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Boehner: I Was Stunned When Obama Told Me ‘We Don’t Have a Spending Problem’

Jan. 7, 2013 5:00pm Jason Howerton

Boehner: Obama Told Me We Dont Have a Spending Problem

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 21: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) Credit: Getty Images

The United States does not have a “spending problem,” President Barack Obama reportedly told House Speaker John Boehner during recent “fiscal cliff” negotiations. And yes, the Republican leader was shocked to hear those words from the leader of a country with roughly $16.4 trillion in national debt.

The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore, recalling a recent interview with Boehner, writes:

I am talking to Mr. Boehner in his office on the second floor of the Capitol, 72 hours after the historic House vote to take America off the so-called fiscal cliff by making permanent the Bush tax cuts on most Americans, but also to raise taxes on high earners. In the interim, Mr. Boehner had been elected to serve his second term as speaker of the House. Throughout our hourlong conversation, as is his custom, he takes long drags on one cigarette after another.

Mr. Boehner looks battle weary from five weeks of grappling with the White House. He’s frustrated that the final deal failed to make progress toward his primary goal of “making a down payment on solving the debt crisis and setting a path to get real entitlement reform.” At one point he grimly says: “I need this job like I need a hole in the head.”

The president’s insistence that Washington doesn’t have a spending problem, Mr. Boehner says, is predicated on the belief that massive federal deficits stem from what Mr. Obama called “a health-care problem.” Mr. Boehner says that after he recovered from his astonishment—”They blame all of the fiscal woes on our health-care system”—he replied: “Clearly we have a health-care problem, which is about to get worse with ObamaCare. But, Mr. President, we have a very serious spending problem.” He repeated this message so often, he says, that toward the end of the negotiations, the president became irritated and said: “I’m getting tired of hearing you say that.”

Boehner also told the Wall Street Journal that negotiations with Obama and Democrats was brutal. So difficult, in fact, Boehner admits to losing his temper and telling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to go “f**k yourself.”

“Those days after Christmas,” the Republican said. “I was in Ohio, and Harry’s on the Senate floor calling me a dictator and all kinds of nasty things. You know, I don’t lose my temper. I never do. But I was shocked at what Harry was saying about me. I came back to town. Saw Harry at the White House. And that was when that was said.”

Boehner confirms that when he asked Obama, after budging on $800 billion in new taxes, “What am I getting?” — the president replied: “You don’t get anything for it. I’m taking that anyway.”

To read the Wall Street Journal’s entire report, click here.

Featured image via AP

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Comments (141)

Arshloch
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 4:44pm
Listen up John, ‘lil berry’ was walking down the street and found a big piggy bank full of money. Knowing that, if he arrived home with the contents intact mommy would take it away, he was determined to spend it all before he arrived, not caring about what problems he caused for anyone else; particularly the owner. That in a nut shell is the present administration, NOW DEAL WITH IT.
Every morning on awakening write 1000 times NO NO NO NO…………………

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Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 11:07am
There are 10s of 1,000s of hours the media can play regarding obama’s evil background, associations, actions, tactics, radicalism, lies, and other explanations of “managed decline/change” — They do not. We are at war with an enemy within.

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- Chet Hempstead
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 1:30pm
  That’s not how you spell Gandhi.
  
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BEAR0571
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 10:49am
1….Yes you on the hill have a spending problem, Mr. President. Why don’t you man the hell up and come out an admit what you want to do, destroy America. You sir are a coward, and a fraud as well as 99.9% of those in office.

2…. We have a serious lack of American backbone in this Country, Americans. Why don’t you raise some hell and take back this country and stand for your rights, your NATURAL BORN RIGHTS, not those you think a piece of paper gives you, but those your born with?!?

3….If you and your like minded stooges Mr. President continue down this path of robbing us and thinking you can take away our rights and now our firearms continues, you are going to start something you can’t finish, and we even if it’s just a small percent, (oh I don’t know roughly 40-50 million of us) will finish it and you and your stooges will be jailed and tried for treason. Be careful what you dream for Mr. President, it may very well turn into your worse nightmare. We have been civil up to now and now your pushing us to our breaking point.

I am a Veteran, a Husband, an Uncle, a Oathkeeper, I am a 3% Percenter, I am a bitter Bible clinging Southern Man whom likes his GUNS, but first I am an AMERICAN, and I WILL NOT COMPLY!!!

