Due Date: Mon Dec 20
On Sunday Dec 12, Lesley Stahl interviewed incoming House Speaker John Boehner for 60 Minutes. Please watch the 13 minute segment here: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7143552n
FYI -- THIS IS A NEW LINK AND SHOULD WORK
What conclusions can you draw from the piece about how Boehner will run the House? About how he will work with Pres. Obama? Did anything surprise you or give you new insights?
Remember to post two comments: one in reaction to the piece and one in reaction to another student's comments.
Optional / Just for fun
Take a look at this satirical take on Boehner's style, from NY Times columnist Gail Collins:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/opinion/16collins.html?_r=1
I think this video was really interesting as a general overview of Boehner. However, I don't know how telling it was. On national TV, politicians are rarely candid and it seemed as though Boehner was just putting on his typical facade of being an advocate for the "American Dream." His personal story does indicate that he would be mindful of what people today are struggling wit, however the fact that he refuses to compromise on some of the measure that would help them is somewhat counter productive. From this video it seemed like Boehner was trying to position himself in two places to be Speaker. One, he was trying to seem like he was open to "finding common ground" for the true needs of the average American. Two, he was trying to seem like he wouldn't compromise with a liberal agenda. To me, this seemed pretty hypocritical and worrisome for someone that is about to be in a super powerful position. The fact of the matter is, no matter how much Boehner may disagree with the President he will be forced to concede on some measures given the power of the veto. Also, now that there are number of ultra conservative Tea Partiers who are not beholden to the establishment, Boehner will be in a really tough spot when it comes to balancing their needs and the needs of Americans.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ali about how it seemed that John Boehner was kind of putting on his typical act about the importance of the American Dream. I thought that the ending part, where Lesley Stahl commented on how he went from mopping the floors of his father's bar to being Speaker of the House and Boehner responded that "That's America" sounded sort of cheesy to me. I was really surprised by how much Boehner cries!!! I never knew that he sometimes even cries when he's arguing about legislature. While I think it is nice for people to be emotional, sometimes I think it's a little too much. It was somewhat unsettling to me to hear that Boehner had once told the Republican party that they needed to vote as a party to stop all of Obama's plans like Health Care Reform and the Stimulus Package. This attitude quickly needs to change if anything is going to get done in government. I believe that Boehner will be open to working with Obama, but certainly not give in to his liberal agenda. It will definitely be interesting to see how the relationship between Obama and Boehner plays out when the new Congress comes in in January.
ReplyDeleteI can see Ali and Lara's skepticism about the sincerity of Boehner's "American dream" obsession, and, like Lara, I was surprised by how emotional he is. When he started crying about schools, I was thinking maybe he'd say something like "Oh, I couldn't have children, so schools make me sad," or "Oh, it just reminds me of how quickly my kids grew up." Instead, it was all "American dream" and I felt kind of awkward watching him wrinkle his nose and start hyperventilating. At the same time, I had no idea what his background was, and I think it's amazing where he has come from. Another thing about Boehner's demeanor that I think could become problematic as such an influential, powerful Republican is what seems to me to be a significant lack of respect for Obama. I was shocked that during the interview, he scoffed, "Well excuse me, Mr. President. It's time to govern." His comment that Ted Kennedy seemed like a "Liberal lion" but is, in private, a "regular guy" was kind of weird; if he views the liberals who are his friends as so monstrous and irregular, then I doubt any of his "common ground" proposals are genuine.
ReplyDeleteOK, he seriously needs to stop crying. I don't care how moving his backstory is, he needs to get a grip. If he cries every time he mentions schools, or keeping the country safe, or the American Dream, nothing will ever get done in Congress! It almost seems to me like he's a kid who gets what he wants by crying until mommy and daddy give in. So that's my rant. Now, on to the important stuff....
ReplyDeleteIt sure doesn't sound like Boehner is going to be willing to compromise, since he wouldn't even say the word in the interview. It seems like Boehner feels a whole lot of pressure from the Tea Party and is compromising his own views to make them happy. In the interview, Stahl said that Boehner was known for reaching across the aisle in politics, but now it seems like he just wants to please the Tea Party.
Also, Boehner's relationship with Obama seems really tense. I have to admit, I loved Obama's comment about Boehner's skin color, but it wasn't really an appropriate comment to make. And now they're both taking jabs at each other, warning each other that they better start governing. Maybe those two should get over the name calling and get some legislature passed. I don't care if they aren't best friends who play golf together every weekend, but they do need to have a more professional relationship.
