House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) accused President Barack Obama Wednesday of paying too much attention to the upcoming Presidential election.
“Watching the President here over the last couple of weeks has been a bit disappointing,” Boehner remarked during an appearance before the National Automobile Dealers Association. “It’s disappointing because it is pretty clear that the President has decided to forget his role as President and leader of our nation in a time of economic uncertainty to begin to campaign for his reelection some 14 months away.”
Boehner dismissed Obama’s newly released debt plan as simple politics, adding that it will kill American jobs by raising taxes and make it more difficult for businesses to enhance the economy.
“I have been talking to the President all year about the need to do something big – the need to work together to solve our deficit and debt problem – and the fact that we could attempt to do this together would show the American people that both parties could work together on their behalf,” Boehner stated.
But the bipartisan effort did not work, according to Boehner, because Obama would not make the requested changes to entitlements that would ensure they would remain intact for future generations.
“It is time for us to lead and if the President won’t lead I can tell you that the Congress of the United States on both sides of the aisle will work together to do the right thing for our country,” Boehner said.
As Boehner concluded, he assured the audience that he was optimistic that both sides of the aisle would be able to work together to lead the nation through hard economic times.
“I grew up working in a bar, mopping floors, washing dishes and waiting tables. I learned to deal with every ‘jackass’ that walked in the door,” Boehner enumerated. “Trust me, I need all the skills I learned growing up to do my job today.”
