Posted on 07/22/2011 3:21:28 PM PDT by markomalley
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Friday said he ended negotiations with President Obama on a so-called grand bargain to achieve sizable deficit reduction in the context of raising the debt ceiling.
Boehner informed all House Republicans in a letter released at 6 p.m. EDT.
"A deal was never reached and was never really close," Boehner wrote. "I have decided to end discussions with the White House and begin conversations with the leaders of the Senate in an effort to find a path forward."
Boehner blamed Obama's demand for higher taxes and opposition to "fundamental changes" to entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
"In the end, we couldn't connect," Boehner wrote. "Not because of different personalities, but because of different visions for our country. The president is emphatic that taxes have to be raised. The president is adamant that we cannot make fundamental changes to our entitlement programs."
Boehner and senior House GOP aides said there is a common bicameral desire to avoid default on August 2, but have no legislative approach to achieve that goal.
"I believe there is a shared commitment on both sides of the aisle to producing legislation that will serve the best interests of our country in the days ahead," Boehner wrote.
Boehner informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Friday afternoon.
Senior House GOP aides said Boehner is not maneuvering and from now on the only focus of negotiations will be to produce a bill that raises the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling and meets Boehner's longstanding demand that spending cuts exceed the amount by which the debt ceiling is lifted and the package contain no tax increases.
Good. Wait for the jug-eared moron to provide his own idiotic plan in writing.
Obama on TV now, lying his butt off.
Yeah, I can’t wait—to turn off the TV.
So, he’ll compromise with the Senate but not Obama. I guess we showed them!
FUBO!
He IS flustered...He just actually said he has to answer to special interest groups! Oopsie...
Making odumbo the odd man out after he has been on TV so many times on this matter is actually pretty good. Can’t help him come 2012.
Yes to tax cuts!
Agree..he’s whining..seems petulant..diminished the WH..complaining to the MSM thta Boehner picked up the ball and went home..
Go Boehner! I know a lot of people here don’t like him (and I didn’t either) but he’s showing a lot of spine. We should congratulate him.
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. There’s a time for vinegar, but I think we should write now and congratulate him on standing fast to this point.
“We don’t mind cleaning up the mess Obama made, we just ask that he sit in the back of the bus.”
The American people know who and what he is by now. The good people will keep the truth out there.
PS Don't forget to donate. We good American people need sites like FR more then ever. We're barely ahead of CA in the donor department. Georgia is coming up.
Let's roll!
Good move.
Now don’t go and give Harry Reid everything on a silver platter.
Oh and also try to learn to negotiate before you begin the conversation this time.
Oops, I missed the Florida donor scoreboard. Third place and closing in fast.
I heard Pres Mully complaining that all he asked for was another 1.2 TRILLION dollars...
THERE ISN’T ONE DAMN THING THIS ROTTEN GOVERNMENT DOES THAT WARRANTS ANYONE HAVING TO PAY 1.2 TRILLION FOR ANYTHING AT ANYTIME.
Get out of here, Oboob, get your stinking ass leviathan government off our backs, and leave us the Hell alone.
Asking the liberals to reign in spending - is like asking the Neo Nazis to do Jewish outreach.
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