All in all, I was disappointed with what I saw from Boehner. He needs to stop crying, show he isn't just trying to please the Tea Party, and get along with Obama.
Sean, I like your no-nonsense attitude. What you touched upon with Boehner's unprofessional, petty relationship with Obama is something that I noticed too, and, though my reaction wasn't as intense as yours, I also was struck by the immaturity of the two of them. The "he-said-she-said" and making jokes at each other's expense to the press was something we grew out of in 7th grade. Maybe Washington hot-shots didn't get that memo.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as far as crying, I wonder what our reaction would be if, say, Nancy Pelosi wore her emotions on her sleeve like this. Would an emotional female speaker evoke the same reactions from us? I don't know, and I wonder if anybody has any thoughts on that...
I thought this video was interesting and gave fairly good insight into Boehner’s political views and how he will chose to govern. Like many people said the part that stood out the most to me was the disrespect that Boehner showed Obama and vice versa. They may not be friends but it is hard to work with someone that you don’t respect. I think it is especially disheartening for the American people to see two grown men with as much power over America as they have, dissing one another in public. It makes me far less confident in their ability to govern. Additionally Boehner’s refusal to compromise was interesting. He thought it would make the American people happier and more trusting if he refused to compromise, but I would argue the other side. Looking back on history, major compromises are the only way to move forward with two strong and powerful parties always opposing each other. I also know that this may not be all that telling but I thought it was interesting that his siblings described him as the authoritative one..
ReplyDeleteI was surprised when Boehner skirted the question asking if the new tax bill was worth the money. Boehner said he would come up with new ways to cut spending, but 25 million in the face of 900 billion is nothing, it is less than 1%
Is anybody else not able to watch the video...?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to e-mail Ms. Dowd; I was just wondering.
Thanks!
Tema...the video wasn't working for me yesterday either. If you just type onto Youtube "John Boehner 60 Minutes" one of the first videos that shows up is the 13 minute clip which is what we wanted to watch. The sound is a little off with the video but it works.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sean and Tess's comments about the relationship with Obama and Boehner, I completely agree that it is tense and seems pretty immature. While some of the jabs that the two make at each other are comical, I think that they are overall inappropriate and contribute to forming a hostile relationship between them. If this type of relationship continues, nothing will ever get done.
Additionally, in response to Tess's thought about Boehner crying versus Nancy Pelosi crying, I think that there would be a completely different reaction. While Boehner has been mocked for his crying bursts, I think the attention and ridicule would be taken to a new level if Pelosi did the same. I'm not sure if that would be because of Pelosi's personality or because she is a female..
I think that Boehner will run the House to make sure that Republican legislation is passed. Boehner stated that he does not like to "compromise" but is willing to find "common ground." I think that Boehner will end up making compromises with Obama, even though he would refuse to admit to making a compromise. He has the power to influence the entire House Republicans and if he decides to work with the Democrats that have a Senate majority and control of the White House, then he will be able to pass successful legislative compromises. In order for the government to accomplish tasks in the upcoming year, Republicans will have to compromise with Democrats. Therefore, Boehner should be willing to make some compromises if he wants to pass legislation that he deems important. I think Boehner will work pretty well with Obama. In the past few weeks, Obama has compromised with Republicans by passing the tax package. That move brings promise to a future of successful compromises between Republicans and Democrats. Lastly, I knew that Boehner was emotional before watching the video clip, but I had no idea that the man cries at everything. Hopefully he will get just as emotional about passing successful compromises as he does about his rise from mopping floors.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean's comment. I also agree that it will be challenging to pass legislation if Boehner refuses to even say "compromise." However, he seems to be willing to pass legislation that has "common ground," even though that seems like the same thing as a compromise.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Boehner and Obama need to reconcile and start to see the importance of working together. If they continue to publicly make fun of each other (despite the fact that Obama's comment was quite funny) then they will struggle to get along and make compromises. As the Speaker of the House, hopefully Boehner will see beyond his values of refusing to compromise and will reach across the aisle and accomplish something beneficial to the American people (but then again, that'll make him cry).
