Thread: GOP Leader Boehner: Secure our borders, enforce our laws

Note: I changed the title of this article to reflect the relevant part. Mods, please change title if you see fit:
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The Hill
House GOP leaders to enter State of the Union address wth 'open, not empty' mind
By Tony Romm - 01/27/10 10:30 AM ET

Republicans will approach the president's State of the Union address with "an open mind, not with an empty mind," Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House GOP Conference, said Wednesday.

But the caucus' leaders also fired an early warning shot at President Barack Obama's forthcoming policy announcements Wednesday night, including the already contentious reports that he will ask Congress to cap all discretionary spending beginning with next year's budget.

While Pence and other GOP lawmakers at Wednesday morning's press conference seemed to acknowledge that move was a step in the right direction, they signaled it was ultimately too little, too late.

"When you're in a hole, stop digging," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who spoke after Pence.

Hinting at the proposed spending freeze in particular, Blackburn added: "It's not going to be enough to back fill that hole," noting the federal government had to also learn to "live within its means."

Republicans are out in full force this week, trying to play the expectations game ahead of the president's much-anticipated, first State of the Union address. The speech, in which the president is expected to take blame for some shortcomings while pitching new policies, is likely to touch on a wide range of subjects, from the stalled healthcare negotiations to the federal debt.

In addition to casting early doubt on the president's proposed spending freeze, House Republican leaders also took shots at two other reforms Obama could discuss Wednesday night: new immigration legislation and an end to the "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) policy that prevents gays from openly serving in the military.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged Tuesday president would touch on immigration Wednesday night, and he said a DADT repeal was under discussion. While it is unclear what, if anything, Obama might say on both of those issues in his address, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) seemed to decry both announcements at the press conference Wednesday morning.

"When it comes to immigration, I think most Americans believe when it comes to undocumented workers, the first thing we have to do is secure our borders and enforce our laws," he said. "Until those two things are accomplished, I don't know how you get your arms around what is a very thorny process."

Boehner also decried any attempt to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell," stressing, "Frankly, I think it has worked very well, and we should leave it alone."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... empty-mind

GOP leader calls on colleagues to be 'respectful and considerate' to Obama
Posted: January 27th, 2010 12:24 PM ET

From CNN's Dana Bash and John King

(CNN) - House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, says President Obama’s test at Wednesday’s State of the Union address will be whether he will offer merely a "rhetorical pivot, or are they really going to do something."

But Boehner – wary about disrupting what he called political wind at Republicans’ backs now – is also warning his own GOP colleagues to be respectful during tonight’s national address. People still remember the famous outburst by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina, who shouted "you lie" at the president the last time Obama addressed Congress.

"You invite someone to your home you should be respectful and considerate," Boehner told a small group of reporters at a Wednesday morning breakfast.

Still, Boehner gave some new insight into just how politically polarized Washington is right now by revealing that – besides occasional White House meetings with congressional leaders – he has "zero" private dialogue with the president or his top aides.

"I have not talked to Rahm Emanuel in a year," Boehner said, speaking of the president’s chief of staff and former Democratic congressman.


"It's really shocking...there's just no interaction," said Boehner.

The House GOP leader was careful to emphasize he does have a "great" relationship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but said "we never talk about anything real. She and I talk about policy? I mean, why bother, and we both recognize it."

On politics, Boehner said the Republican win last week in Massachusetts has helped the GOP recruit quality candidates to run against Democrats. For example, one potential Republican candidate, whom he wouldn’t name, had been saying no for 9 months, but last week finally said yes.

Boehner said he believes the anger at Washington right now is “100 times more intense than anything we saw in 1994,â€

While I appreciate Mr. Boehner's valiant comments, personally I feel equally cheated by Republicans over the past few years. There is deafness to their constituents once they have entered the sound-proof bubble of D.C.

"When it comes to immigration, I think most Americans believe when it comes to undocumented workers, the first thing we have to do is secure our borders and enforce our laws," he said. "Until those two things are accomplished, I don't know how you get your arms around what is a very thorny process."

Boehner is deaf to everything and everyone, except his own voice. He never made this type of statement when President Bush was pushing for CIR (comprehensive immigration reform)

He fails to have a single thought to improve anything. He's just an ass.