Carney: House GOP is obstructionist

There was a time on Capitol Hill when Democrats were offended that President Obama would group them with Republicans when he attacked an “obstructionist Congress.”

But White House press secretary Jay Carney on Friday said that’s in the past. It’s not Congress that is to blame. It’s mostly House Republicans.

“I certainly don’t think you’ve heard that kind of concern expressed by Democrats … in recent memory,” Carney told reporters Friday as the president headed to address the House Democratic Caucus on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

“I think we’ve made pretty clear, because the facts are incontestable, that the unfortunate obstructionism the country has encountered in passing common-sense, mainstream measures to get the economy going, in passing a balanced approach to deficit reduction and long-term control of our debt, have been Republicans exclusively,” Carney said.

Repeating a phrase Obama often uses — “let me be clear” — Carney added that “the obstructionism we face in Congress [has] been thrown up by Republicans, unfortunately, and House Republicans in particular.”

He used the payroll-tax debate last month and what he called an unnecessary “back and forth” as an example.

“What happened then has been the case on too many occasions, where a section of the House Republican caucus has been causing a lot of problems when it comes to getting common-sense, mainstream measures passed that could help the economy and boost job creation,” he said.

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