GOP House Minority Leader John Boehner this morning calling for President Obama to “ask for and accept the resignations” of his Economic Team, “starting with Treasury Secretary Geithner, and Larry Summers, the head of the National Economic Council.”
Minority leader Boehner: Fire Obama’s economic team, extend tax cuts
The Washington Post
CLEVELAND
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called Tuesday for the mass firing of the Obama administration’s economic team, including Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and White House adviser Larry Summers, arguing that November’s midterm elections are shaping up as a referendum on sustained unemployment across the nation and saying the “writing is on the wall.”
Boehner said President Obama’s team lacks “real-world, hands-on experience” in creating jobs that are needed for a full economic recovery. The Republican lawmaker cited reports that some senior aides complained of “exhaustion,” including the recently departed budget chief Peter Orszag.
“President Obama should ask for – and accept – the resignations of the remaining members of his economic team, starting with Secretary Geithner and Larry Summers, the head of the National Economic Council,” Boehner said in the morning speech to business leaders at the City Club of Cleveland. The mass dismissal, he added, would be “no substitute for a referendum on the president’s job-killing agenda. That question will be put before the American people in due time. But we do not have the luxury of waiting months for the president to pick scapegoats for his failing ‘stimulus’ policies.”
Vice President Biden lashed back at Boehner, called his “so-called” economic plan nothing but a list of what Republicans are against and devoid of innovative new ideas that can help move the country forward.
In a sarcastic tone, Biden thanked Boehner for the suggestion that the president fire his top economic advisers.
“Very constructive advice and we thank the leader for that,” Biden said.
With President Obama on vacation Martha’s Vineyard, the White House largely left it to Biden to respond to the speech. He accused Boehner and the GOP of wanting to take the country back to failed policies of the past.
“Mr. Boehner is nostalgic for those good old days, but Americans are not…We’ve seen this movie before Mr. Boehner,” Biden said. “We’ve seen it before. And we know how it ends.”
“The American people are asking, ‘where are the jobs?’ and all the president’s economic team has to offer are promises of ‘green shoots’ that never seem to grow,” Boehner said. “The worse things get, the more they circle the wagons and defend the indefensible.” After the speech, he held a question-and-answer session with business leaders in this economically distressed Rust Belt city.
Boehner told the City Club officials that the key to sparking job growth is extending the tax cuts implemented by then-President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003. Republicans want to extend the tax cuts across the board.
Boehner said that extending the tax cuts for all income brackets would help small business owners, who have been the toughest hit since the financial collapse of 2008. “Raising taxes on families and small businesses during a recession is a recipe for disaster – both for our economy and for the deficit. Period. End of story,” he said. “That’s why President Obama should work with Republicans to stop all of these job-killing tax hikes.”
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Boehner’s not alone in calling for Geithner to go
The Washington Post
Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fl.)……..Timothy Geithner should either resign or be fired for the good of the country, and President Obama should nominate a new Treasury Secretary with the experience and leadership skills America deserves.”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.)…………As one of the chief architects of the AIG bailout, Secretary Geithner was in a position to do what any lender of the last resort would do — negotiate concessions from AIG. Secretary Geithner either didn’t know about the bonuses, and was grossly negligent, or he did know and failed to bring this to the President’s attention. Either way, the end result has been a significant waste of taxpayer dollars and he should take immediate responsibility and resign.”
Mike Pence on Fox News: “I’m Joining Republican Leader John Boehner in Calling For Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Larry Summers To Step Down”
Pence: “The American people don’t want the President to have around him advisers that are saying the recovery has arrived…The President ought to ask for and accept the resignation of the Secretary of the Treasury and Larry Summers and he ought to bring a new team around him that’s in touch with the American people that recognizes that these economic stimulus policies have failed”
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Good for Boehner!
Imam obama of course will not do this, but I am thrilled Boehner has done this and is saying these things. At least someone is finally calling him out….because when obama does not fire these people and the economy gets worse, at least it is on record that Republicans called for the removal of the economic team. And I wish obama would fire himself while he is at it.
Obama is not incompetant at all- this is EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS. Send the economy crashing so he can implement socialism and 100% government takeover.
Saw Biden’s take on this. As Bugs Bunny would say, “What a Maroon”.
I love how Joe and the rest of the Dems., conviently fail to mention, that the real down slide in the Economy, began when the Democrats took control of the Congress and the Senate in 2006.
Bush for all his faults, did try to reign in Fannie and Freddie, and promoted the Tax Cuts, across the board, not just “for the rich”, as Joe and the Dems., would have us believe.
No, Joe, as much as you try, you cannot hang this on Bush any more, all this is the work of the Administration that you and Barry have put together.
The Voters will give you their answer in November, and, Joe, you won’t like it, guaranteed
Boehner speaking out has gotten others to start talking about it. It’s like he lit a fuse.
Sean, good one.
Jim, I agree, I am glad too.