Boehner Should Reject Obama's Request for Joint Session SpeechAugust 31, 2011
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RUSH: Let me get serious here for just a second, folks. Speaker Boehner must say "no" to this request. He can say "no" to this. It's up to the Speaker of the House. The President just can't say, "I'm showing up. Put everybody in the audience there, I'm coming over to make a speech." Boehner can say "no" to this. He should say... (interruption) What are you shaking your head at? You don't think Boehner will say "no"? What Boehner ought to do is say "no" and offer the president September 6th, September the 8th, September the 9th, September the 10th, whatever. But he doesn't get September the 7th. He should do this. It's very simple.
He says to the President, "You did not consult me before you publicly issued the day. You were obviously trying to disrupt the plans at the Reagan library. You're gonna have to learn that if you really want to work together as you repeatedly claim, Mr. President, I'm gonna show you how it's done. Here are the dates that you can have: September 6, 8, 9, or 10. You pick one, otherwise no joint session." I'm serious, my friends. This would not be a sign of disrespect. What Obama's doing is a sign of disrespect! Obama is the one who's saying, "We gotta get rid of the politics-as-usual in Washington. We gotta start working together here."
Well, Boehner's got a clear road. "Mr. President, you didn't inform me of this. You didn't consult me before you publicly issued this date. We know that you're trying to disrupt the plans for the Republican candidates debate, the Reagan library on that same date. So no. No joint session." In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Obama's purposeful setting that up, hoping that Boehner will say "no." Then the Democrats and the media will have all kinds of fun. "What are the Republicans afraid of? Why, the President just wants to come talk about jobs, and here's Boehner refusing to listen to what the President has to say?"
This is no different than the whole campaign tactic for reelection, which is to propose things that are so outrageous -- stimulus of $2 trillion, whatever it is, something Republicans would never go along with -- and then run around and campaign on Republican obstructionism. Obama claims his plan is bipartisan, his jobs plan's a bipartisan plan. (interruption) (laughing) Press would say, "Would Boehner have told a white president 'no'?" (laughing) That's right. "Would Boehner have said 'no' to George W. Bush? Would Boehner have said 'no' to Bill Clinton? Is Boehner always saying 'no' because Obama's black?" Oh, yeah. I'm fully aware, folks, that all of that is probably part of the stratagem in this -- and it's easy for me to sit here and say that Boehner should still say "no," but he should. Hey, it's for real here! This is about the 2012 election, and we're not just supposed to lay down and let it happen.
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RUSH: I'm telling you, folks: Do not be defensive about this. Obama's not this smart. This is amateur politics. It's not gonna work. So expose it and block it. Boehner would not have to say "no" to Bush or Clinton because neither of them would ever try this! I don't care whatever, if they say Boehner's racist. I don't care whatever they say, you do not let this happen. This is intended to not only disrupt the Reagan library debate but to make Obama look bigger than Republicans and bigger plan politics, and they can't. The Republicans if they have any hope of winning the 2012 election, have got to put this guy in his place using this as their opportunity to do it. No doubt about it.
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RUSH: Well, what started off as a very quiet, really nothing extraordinary about it program other than the Congressional Black Caucus guy saying that Republican Tea Partiers want to lynch blacks, I mean other than that, it was kind of a low-key day, and now this rank amateur, Obama, has just announced his jobs plan, a speech, another speech. That's his jobs plan. And I'm gonna guarantee you something, folks. Whenever he gives this speech, it's not gonna be about jobs. It's going to be about government getting bigger. It's gonna be about government spending. It's not gonna have a thing to do with jobs. It's a spending plan, it's a taxing plan, it's a print-money plan, it's a borrowing plan. What I want to know is, how does Obama justify a joint session in the first place for this?
Now, if you're just joining us, if you're a welfare recipient and you're just getting out of bed, you don't know that the Republicans scheduled another debate for September the 7th at the Reagan library. It so happens to be the first Republican debate that Rick Perry will be part of. So this morning shortly after the show began, shortly after 12 noon today the White House announced that they want a joint session of Congress for Obama to announce his big job savings plan, or creating plan, on the same night, and at practically the same time, eight p.m. Now, you may not know this, but John Boehner, the speaker of the House, can reject this request. Just because a president asks for this, he is not automatically granted it.
Boehner should say, "Mr. President, I'm not gonna assist you in your political games. You didn't consult me before you publicly issued this date. You're obviously trying to disrupt the plans at the Reagan library. You're gonna have to learn, if you really want to work together as you keep claiming, Mr. President, that it's gonna be up to us to show you how it's done, and if you want a joint session, here are the dates, September 6th, September 8, September 9, September 10, or even if you want to come up here on September 11th and talk about volunteerism."
