’s inaugural speech clearly hit a raw nerve with House Speaker John Boehner. The Ohio Republican complained to a closed luncheon on Tuesday — the day after Obama’s address — that the president’s goal is to “annihilate” Republicans “shove us into the dustbin of history.”

A partial transcript of Boehner’s remarks, delivered during a closed luncheon sponsored by the Ripon Society, is posted here. The comments are the latest indication the Obama-Boehner relationship continues to head south — an ominous sign for the ability of the two men to work together on the hefty legislative agenda the president is pushing, including immigration reform and efforts to settle a series of skirmishes on the budget. Late last month, Boehner took issue with Obama remarks in an NBC appearance regarding Republicans’ role in stalled fiscal cliff negotiations, responding “Americans elected President Obama to lead, not cast blame.”

At the luncheon, Boehner indicated he’s bracing for tougher times, saying of the inaugural speech, “given what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans.”

via Homepage http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/obama-boehner-relationship-plunges-to-new-low-with-annihilate-remark-20130123