Boehner: Obama speech 'diminishes' the presidency

President Barack Obama is "diminishing" the U.S. presidency through his rhetoric against Republicans, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) charged Wednesday.

Boehner ripped a speech by the president in Pittsburgh this afternoon in which Obama spoke against the GOP's economic policies, arguing they would only benefit monied and powerful interests.

“The president diminishes the Office of the President when he resorts to straw man arguments that willfully mischaracterize the views of others," Boehner shot back this afternoon. "All of the president’s talk of post-partisanship, reaching out and finding common ground reminds us that the country deserves better than his hyper-partisan speech today.”

Obama sought in remarks at Carnegie Mellon University to portray the midterm elections as a choice between old, Republican ideas and a future led by his economic policies.

"As November approaches, leaders in the other party will campaign furiously on the same economic argument they’ve been making for decades," he said. "Fortunately, we don’t have to look back too many years to see how it turns out. For much of the last ten years, we tried it their way."

Republicans have sounded their own refrain over the past year and a half, questioning Obama's leadership on job creation. Boehner often asks, "Where are the jobs?" at Republican press conferences.

"It’s clear from his harsh partisan rhetoric today that President Obama has run out of excuses for his broken promises on the economy," the House Republican leader said Wednesday.

"It’s time for the president to step up, exhibit real leadership and call on congressional Democrats to offer a budget that reins in out-of-control spending to help create jobs and get our economy moving again," Boehner added.