And, by the way, if I were Boehner you know what I would also say? I'd say you can have a joint session when your party and you present a budget to us. We've gone over 800 some odd days without a budget from your party. Otherwise, no joint sessions. This really is amateur politics. This is not something that a genuine president of the United States would do. This is really amateur, and Snerdley, you know, trying to stir it up in the last hour, said, "Well, you know what the media is gonna say. The media is gonna say, 'Would Boehner turn Obama down if he weren't black?'" Would he turn Clinton down? Would he turn Bush down? He would never have to turn down Bush or Clinton because they got enough class not to do something like this, if I may be so blunt.
This is intended to disrupt the Republican debate. It's intended to make Obama look bigger than the Republicans, to look bigger than politics. And this is part of the presidential election campaign, and the House Republicans are gonna have to realize they are part of it, and this guy, this president, I know what's gonna happen. Somebody's gonna tell Boehner -- and it's gonna be a Republican -- it's gonna be a member of the Republican pundit class, somebody in the intelligentsia, some people smarter than we are, somebody is gonna write a piece or post a blog and say, "Mr. Boehner, you are going to send the independents running right back to Obama if you don't grant him this speech, 'cause all the American people care about right now is jobs. They don't care about the Reagan library. They don't care about the Republican presidential debate. All they care about is jobs, and if you tell the president that he can't come up on the date he wants, you're just gonna send independents running back." That's what they're gonna say to him. That's how they're gonna try to intimidate Boehner by claiming the independents will hate this and that the independents will abandon the Republican Party.
It's easy for me, I'm not an elected official, I'm not speaker of the House, and it's easy for me to sit here and tell you what I would do, no fallout will happen to me, but I still would do it, 'cause this is not gonna be a jobs plan. And ABC News -- this is why, by the way, tens of millions of Americans cannot stand the media in this country -- ABC News is reporting that Obama wants to address a joint session, that the House speaker has not responded yet. That's what they said. Not a single word about Obama asking for the same day and time as a Republican debate at the Reagan library. No, no, no. Their news story, the ABC News story is that Boehner hasn't responded yet.
So what Obama's doing here is demonstrating what he does not have: class. I'm sure over at the White House, they're laughing about this. I'm sure they think this is all funny. I think they think it's great they got the Republicans all tied up in knots here, and I'll bet you he and his advisors are laughing and having the biggest time behind the scenes. And so are their supporters, so are the kook fringe on the blogs, so are all the Democrats, Pelosi, you name it, Harry Reid, they're all having the grandest time, but there isn't anything presidential about this. Here is Jay Carney at the White House this afternoon. During the Q&A, a reporterette said, "The timing of this speech, Mr. Carney, there's a Republican debate that night in California. Did the White House specifically choose that date and time?"
CARNEY: No, of course not. There are a lot of considerations, that once you decide you want to do a speech to Congress and you have to deal with congressional schedules, there are many other factors here, and obviously one debate of many that's on one channel of many was not enough reason not to have the speech at the time that, uh, we decided to have it.
RUSH: Ah. Not a big factor here. One debate, one channel, versus our jobs speech. No. What do you mean, coincidence? Pure coincidence. No strategy behind this whatsoever. What network is carrying that debate? I need to find out what network is carrying the next Republican debate. Fox had the last one. I want to find out what network Obama wants to screw here. NBC has the debate! They won't mind. (laughing) They won't mind because Obama is sending 'em boatloads of money over there, GE and so forth. Yeah, they're down for the struggle. No big deal.
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RUSH: Here's Jay Carney at the White House. He's getting grilled. Carney is getting grilled from the press corps on the fact that Obama has chosen the same date as a Republican debate at the Reagan Library for his jobs speech request for joint session of Congress. So a reporter says, "Look, I'm wondering if you're at all concerned by him delivering the speech at the same time as the debate, that he's somehow depriving Americans out in the community to get an educated opinion of these candidates."
CARNEY: Whatever the competing, uh, opportunities on television are, whether it's the -- you know, the wildlife channel or the cooking channel or -- or political -- But -- but I -- I would be -- I wish that I could say that just
REPORTER: Are you comparing the Republicans to wildlife?