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Tom70
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 10:06am
We have a Socialist/Marxist problem and a Manchurian candidate problem.

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Apo
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:31am
Wait a minute, our president isn’t smoking INSIDE the White House is he? It’s against regulation to smoke in a government building.

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hedoublellfire
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:18am
i have one question, why are we not taking the fight to the white house where it belongs, instead of waiting for them to bring it to us? its not about being a republican or a democrat its about being an American and defending our country!

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oneillptgd
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:22am
What a “dumb ass” leader. We are in a war for the survival of our western and Christian way of life. The “not loyal” oppositon leader takes every opportunity to cry. The face of defeat is written all over him. My question is what surrender of ground will he give up next? The republican party leadership is more focused on defeating conservatives than doing battle with the false prophet and the beast / media and democrats. Republicans just want to give in. In their condition how can the weak party SURVIVE!!!! Show me where in the history of the world has liberty and freedom ,including economic , succeded? Only where this Constituion has existed in it’s original form. 100 years of progressives has altered and damaged this ‘bastion of freedom’.

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nilo
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:12am
Hey, John, why weren’t you stunned when you saw the fiscal clill deal before you OK’d a vote on it? RINO’s HAVE GO TO GO.

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blackfeather
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 7:35am
I was stunned the day he got elected….and by the look on his mug I thought we were in for it…and here it is.

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suz
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 3:50am
the whole of government can go ___________ so boehner…not out of order.

only wish he’d done it live on air.

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SGT Rock
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 1:21am
Mr Speaker I suggest since ‘now’ we know there is no spending problem then why dont we have a budget? You Mr. Speaker need to join the RESISTANCE.
YOU ARE THE RESISTANCE, do not submit, do not comply, do not compromise.

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bobbknight
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 12:26am
Being surprised by BHO’s words is the reason he should have been replaced at the start of congress.

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pahrumper
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 12:09am
About the statement: either Obama spends so much time on vacation and he just is not paying attention to his job, but most probably it is his lips are moving so he is lying. It is fun to watch him on TV and take his one by one statements and if you are watching FOX or The Blaze, point out where he is lying on each and every one of them. It is sort of like when Clinton was speaking.

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everydaywoman
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 12:09am
This reminds me of a drunk who stumbles home from a bar, trips up the stairs to his house, opens the door in time for the floor to come up and meet his puked stained face as he slurs: “I don’t have a drinking problem.”.

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conservatype
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 11:17pm
Earth to the Marxist in chief: 17 EFFING TRILLION!!!!!!!!!! Let me say that again, in case you didn’t hear or understand: 17 EFFING TRILLION!!!!!!!!!!!

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zoro51
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 10:54pm
IMPEACH N REMOVE THIS DAMN SOCIALIST HES RAPIUNG AMERICA the leftists democrats want to JAIL all of america take our freedoms n our money WE are TAXED TO DEATH N BEYOND.. No america HAS a spending probloem n its called CHARIMAN OBAMA IMPEACH N REMOVE BEFORE HE SENDS AMERICA TO CHINA

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Netsurfer2
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:59pm
I guess they will be sending Hillary out again to give our money away even more to those countries that really hate us! That all happens when you have BO!

Tax, spend into oblivion!

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Ragnars Repos
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:51pm
Obama doesn’t surprise me, at all, but Conservatives who don’t yet understand that the goal is destruction sure do.

They have to “break our backs” to control us.

This is the NEW tyranny. It looks a bit different, is more complex in its implementation, and uses high tech/science, but it’s the same old murderous collectivism that it’s always been.

Obama is right. They don’t have a spending problem, they have a freedom-loving-American problem. If the American individual doesn’t soon rise up to defend himself/herself, they will solve that problem. It’s just a matter of time and collectivist rot.

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SamIamTwo
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:46pm
Boehner has been working with Obama for years and he is now just figuring it out? Cry me a tear Boehner! Sheesh.

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dbeesh
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:38pm
Of coursed Obamalama-ding-dong thinks he has no spending problem. He can spend our money, no problem.

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hauschild
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 9:25pm
“Boehner: I Was Stunned When Obama Told Me ‘We Don’t Have a Spending Problem’”

If this stooge was really stunned and had no idea what the Marxist’s intentions are, then we’re in a helluva lot more trouble than I thought.

How can anyone – in such a position of supposed intellect and authority – be so damned stupid??? How are these idiots even relevant???

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