I'm not sure how exactly I feel about Boehner after watching this interview. I think that his main agenda as speaker of the house will be to make sure that President Obama and the rest of the Democrats do not get "their way" with legislation. I think that running the House this way could be very risky for Boehner and could ultimately back fire on him. He said at some point during the interview that what the American people want is for the people in Congress to not make any compromises, making it seem like compromises are a weakness or something. I think that most Americans would rather see the people in Congress making compromises with each other to get things done rather than getting nothing done by arguing and blocking everything.
ReplyDeleteAlso I was very surprised by how many times Boehner has broken down crying because of legislation, children, or the "American Dream." All of it just seemed fake or like he was trying to show how committed he was to his job and how far he had come. I thought that Gail Collin's opinion piece in the New York Times brought up a very good point. If a woman or any Democrat broke down crying as many times as Boehner has they would automatically be considered weak and not fit for office.
In response to Tess' comments about Boehner's relationship with Obama and his lack of respect, I totally agree. I think it's pretty interesting that they have such a weird and tense relationship given how necessary it is for Congress to work with the Executive office. Thinking back to 1994, much of what we're seeing right now as the same in the sense of circumstances. Republican Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House and his party gained something like 54 seats in the midterms, similar to the landslide seen in 2010. Bill Clinton was President and obviously had problems with Gingrich on a couple of fronts, much like Obama and Boehner. The difference was was that Clinton and Gingrich constantly held meetings, we always seen together figuring out differences and attempting to come to some sort of "common ground" as Boehner puts it. The truth is, both Obama and Boehner don't need to even come close to liking each other but the fact that they have barely held any meetings other than the Nov. 30th one (after Boehner rescheduled) is really disconcerting. Tess is totally right when she says that Boehner came off as disrespectful and I don't see him changing his attitude anytime soon now that he has much more power as Speaker.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Sean's comment. Boehner really does need to stop trying to please the Tea Party. The Tea Party supporters are the ones who do not want compromises, not all the American people. And I agree that I did not see much evidence of him crossing party lines to get things done. Crossing party lines means compromising with those who are in different political parties. So again, I think that if Boehner wants to be a successful speaker of the house, he is going to need to learn to get along with Obama and the rest of the Democrats and start ignoring the Tea Party.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing that Boehner said in the interview, and the principle that I think he is going to live by while he is the speaker is “Washington does not have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.” As he repeats over and over again, sometimes more through tears than words, he strongly believes in the American dream, and he believes that in order for people to achieve that, Washington needs to cut back. I think that he is really going to be able to do a good job of achieving this because he is so determined to do it but he is also willing to find “common ground.” The main way that he is going to run the House is based on cutting spending as you can see from what he said in the interview about how the very first bill he initiates is going to be over spending. I am not sure how he and Obama are going to get along because fundamentally they are at odds. I think that Obama would probably be more likely to say that Washington does not have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem. They have a totally different view on the economy and what needs to be done in order to fix the deficit and I think that they could end up having some really public battles.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I think that the thing that worried me most would definitely be how Boehner and Obama, and basically Republicans and Democrats would end up working with each other over the many hotly debated issues that are presently up in the air. I'm pretty skeptical about how Boehner is planning to "find common ground" with the president and work with him for the sake of the American people and the American dream when he is planing on completely holding fast to his own personnel ideals. When he said this, I felt like he was saying that his way was the only way that the people would not suffer. And even if this is true and that if he had his way, the American people would gain the most benefitt, there's no way in hell people in the opposite party and maybe even his own party will allow that to happen. While idealism and sticking to your guns is always admirable, I think that especially now, we can't be getting stuck in our own views and completely disregarding the possibility of "compromise."
ReplyDeleteI just hope that the Obama and Boehner will be able to work out their differences with a game of golf or any other method so that they can do what they both kept saying they would do, which is to take action and govern.
I didn't really like what Boehner had to say. I think "cutting Congress" as he puts it is great, but, like, $30 million isn't going to do much... And he didn't really have a response when the interviewer pointed that out. That really surprised me. It seems like as one of the leaders of the party that is most for tax cuts you should have a defense ready and waiting when people bring up the deficit and what not and all he said was, "We have a spending problem." And that's true, but one of the ways to help with a spending problem is to create more revenue, especially with the concerns about the growing costs of Social Security and other programs. I would have liked to Boehner address some of those issues.
ReplyDeleteI also think all his talk about the American Dream is useless drivel. Your ability to be an effective member of Congress is not determined by how big your inheritance is or how good you are at pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, so to speak.
