Boehner: ‘A Lot’ Of Republicans Want To Force Default, Create ‘Enough Chaos’ To Pass Balanced Budget

[The Straight Story]

Boehner: ‘A Lot’ Of Republicans Want To Force Default, Create ‘Enough Chaos’ To Pass Balanced Budget Amendment

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said today that some members of his own caucus who are refusing to agree to a compromise debt ceiling deal are hoping to unleash “chaos” and thus force the White House and Senate Democrats to make bigger concessions than they’re already offering. As many as 40 House Republicans, especially Tea Party members and freshmen, have demanded nothing short of changing the Constitution to include a balanced budget amendment before they would vote to raise debt ceiling, even though that has zero chance before the U.S. faces potential default on Aug. 2.

Speaking on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham’s show this morning, Boehner agreed that failing to raise the limit before the deadline would be devastating, and said the “chaos” plan won’t work when asked by Ingraham what’s motivating the recalcitrant Republicans:

BOEHNER: Well, first they want more. And my goodness, I want more too. And secondly, a lot of them believe that if we get passed August the second and we have enough chaos, we could force the Senate and the White House to accept a balanced budget amendment. I’m not sure that that — I don’t think that that strategy works. Because I think the closer we get to August the second, frankly, the less leverage we have vis a vis our colleagues in the Senate and the White House.

Listen here:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/07/27/280754/boehner-gop-want-chaos-debt-ceiling/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Treason

[FreakinDJ]

4. Impeachable offense

to deliberately conspire to subvert the Constitution of the United States

[Drale]

2. Well this shows one of two things

it either shows that Boner wants the chaos because he hasn't tried to stop these people, or it shows that Boner has lost 100% of control and is no more then a puppet now.

[gkhouston]

20. I'm not sure Boehner ever had control, at all.

Between Cantor's ambition and the teabagger's flat-out crazy, it's always been an uphill battle and he either wasn't shrewd enough or sober enough to herd polecats.

[FreakinDJ]

3. Boehner Sniched Off the TeaFarty

Shocked and Awhed Boehner is trying to save his political skin

[kiranon]

9. Republican Congress members need to choose between the

crazies on the far right (tea party loyalists) or saving the Republican party and the nation by joining with those Democrats who will vote to raise the debt ceiling on terms other than complete surrender.

[FreakinDJ]

10. How many times have I stated what the Majority of Americans want

and this comes on the heels of Obama asking Americans to contact the House members

[Raven]

5. Is he afraid of the 14A remedy?

[atreides1]

6. So now it's "colleagues"

Sounds like a man who is asking for help from those that he's been belittling for weeks...because his own caucus has gone around the bend, and I'll bet that Mr. Cantor is the one behind this revolt...

[jtown1123]

7. 40 people is a joke. Let them go out on a limb. We don't need 40 votes.

[WCGreen]

8. It looks as if Speaker Boehner's leadership has gone limp....

He needs some king of political viagra to harden his resolve...

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Permalink this OP in case they succeed, so we can blame them adequately.

Power grab through scorched Earth tactics. They're nothing but bullies and bastards.

[proud patriot]

18. +1

[mzmolly]

12. Those who hate government wanting to bring it down?

Say it ain't so.

[Dan]

13. The premise of our form of government is

the ability to compromise. Without the ability or willingness to compromise, our system fails. The tea party congressional people are not acting as representatives of government, but rather as a body with the goal of bringing down the government.

[uponit7771]

14. This needs to be wash rinsed and repeated as often as possible by the DNC, too bad the don't do...

...message discipline.

[TexDevilDog]

15. Never let a good crisis go to waste

I heard that before.I guess the way to govern by both side is by crisis.

I am getting sick of both sides.

[BeeBee]

16. The House could pass a balanced budget any time they

want... Why do they need an amendment to do it?

[Poll_Blind]

17. If that were true, I believe those gentlemen and ladies would actually be guilty of Treason.

That's a by-the-book definition of Treason, BTW, too.

PB

[Jim_Shorts]

19. Most dangerous people : Those that don't know they don't know

Tea partier Paul Brown has introduced a new bill to, get this, LOWER the debt ceiling.

Must be he knows about a back-to-the-future car we can all get in. wtf

Can you imagine one of these nuts with access to our nukes. This is beyond bizarre.

[Still Sensible]

21. Such chaos might be the only way Boner keeps

his job. I believe that if the default happens, no matter how they try to spin it, the teabaggers in the house get the blame. It would set the stage for big democratic gains in 2012. Boner would be standing with an I told you so position. If this happens, you'll probably see many repugs trying to rewrite history and say "I was reasonable," while baggers, not realizing the ship has sunk, will probably double down and rationalize that they still think they are/were right.

I do believe that any "solution" that staves off default--without the house's balanced budget bullshit included--means there will be another Speaker before the year is out.

[IrishBuckeye]

22. The Republican Party has become a group of tribal fractions, there is no 'leader'

Boehner can't control his own party members, They have allowed extremists to dictate how they govern.