John Responds To John: Yarmuth And Boehner Disagree On "The Need For Compromise". Watch And Read.
Watch Speaker John Boehner on CSpan, then read John Yarmuth's The need for compromise
Written by John Yarmuth, U.S. Rep.
I greatly appreciate House Speaker John Boehner’s appearance at U of L’s McConnell Center on Monday. He is a good person and a friendly colleague. His comments, however, illustrated one of the major problems facing our government. And unfortunately, The Courier-Journal omitted this key point from its article.
Speaker Boehner, as described in the article, stressed his desire to find common ground on issues. That is certainly an appropriate goal. But he also said that he didn’t feel the need to compromise any of his ideological principles. In other words, he believes that we should only act on issues where there is already broad bipartisan agreement and, apparently, not try to resolve differences.
I referred to Boehner’s position as a pipe dream because, in a government this polarized, the issues where common ground already exists are simply too few, and the challenges that divide us far too important for inaction. In fact, in the current political environment, insisting on common ground without compromise may be the best way to guarantee 90 percent of the nation’s problems remain unsolved—not coincidentally, that is the same percentage of Americans who disapprove of this Congress and its refusal to compromise.
I encourage the Speaker to listen to the people on this. Americans know the solutions on which we already agree are the easy ones, and they didn't elect us to make easy decisions. They elected us to solve difficult problems. They elected us to lead. Real leaders don’t just look for common ground, they create it — and unless both sides start demonstrating a willingness to compromise in good faith, we will never be able to deal with the national debt, jobs or the long-term viability of Medicare and Social Security.
Our country and our system of government were formed through compromise and have been strengthened by it for more than two centuries. Until Republicans find leadership that values results over ideology — and economic progress over anti-tax pledges — this Congress will continue to fail America.
U.S. House of Representatives
Kentucky, 3rd District
Washington 20005
Editor's comment: not surprising, the Courier Journal Editor called Mr. Boehner's speech "a ploy" -- a polite way of calling the Speaker insincere. Read the piece below:
Editorial | John Boehner's ploy
Who needs Kentucky Kingdom’s coasters when the Speaker of the House is so obliging about taking us for a ride? That is surely an apt description for what U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, did when he came to Louisville this week.
Officially, he was in town to give a speech at the University of Louisville, and that he did — only the theme Mr. Boehner tapped into was an alien notion in the current age of alienation.
Unbelievably, the Speaker issued a call for “common ground” in solving the country’s problems – pretty gutsy considering the GOP’s longstanding audacity of “nope” in dealing with President Obama.
Mr. Obama has all but twisted himself into a pretzel in trying to meet the Republicans on any number of issues, only to find himself alone on what he thought would be common ground. Even in the signature domestic achievement of his first term, Mr. Obama relied on many past health care reforms once supported by Republicans for the 21st-Century model that passed. The GOP? MIA, but for their stonewalling and objections — including Mr. Boehner’s infamous (and pre-speaker) House floor bellow of “Hell no you can’t!”
“I didn’t take this job to preside over a partisan screaming match. I took this job to be the speaker of the whole House, to listen to the people who truly hold the power in this country, listen to their priorities, and get stuff done,” Mr. Boehner said Monday.
Nice thought, and it’s an attractive snippet for the nightly news. But Mr. Boehner needs to put his own words into action in his newly articulated search for common ground and getting “stuff” done. If he doesn’t, it’s the same old ride of lurches and pitches as the American people are buffeted between a resistible force and an immovable object. Guess which one Mr. Boehner represents?
Written by John Yarmuth, U.S. Rep.
I greatly appreciate House Speaker John Boehner’s appearance at U of L’s McConnell Center on Monday. He is a good person and a friendly colleague. His comments, however, illustrated one of the major problems facing our government. And unfortunately, The Courier-Journal omitted this key point from its article.
Speaker Boehner, as described in the article, stressed his desire to find common ground on issues. That is certainly an appropriate goal. But he also said that he didn’t feel the need to compromise any of his ideological principles. In other words, he believes that we should only act on issues where there is already broad bipartisan agreement and, apparently, not try to resolve differences.
I referred to Boehner’s position as a pipe dream because, in a government this polarized, the issues where common ground already exists are simply too few, and the challenges that divide us far too important for inaction. In fact, in the current political environment, insisting on common ground without compromise may be the best way to guarantee 90 percent of the nation’s problems remain unsolved—not coincidentally, that is the same percentage of Americans who disapprove of this Congress and its refusal to compromise.
I encourage the Speaker to listen to the people on this. Americans know the solutions on which we already agree are the easy ones, and they didn't elect us to make easy decisions. They elected us to solve difficult problems. They elected us to lead. Real leaders don’t just look for common ground, they create it — and unless both sides start demonstrating a willingness to compromise in good faith, we will never be able to deal with the national debt, jobs or the long-term viability of Medicare and Social Security.
Our country and our system of government were formed through compromise and have been strengthened by it for more than two centuries. Until Republicans find leadership that values results over ideology — and economic progress over anti-tax pledges — this Congress will continue to fail America.
U.S. House of Representatives
Kentucky, 3rd District
Washington 20005
Editor's comment: not surprising, the Courier Journal Editor called Mr. Boehner's speech "a ploy" -- a polite way of calling the Speaker insincere. Read the piece below:
Editorial | John Boehner's ploy
Who needs Kentucky Kingdom’s coasters when the Speaker of the House is so obliging about taking us for a ride? That is surely an apt description for what U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, did when he came to Louisville this week.
Officially, he was in town to give a speech at the University of Louisville, and that he did — only the theme Mr. Boehner tapped into was an alien notion in the current age of alienation.
Unbelievably, the Speaker issued a call for “common ground” in solving the country’s problems – pretty gutsy considering the GOP’s longstanding audacity of “nope” in dealing with President Obama.
Mr. Obama has all but twisted himself into a pretzel in trying to meet the Republicans on any number of issues, only to find himself alone on what he thought would be common ground. Even in the signature domestic achievement of his first term, Mr. Obama relied on many past health care reforms once supported by Republicans for the 21st-Century model that passed. The GOP? MIA, but for their stonewalling and objections — including Mr. Boehner’s infamous (and pre-speaker) House floor bellow of “Hell no you can’t!”
“I didn’t take this job to preside over a partisan screaming match. I took this job to be the speaker of the whole House, to listen to the people who truly hold the power in this country, listen to their priorities, and get stuff done,” Mr. Boehner said Monday.
Nice thought, and it’s an attractive snippet for the nightly news. But Mr. Boehner needs to put his own words into action in his newly articulated search for common ground and getting “stuff” done. If he doesn’t, it’s the same old ride of lurches and pitches as the American people are buffeted between a resistible force and an immovable object. Guess which one Mr. Boehner represents?
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