In the Sixty Minute interview that John Boehner. I believe that John only disclosed a small amount of who he is and what he believes. The interviewed focused on his struggle to achieve the American Dream and his current conflict with President Obama I think it is also interesting that Boehner is saying that he is willing to work with Obama but Obama needs to reach out to him and they need to find “common ground”. What it did not cover was the details behind the plan for the Republican Party to regain power on Capital Hill. Boehner is using his conflicts with President Obama as a mask so that he can have more freedom to work politically behind the scenes and build support for the Republican party for the next Presidential election.
ReplyDelete(Sorry, I know there are two comments by me in a row but I didn't want to forget to make the second one.)
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with what Sean said, but with one minor adjustment. I think that both Obama and Boehner need to get over themselves. They both talk about not compromising and not holding the American people hostage and blah blah blah, but then they both sit there and make fun of each other rather than try to get along to get things done. Boehner sits there and cries about the futures of American children, but what's he doing about the deficit or global warming? These are issues that are actually going to affect us, and all he does is cry and make fun of Obama's golf skills and all Obama does is make fun of Boehner's skin color. I think they need a reality check.
I agree with Laura’s comments that Boehner is focused on cutting government spending rather the Obama approach of increased government spending to stimulate the economy. Boehner’s initiate to cut Congress’s spending by 5% mirrors the approach that is being used in European countries to pull out of the recession. This method is being found to be more successful than the Obama approach of heavily increasing government spending. There is no doubt that Boehner is willing to work across the aisle and pass legislation to close the deficit gap.
ReplyDeleteBoth Tess and Ali have noted Boehner’s lack of respect for Obama, but I would just like to point out that I think it is pretty much a mutual lack of respect because I don’t think that the two like each other very much. The comment that Obama made about Boehner’s skin color I thought was incredibly inappropriate. I just don’t think the President of the United States should be making racial jokes. All of the comments that the interview mentions that Obama made about Boehner were negative and I don’t think that the President should be ripping his Speaker of the House. Also, it does not sound like the President has made an effort to reach out to Boehner to set up a plan of action and as the President of the United States that is his job but I think he is letting personal feelings in the way. Also, few people have mentioned that they think Boehner is not going to compromise at all, even though he says that they are going to have to find common ground. I get what Boehner was saying that compromise can be a little bit of a taboo word in politics because it makes it sound like you are giving something up. As the House leader during a time of a lot of uncertainty I understand that he wants to sound strong in order to assure the American people.
ReplyDeleteI would usually pass off a politician weeping as an attempt to garner sympathy from the public, especially when the speaker of the house is such a despised position. It would be logical for a compassionate, relatable individual to take over the position from a seemingly hard, cold Nancy Pelosi. Still, if John Boehner is crying this much, even over children playing in a playground, it certainly can’t all be an act.
ReplyDeleteI was most surprised by Boehner’s history of reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats, with the example of Ted Kennedy. As the clip noted, Boehner led the Republican effort to block every bill Democrats pass by “voting as a bloc.” His relationship with Obama is clearly not a cordial one, as Obama accuses him of “hijacking” Congress. Boehner even is opposed to using compromise. This, I think, is the most worrisome fact. If Tea Partiers in Congress scare Boehner into refraining from compromise and only working to find common ground, the real issues will never be solved. The fact is that America’s deeper problems, like the deficit, cannot be solved simply through thinking the same. Small impacts, such as the reduction of committee budgets by 5%, is common ground that both sides can agree on, but it only reduces the deficit by half a billion, a negligible value. There needs to be legitimate spending cuts and real tax hikes for the rich, if not all Americans, if the deficit is to be stabilized. If Boehner (and the Democrats) refuse to compromise on taxing or spending, “common ground” isn’t going to cut it. This interview makes me pessimistic about Boehner’s future in working with Obama and the Democrats in Congress.
Laura, I think pretty much all of your points make a lot of sense. It is definitely unfair to claim that Boehner has disrespect for the President without acknowledging the reverse. In my opinion, it is hard to judge whether Obama’s skin color joke was valid because we don’t know the true nature of his relationship with Boehner, but I agree that the joke does seem fairly harsh, and it demonstrates the disrespect you described.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tema’s second comment: First, I think it is still acceptable in any environment to make light jokes when it is separate from policy-making time. I understand that they are politicians both on and off Capitol Hill, but even in grave circumstances we cannot have a country without any measure of lightheartedness in government. That said, Boehner never did respond in the interview to how “hijacking” was beneficial to Congress and the nation, simply responding with an attack on the President and IRONICALLY calling himself “thick-skinned.” With this kind of rhetoric, Tema is right: politicians just need to get real.