(crosstalk)
CARNEY: Maybe the wildlife channel. But the --
PRESS CORPS: (guffawing)
CARNEY: What I mean (stammering) is that would it were so that I could be sure simply by having the president of the United States speak at a certain hour that every American who's watching TV would be watching him. I wish that were the case. If, uh, the sponsors so chose and the candidate so chose to adjust the timing of their debate so it didn't con-conflict that would be completely fine with us in the spirit of democracy and -- and that.
RUSH: Yeah, fine! The arrogance here -- and, of course, there's the press. You heard the press laughing with the president's press secretary on his comparison of Republicans to the wildlife channel. "Are you comparing the Republicans to the wildlife?" "Oh, yeah! Oooh, yeah! Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, ha-ha-ha-ha," and then to go on and talk about the Republicans ought to move their debate. So Obama has decided that a Republican debate doesn't merit the same attention as his speech. Isn't that his way? So, Mr. Carney, why couldn't the President give his great speech on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday? What's so magical about the 7th? Tell us. Well, he can't do it on the 8th because that's the NFL opener: Green Bay-New Orleans on NBC.
Tell us why he can't just speak in front of the media any time of the day or night. He doesn't need a joint session of Congress here to announce a jobs plan. Mr. Carney, tell us. Tell us why Martha's Vineyard was a good enough reason to delay Obama's great plan and speech. Remember Obama went on vacation, and he said, "I'm gonna have my big jobs plan when I get back from vacation." So it really wasn't urgent. The vacation took precedence over the jobs speech for the second consecutive year. Obama said same thing last year. "I'm gonna have a jobs proposal when I get back from Martha's Vineyard and my vacation." He said that last year, he said that this year. So his vacation takes precedence over his jobs speech. Then, of course, they say, "Obama is looking out for the nation, that politics can wait. The Republican debate is just politics, but Obama, he's looking out for the nation!"
Well, this is all about politics, it's all about Obama's massive ego, an ego that's obviously out of control. Let's see, got time for what, 80 rounds of golf? But now the only day, the only day and time he can speak to the nation is the exact day and time of the Reagan Library Republican debate. (laughing) Jay Carney, I don't know if the press briefing's still going on or not, and I know he's not listening, but I still have a question: "Jay, what do you earn? What's your integrity worth? How much are you paid to lie to the American people, Jay? 'Cause that's the price of your integrity. 'Cause you're just sitting there lying to the American people about all this," which is what Democrat press secretaries do. Maybe Obama has fundraisers scheduled the other nights. Maybe that's the only night open 'cause he got fundraisers, but he could announce the jobs plan that fundraiser. The media is gonna be wherever Obama goes.
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RUSH: You know what's funny about all this, this choosing the same date as the Republicans? On one hand I have to marvel at it. It's the kind of practical joke I would play. It's a high school prank. It's the kind of thing that you and your buddies conceive of and you sit there and you laugh at but it's not a presidential. There's no other president that would do this. But it's a great prank. I know that Obama and his advisors are probably popping some corks. I am sure that they think they have just hit a grand-slam home run. They're in the White House right now laughing about this. They probably have this show on and they're saying, "Listen to Limbaugh get all exorcised about this! This is great, man! Whoever came up with this idea, give 'em a raise."
But it's not (sigh) classy. This is not at all commensurate with the office. See, folks... (I gotta take swig of water here. Hang on just a second. (drinks) I didn't make the noise because I have no manners. I did it so that you would know I was doing it. Dead air, people panic over it.) The fact of the matter is that there's nothing that Obama can do to create jobs. Nothing. There are not creating jobs. In fact, I've got the plan here. The National Journal's published the plan. The only thing Obama can do is to stop doing things that are destroying job creation. If he were really going to announce a jobs bill, you know what he will tell us? Things he's going to stop, regulations he's gonna roll back, agenda items that he's going to cease.
There's nothing he can do to grow the private sector. He doesn't know the first thing about it, anyway. Now, according to the National Journal, these are probably going to be included in the jobs speech, and they probably know. This is where F. Chuck Todd used to work, so I'm sure they got a pipeline in there. "Create an infrastructure bank, renew payroll tax cuts, implement a new hire tax credit of about $2500," which is not gonna appeal to any small businessman with a brain, "extend unemployment benefits, create a tax credit for hiring returning veterans, ratifying pending trade deals, reforming the patent process, provide aid for teachers, improve rural Internet connections, provide job training for the long-term unemployed, fund renovations of schools."
