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Boehner calls Obama's State of the Union 'just another campaign speech'
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) dismissed President Obama's State of the Union address as "just another campaign speech" and said the president wasn't sincere about wanting to work with Congress during an interview Wednesday on the "Laura Ingraham Show."
"The president acted last night as if this was the first year of his presidency, acted like he's been backpacking around Europe … he took no responsibility for the last three years and the policies that have failed," Boehner said.
Boehner also emphasized that he was willing to work with the president, hoping to undercut Obama's portrayal of Congress as intransigent.
But Boehner said that before Tuesday, he hadn't spoken with the president in nearly a month.
"We have offered to work with the president, work through his policies, but he has to come to the table," Boehner said. "He's got to be involved. It's pretty clear to me that he hasn't been involved for the last four months … I have no indication that he actually wants to sit down with us."
But Boehner also emphasized that he remained in opposition to any plan that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans — a cornerstone proposal of Obama's Tuesday address, and his legislative proposals for the past few months.
"We're not going to raise taxes, but we can generate additional revenue if we bring our tax code into a more efficient state," Boehner said.
Later, Boehner said Obama's tax proposal was divisive.
"We need to help every American. Our job here is not to divide Americans, not to create envy among Americans," Boehner said.
Boehner also downplayed criticism that the Republican leadership received over its handling of the payroll tax extension, arguing that the House had been successful in "stopping all the crazy ideas that come out of this White House."
"It's hard to keep all 242 frogs in the wheelbarrow at the same time," Boehner said.
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