While Lesley Stahl made it seem like Boehner is being ridiculous in claiming that there is a difference between “finding common ground” and “compromising,” I think that he makes a valid distinction between the two that is actually very thoughtful. In the general sense of the words/phrases, making a compromise and finding common ground do mean essentially the same thing: collaborating and coming to an agreement on something so that both parties are satisfied. However, as Boehner points out, compromise has a certain connotation that he does not want to associate with his actions. For, compromise can also mean an endangering, as in to compromise one’s reputation or values. I think that what Boehner is trying to say is that he will strive to find places where the Democrats and Republicans agree, but that no matter what, he will never make any decisions that will force him to sacrifice his core beliefs, his values, or his morals. He will not concede his character or his commitment to the American people. This is a very noble concept. Still, I understand that if this type of mentality becomes instead irrational stubbornness, then it will simply add to the roadblock. Hopefully Boehner’s history of “reaching across the aisle” will be an indication of his willingness to actually find this “common ground” he speaks of, and make some progress.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think it is problematic that Obama and Boehner oppose each other on virtually everything, I think that is the whole point of balance of power/checks and balance system. I do not doubt that passing legislation in the new congress will be a challenge but that is how our system was designed. I agree with Ethan’s point that the most worrisome fact is Boehner’s refusal to compromise and with an economy and deficit like we have now, common ground is not enough. However I also agree with what Ali said that as hard lined as Boehner may appear, at some point he will have to concede. I think he put up a show for sixty minutes and he could say whatever he wanted to please whomever he wanted because he has not had any responsibility yet but he will quickly find that he ultimately can not win that way.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video segment, I was a little concerned about how the House will now be run. Most of the video focused on his life and how he accomplished the American Dream. This may be a great story and all, but his ability to compromise, or "find common ground" as he puts it is a bit frightening to me. If the new Speaker of the House can get so emotional over things he might never be willing to compromise with Democrats over major issues that are close to his heart. Even his comments about Ted Kennedy supported this; he said that Teddy was a great guy away from politics, which might show that he's only willing to make things happen outside of the House. That goes along with his golfing with lobbyists and potentially with Obama. Going off that, I really don't think that Boehner's presence will help bipartisanship in Congress, and not a lot will be done while he's here.
ReplyDeleteIn response to TChan's comment, I completely agree. We cannot be getting riled up in our personal views and beliefs to the point where it affects what gets done in Congress. However, this may be the case with Boehner. If he cannot even say the word "compromise", then nothing even remotely close to a compromise will ever happen under his watch. He is letting his views get in the way of his job, and his job is to get America back on track. Maybe he will realize that compromising is the only solution to our problems in Washington right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Laura that the relationship between Boehner and Obama is a two-way street in that they both have to start respecting each other because they are two of the most powerful people in America today, and that if they want to get anything done they're going to have to work with each other sooner or later. Sure, Obama is the president of the United States and that in itself should demand an incredible amount of respect, but so does being the speaker of the house (to be). Both of these man have had histories of working with the other party in the past, if they can only focus on that instead of themselves and their opinions of each other I think they would be a whole lot more productive than if things stay the way they are between the two.
ReplyDeleteTema, in response to your first comment, I totally agree that Boehner’s response to Lesley Stahl when she asked about possible cuts to spending was disappointing. The example that he gave about “cutting Congress” to save $30 million is not very significant, and will do little to alleviate our deficit issues. However, there are two comments that Boehner made that I think we should focus on. First, I believe that his declaration that “Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem” holds great truth. I think that he has the right idea when he talks about making cuts to spending before we think about raising taxes. Tema, your comment in response to this was that while we may have a spending problem, “one off the ways to help with a spending problem is to create more revenue…” I have to strongly disagree with this. Creating more revenue is a way to deal with a deficit problem but it is only a band-aid when it comes to dealing with a spending problem; all it does is cover up the this issue. Take for instance, a person with gambling problems. The answer to helping this person is not giving them more money so that they can go gamble more. The answer is to stop them from gambling away their money and spending it more responsibly. Giving the gambler more money will only feed the fire. Similarly, giving the government more money will only make them feel less pressure to save, and be more conservative on how money should be spent. The second comment that Boehner made is that he is planning on making spending cuts each week and that “cutting Congress” is just the “starting point.” I think that it is important that Boehner has made a commitment to make all of these cuts and that he has set a goal for himself. Even if the cuts he makes do not completely solve the deficit problem (as we learned from the balancing the budget game that it will be pretty much impossible to solve the problem with cuts alone) he will at least be lowering the government’s expenses to some degree. Every cent and every dollar that the government saves, is one that the citizens will not have to pay in taxes. Even if it comes down to raising taxes, at least the tax raises will be less severe.
