Boehner Spouts Anti-Intellectualism Screed: ‘I Don’t Need To See GDP Numbers Or Listen To Economists

[ProSense]

Boehner Spouts Anti-Intellectualism Screed: ‘I Don’t Need To See GDP Numbers Or Listen To Economists’

This morning on Fox News Sunday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who has waffled on the impact of the stimulus, argued against the need for more stimulus funding. He claimed that he doesn’t need to listen to economists when putting together his policy agenda:

WALLACE: Congressman — a number of top economists say what we need is more economic stimulus.

BOEHNER: Well, I don’t need to see GDP numbers or to listen to economists. All I need to do is listen to the American people, because they’ve been asking the question now for 18 months, “where are the jobs?”

Later, the interview grew a bit more hostile as Wallace tried to press Boehner on the deficit-impact of his call for extending the Bush tax cuts. “Chris, you’ve been in Washington too long because that’s all a bunch of Washington talk,” Boehner said dismissively. “I’m just asking a question, sir,” Wallace persisted, noting the exorbitant cost of extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. “This is the whole Washington mindset, all these CBO numbers,” Boehner responded. Watch it:

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Boehner — whose blind political ideology often leads him to oppose anything that Democrats and Obama might be supportive of — is not interested in hearing the facts. The GDP numbers that Boehner doesn’t want to see showed a relatively weak 2.4 percent growth rate in the 2nd quarter, which indicates that the economy is losing momentum:



The consensus from leading experts is that the original stimulus was too small for the magnitude of the crisis. Forty notable economists and historians, including Joseph Stiglitz, Alan Blinder, and Mark Zandi, recently signed their names to statements calling for more government stimulus. “The urgent need is for government to replace the lost purchasing power of the unemployed and their families and to employ other tax-cut and spending programs to boost demand,” they wrote.

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Clearly arguing that the stimulus didn't work, doesn't make the case for more stimulus. It was too small, but it had a positive impact, albeit limited.

[old mark]

1. Boner and his pals reject facts - they belong to the party of

divine inspiration over human thought, of magical thinking over reality, of young earth creationism over science...we don't need no facts - they just get in the way.

mark

[3waygeek]

6. It's entirely mutual....

the facts thoroughly reject Boehner & his ilk.

[IndianaGreen]

2. He is not the only spewing anti-intellectualism screed

It seems to be a bipartisan virtue nowadays.

Ben Nelson?

[ProSense]

3. "Ben Nelson?"

"It seems to be a bipartisan virtue nowadays."

How does this "the left does it too" type response not fall into the category you claim to despise (and using Ben Nelson of all people)?

[IndianaGreen]

4. Ben Nelson is not Left

He would be considered a conservative Republican 20 years ago.

[ProSense]

5. Ben Nelson

could be considered a Republican today. So I agree, but that would mean his comments don't make this a bipartisan screed.

[drm604]

7. So if he finds a lump under his skin

does he say "I don't need to see cancer statistics or listen to doctors"? If he finds water all over the bathroom floor does he say "I don't need to hear about leak statistics^* or listen to plumbers"?

We all depend on experts every day. Even experts depend on experts in fields other than their own. So why is it when discussing economics suddenly people don't want to see numbers or listen to experts?

When he hears people asking "where are the jobs?" why doesn't he go to experts to find the answer?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because he already knows what the answers will be and he doesn't like those answers because they don't fit his agenda.

^*Okay. He probably doesn't need "leak statistics" but it flows so nicely. Allow me some poetic license here.

[elleng]

8. DARN FACTS!!!

:sarcasm:

Can Dems make use of this? 'Don't confuse Repugs with facts???'

PS, Good to hear Wallace challenge him, eh?

[uponit7771]

9. Yeap, facts are stupid

[Jennicut]

10. Challenged by Chris Wallace of all people.

Boner has no good answers for any of it.

[and-justice-for-all]

11. What a dumb bastard the Orange Goblin is...nt

[KingFlorez]

12. On top of the claim that he wasn't around during Bush's term, he's on a roll

What else will he come up with?

[Bitwit1234]

13. He can see thru all that ORANGE spray.

[TheKentuckian]

14. You know you got jack apple shit as a Republican when you can't jump the Fox bar

A few of the less stupid and insane among their viewers might all the sudden have interesting questions that fuck with their world view significantly.

[rasputin1952]

15. My Mom is a lifelong NY R...She has always voted R...

however McCain was out of the question for her, she voted for bush in his first term, within 6 months she realized what a disaster that was, and she refused to vote for the second time around.

I'm out here in NE and I broke my ass trying to get "Gentle Ben" re-elected; he's done relatively well on non-controversial Bills, but he's an embarrassment as a D otherwise. :(

[Odin2005]

16. Oddly enough, he is right, just not in the way he means.

GDP does not show wealth distribution, so the rich can get even richer while our wages stay stagnant and you can still correctly say that "the economy has grown".

As far as I'm concerned GDP is a useless indicator of the economic situation of most people.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

17. Well, to be fair...

The Boner wouldn't understand the data if you laid it out for him in crayon.

[DavidDvorkin]

18. Under what name does he post on DU?

I think I've seen him here whenever there's good economic news.