I guess that would occur at the infrastructure bank. "Provide incentives for private sector engagement." I don't know what that means. "Boosting energy-related jobs. Funding Cash for Caulkers." This is what the National Journal says is the "jobs program." Not only is it not a jobs program, it's a pretty pathetic campaign platform, because nothing's new! There's not a damn thing in that list from the National Journal that's new, which is exactly what I predicted would happen. I hate to do this. I hate to say, "I told you this," but this is just gonna be troubling or tripling down on the stimulus. It's a laundry list of items the Republicans will reject, and that will form the basis of the campaign.
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RUSH: Dave in West Covina, California, great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Dittos, Rush. You know, that last caller, Jerry, said that the Democrats views changed over time, and I think their tactics just changed. They realize that it was easier to pull blacks and minorities down with promises of welfare and food stamps than it was to push them down with things like --
RUSH: I think you are exactly right. It's been easier to keep them on the plantation with a bunch of welfare and breaking up their families than it was to use violence. I think the Democrat Party simply matured and changed tactics.
CALLER: Look how they treat them as soon as they wander off the plantation.
RUSH: Exactly right.
CALLER: They start lynching them.
RUSH: Well, in a economic sense, yeah, political sense, yeah.
CALLER: Thanks for the call.
RUSH: Yeah, but he's not talking about that. He's talking about what Democrats do to wayward Democrats that go off the reservation. They don't really lynch 'em. I don't want to get lost on this lynch business 'cause, you know, Scarborough already has taken something way out of context that I said a year ago. I don't know if his memory is failing him or he did it on purpose. I'll play you the video in the next hour to tell you what I mean, show you what I mean. When we talk about modern-day lynching here, we're talking about political, or high-tech or something. But Dave's point here is that the Democrats have figured out a way that is totally nonviolent. All of these welfare programs, all the war on this and the war on that, keeping people dependent, dumbing down their schools. I think he's right on the button with that.
Jim in St. Augustine, Florida. Hello, sir. You're next.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. Mega small business dittos from Florida.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: I think you're right on the money that Obama's scheduling his jobs speech at the same time of the debate proves that he would be a great high school president.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: But my take on it was a little different. I think we should fight fire with fire and get as many people as we can to watch the debate, and then when the debate ratings outdo the jobs speech, see how they sweat then.
RUSH: Oh, well, look, I'm not --
CALLER: The first man on the plank for getting rid of Obama in 2012.
RUSH: Don't misunderstand me, I think Boehner ought to tell him "no." "No. You didn't consult me before you chose this date. Here, you can use the 6th, the 8th, the 9th, the 10th, use the 11th if you want. But we're busy on the 7th," and deal with the fallout. I don't know, you know, both events happen on the same night. You're gonna have one network carrying the Republican debate and every other network carrying Obama, it's gonna be impossible to outrate Obama, just in terms of the number of networks. You only got one versus many. But I like the way you're thinking nevertheless.
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RUSH: Duane in Huntington, Indiana, welcome to the EIB Network. Great to have you here.
CALLER: It's a pleasure to speak to you again, Rush.
RUSH: Thanks very much.
CALLER: And I told Bo I'd get right to the point.
RUSH: All right.
CALLER: You know, these political propagandists in the White House are insidious, not only in trying to preempt the Republican debate, but they're real deep planners. There's another facet to this that we may think of, too. If Boehner goes along with this, he will have succeeded in assembling all the Republicans before the anointed one to hear this preposterous presentation, and once he's given it, whatever the taxes and the spending schemes are, his media minions will be poised to pounce on the Republicans on the ground to get fodder for setting up their template of the Republicans being obstructionists.
RUSH: Oh, I know. I know. There's no question that's gonna happen whether there's a joint address to Congress or not.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Because Obama is purposely gonna propose what no Republican will go along with, by design. But, you know, you raise an interesting point.
CALLER: Thank you.
RUSH: And the interesting point is this. Why should the Republicans grant the president a joint session of Congress to make a political campaign speech, on any date. On any date, why should the Republicans handcuff themselves that way?
CALLER: Yep. You're right.
RUSH: The president ought not be allowed to make a campaign speech, which is all this is. There's no national security, there's no constitutional requirement like State of the Union, nothing. This is a pure campaign speech.
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: And to give it the imprimatur of a speech before a joint session of Congress, there's no way. He doesn't deserve that. He's not warranted, that's not warranted. They ought not grant that on any date.
CALLER: It does not have the muscle to justify it.
RUSH: No. And if they do, if they do, the picture is going to be of the president of the United States giving a campaign speech with Republican members of Congress sitting in that chamber acting with respect and so forth and so on. I think Boehner's gotta say "no." You know, whether he will, I have no clue.
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