ReplyDeleteJohn Boehner's political comments throughout the 60 Minutes video seemed more about rhetoric and word association than about political views and actions. Boehner focused on the idea of "compromise", and negatively associated it with "giving in" on one's true values. While I believe it is important for Boehner to represent the growing Republican anti-spending sentiment that is cropping up throughout the country, it is important for Boehner to also recognize how quickly the political philosophies of the majority change. Remembering the Democratic landslide of 2008, Boehner would be well-advised to think again about the meaning of "compromise". Instead of viewing it as a violation of his own and his constituent's beliefs, he must instead view "compromise" as a positive way for the country to move forward. The tax cut compromise that was just passed is a step toward this eventual goal, but the adjournment of the new congress threatens the delicate balance of this collaboration. If Boehner does not learn to maneuver the workings of political comprimise, he threatens losing the popularity of not only himself but, more importantly, of his party.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tema's comment about the lack of respect and collaboration between Boehner and Obama, I agree that this could become an extremely problematic issue during a time when bipartisan discussion is necessary. Obama's comment about Boehner's tan color, and Boehner's comments about the brazenness of Obama, do not serve as good omens for the upcoming congress. The point of the executive and legislative branches were to work together for the good of the people. Checks and balances were created to prevent abuses of power by either branch, but it seems that these powers may be abused by both sides due not only to political views, but uncompromising personal views of other politicians. Unless these politicians learn the true power and authority their positions hold and the maturity they need to hold them adequately, the American public can look forward to several more years of general unhappiness with our government.
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ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, my feelings about how the House will operate are unsettling. Boehner and Obama need to work together in order to pass anything. On the issue of the tax cuts, the high-income class won't pay, but neither will the low-income class therefore someone (either low-income or high-income class) will be dissatisfied when we bring up the issue of "tax cuts" because lets face it: it's virtually impossible to satisfy everyone. Regardless of the fact that Obama and Boehner may not be fond of one another, they need to put that foolishness behind them and do their job.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brendan's comment: it appears that Boehner will pass anything that satisfies his own desires along with the desires of his party. Along with Pam's comment, he truly does not comprehend the meaning of "compromise". It is critical that Republicans and Democrats compromise because they are role models to the American people. We are obligated to trust them and with what's going on, how can we? If they don't learn to compromise, how will the American people learn? Boehner and Obama, need to work TOGETHER and do what's best for the PEOPLE.
ReplyDeleteAside from broadcasting the fact that John Boehner has an issue with crying, I think that the 60 Minutes episode gives insight into what kinds of policies he will pursue as the new Speaker of the House. Clearly, Boehner is going to need to pander to his base of Republicans, including the Tea Party, to maintain public support. Whether this will compromise (no pun intended) any agreements with the Democrats in Congress remains to be seen. While Boehner has demonstrated ability to reach across the aisle in the past, it seems as though he is becoming more polarized and I'm doubtful as to how cooperative he will be in making any concessions.
ReplyDeleteTess, I thought your comment about Nancy Pelosi was both interesting and provocative. It's true--if Nancy Pelosi had been as emotional as John Boehner is, would she have been taken seriously as a powerful politician? It's always interesting to examine the gender stereotypes that still exist in our society today, and I think this is one that is quite pervasive.
ReplyDeleteTake Hillary Clinton for example. During the '08 campaign, she was criticized for being "manly" and not showing emotion, but what was her other option? Crying on national television and being labeled a pansy? I don't think so.
I agree with Laura that Boehner and Obama are going to bump heads over the next two years, but I disagree what Boehner's role in the coming years will be. I still don't understand the difference between 'compromising' and finding 'common ground', and I don't think Boehner does either because he couldn't explain the distinction to Stahl. In my mind, Boehner is defending his no-compromising attitude by claiming that he doesn't have to compromise to get things done. I think this is a serious red-flag for our country because without each side giving in a little, there is gonna be serious gridlock in Washington. Also, Boehner is right to point out reduced spending to cut the deficit, but does he really think no one has thought of that before? And while the $30 million he's proposed cutting is a nice gesture, it doesn't solve any problems. In theory, Boehner's right, but in my opinion he isn't bringing any new insight to help end the deficit.
ReplyDeletePolitics aside, I think the way they portrayed Boehner as a crybaby and a "man of (unnatural) color" was inappropriate and irrelevant to the fact that he now occupies one of the most powerful positions in government. People used to be opposed to women holding government positions because they were "too emotional," but look at Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton- they seem to be holding up just fine. 60 Minutes should have spent more time focusing on Boehner's goals for the upcoming years and how he plans to contend with Obama's seemingly oppositional policies. It will be difficult to have such a staunch liberal as President and a Republican as Speaker, especially since they seem to also have some sort of personal feud. I was surprised by the fact that Boehner came form humble beginnings, though, paying is own way through school. He will definitely be more relatable to the public than some previous Republican leaders who have come from more privileged families. Hopefully Obama and Boehner can put aside their ideological differences and compromise so that we see change in the next few years and not just childish insults being thrown back and forth on national TV.
ReplyDeleteI think that CNN focusing on the animosity between Boehner and Obama is extremely unnecessary. In a time of soon-to-be gridiron we should instead be focusing on how Senate can cooperate and compromise so that we can have a productive session.
ReplyDeleteI think that focusing on his background is very effective seeing as he came from 'nothing.' The public can relate to him and think of him as just a normal guy, which seems to be really effective in politics since many people have preconceptions that many government officials are just rich and stuck up and do not understand the plights of the average person.
I also think that Boehner should look up the definition of the word 'compromise.' He seems like he's going to be very hard to work with and perhaps even stubborn, which is fine if you're just trying to impress your own party, but is extremely ineffective when there are bills and legislation that need to be passed in order to benefit the people of the country.
In response to what Katherine said, I also agree that talking about Boehner's unnatural color was irrelevant to the interview. However, I'm not sure that they portrayed him as a 'crybaby.' It's not CNN's fault that he got emotional every 10 seconds. I feel that even though I do understand where he's coming from and how he's made it so far in the American Dream, he needs to hide some of that emotion because even though it is natural, politics isn't really the place for it. I personally think it makes him appear rather weak. It's not even the fact that he cries, but to the extent of which he does it, which is why I also agree with Katherine's comment about Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Women are indeed portrayed as 'over-emotional' but I haven't seen either one of them shed a tear.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that they should have spent more time on his plans for once he begins. I think that it would have shed more light on what kind of official he will be, instead of just focusing on the kind of person he was before he got here.
I agree with what Becca said about the fact that Obama and Boehner's opposing views do constitute some sort of checks and balances, but unfortunately with his "no compromise" attitude, this probably won't be as effective as it could be. However, as Rebecca pointed out, I respect that it seems as if "he will never make any decisions that will force him to sacrifice his core beliefs, his values, or his morals." Moral corruption seems to be a prevalent issue amongst politicians and it's good to see someone who sounds as if he won't compromise (oh, that word again) his beliefs for anything. With a strong moral base, I think that Boehner will have an easier time focusing on politics rather than people like Christine O'Donnell who had to spend half her campaign trying to convince people she wasn't a witch. At least the public knows where Boehner stands morally and he will definitely be able to appeal to them this way, if not politically.
ReplyDeleteAs Speaker of the House, I believe that Boehner’s biggest challenge will be to balance the more liberal leaning Democrats and ultra-conservative Tea Party candidates with his moderate Republican base. The only successful path I could see a speaker taking is one in which all sides are expected, if not encouraged, to compromise. However, in this interview Boehner clearly states that he regards compromising as a weakness. I sincerely hope that his ‘common ground’ spiel was just a political stunt, and is just a euphemism for compromise. If not, then he is senile if he thinks Democrats and Tea Partiers can find common ground on anything. The 2012 elections hinge largely on the ability of Republican led House to produce results, which Boehner acknowledged. He will be eager to get bills passed, but without compromise, it will be interesting to see how he tries to pull this off. Stemming from his ‘no compromise’ message, Boehner seems to be confident in his bargaining position with the President after the sweeping election, and I do not see him making any concessions to help further the President’s agenda.
ReplyDeleteThere were two things that angered me in this interview. The first was how Boehner strongly defended his decision to keep the Bush tax cuts for the rich, though they would reduce the deficit by almost $900,000,000,000 dolars. Instead, he praised his plan to cut congressional spending by 5%, which only saves millions. Also, I thought all the crying was a bit strange, but was completely irrelevant to his performance as speaker. However, while Boehner was touted as a patriot, I can’t help but think that if there had been a liberal who brought on the waterworks, they would have been ridiculed as a wimpy sissies.
Response to Rebecca's second post:
ReplyDeleteWe both agree that Boehner's plan to cut congress is mere starting point and does little to fix the deficit, but you seem to be a bit more optimistic congress's ability to make meaningful deficit reductions moving forward. Aside from whether or not the problem is spending or revenue (to be honest I think its a lot of both), I just don't think its possible to alleviate the deficit by merely going after spending. The fact that Boehner couldn't name a single way to meaningfully reduce the deficit was the biggest evidence of this.
ok I’m just gonna start off with saying...the crying...seriously...come on. it was totally fake. I mean how many times can cry in one interview? And the tears just came out like bread in a toaster over! they just popped out! Personally i think that the crying was just embarrassing and it was his attempt for the American people to like him more and feel sympathetic towards him. However on the off chance that those were real tears and this guy is actually this emotional he's gotta toughen up and grow some of that "thick skin" he talked about in the video. And I mean it is nice that he gets emotional when he thinks about the kids education and the American dream but I wonder if he cries when he thinks about all those people who he preventing from getting healthcare and tax breaks. all those people who his lack of compromise... that unspeakable word.. is effecting. People who need some money and a break! People just like him when he was growing up. i mean there is no denying that his story is amazing and what he did for himself if a huge accomplishment and very admirable but I found it very telling that the video said it was only after he bought the plastic company and made millions that his political views changed from democratic to republican. He believed in the democratic ideals until he got rich and realized that he no longer needed them so why help others who do! kinda like biting the hand that feeds you if you ask me (sorry if that is crossing the line...i hope Boehner doesn’t see this and get emotional at all....) anyway! I hope that maybe this guy can appeal to his emotional side and make some compromises, oh excuse me I mean "work together" or "finding the common group." Hopefully he stops crying at starts governing, as Obama said, in a way that will be beneficial to the American people. oh and the 25 -30 million dollar cuts....that’s not really helping the deficit at all. So that’s not really progress in my book, but I guess you do have to start somewhere. And I thought Obama’s comment on his tanning was so funny and just hilarious. Im glad our president had a sense of humor. I loved it.
ReplyDeletegeeze i was kinda mean....sorry.
In response to Katherine’s comment, while I did enjoy the Obama's skin color comment a whole lot as I stated in my first post she does make a good point in saying that the name calling and public insulting is childish and inappropriate. I also agree with her comment on the double standard which is prevalent in politics because if any type of female politician was to cry like that in an interview the reaction from the public would have been extremely different.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to think if there is any actual difference between compromising and finding 'common ground,' and here's what I've come up with: It seems like Boehner will want to avoid passing legislature on any important issue that causes controversy unless the Republicans get their way, and would rather try to pass less significant laws that more people could agree on. A good example of this was the congressional 5% budget cut that he talked about. Measures like this really have no impact, and waste congress's time, and Boehner hopes that American's will believe that he is trying to 'change the way things are done in congress.' So in reality, he's kind of taking the position of symbolism over substance, and hopefully after a few years when the American people find out that nothing was done to help them, they will realize that our congress needs to actually address the controversial issues and make decisions that may be unpopular, rather than hiding behind meaningless ideological positions.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Taylor's first post, I agree that it's a bit contradictory that Boehner gets so emotional over children and people trying to achieve the American Dream, yet his political stance seems to be against providing any kind of help to these people. I think Boehner is in a very rare position in that he was able to emerge from a very poor background and become a wealthy powerful person. I think most of his views are in favor of people like him, in that once they already achieve the American Dream, then they don't have to pay as much taxes. He even said in the interview that he was surprised how many of his millions of dollars were taken out in taxes. I think if he really wanted to do good for more people, he would try to compromise with the Democrats to help Americans in need. I know it may be scary that once you become rich out of nowhere, you might not be quite as rich, but trying to help the 99.99999% of people who that doesn't happen to is probably more important. But then again, if he were to 'compromise' or focus on education or helping the lower class, then the Tea Party might get mad at him...
ReplyDelete(And sorry if I've been kinda negative)