Where incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) struck what was almost a conciliatory tone after his party’s sweeping victories on Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) appeared ready for battle while issuing stern warnings to President Barack Obama not to overstep his bounds.
McConnell pledged to fix the Senate and acknowledged that there were “significant areas for potential agreement” with the White House. But Boehner was feisty and confrontational at his Thursday press conference.
Republicans picked up 14 seats in the House, expanding their majority to a historic 246-seat majority, their largest majority in more than half a century. The incoming freshman class includes substantial additions to the party’s right wing, including David Brat of Virginia, a tea party candidate who knocked off Boehner’s majority leader, Eric Cantor, in the GOP primary.
With that as the backdrop, Boehner sounded like he was in no mood to compromise.
“Finding common ground is going to be hard work, but it will be harder if the President isn’t willing to work with us. Yesterday we heard him say he may double down on his go it alone approach,” he said. “I have a told the President before he needs to put politics aside and rebuild trust and rebuilding trust not only with the American people but with the American people’s representatives here in the United States Congress.”
On inflammatory issues such as immigration reform and Obamacare, Boehner didn’t sound interested in compromise. As he and McConnell outlined in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the first order of business will be to take a vote to repeal Obamacare — even if Obama said the day before that it was a non-starter.
“Listen, my job is to listen to the American people. The American people have made it clear they’re not for Obamacare,” he said. “My job is not to get along with the president just to get along with him — although we actually have a nice relationship.”
“The fact is my job is listen to my members and listen to the American people,” he continued, “and make their priorities our priorities.”
On Obama’s promised immigration executive actions, which already look like they’ll be the first battle between the Obama White House and the new Republican Congress, Boehner didn’t mince words.
“If the President acts on his own, he will poison the well,” Boehner said. “If you play with matches, you can risk burning yourself. The American people made it clear on Election Day: They want to get things done and they don’t want the president acting on a unilateral basis. “
“If the President continues to go down the path of taking action on his own,” he concluded, “he’s inviting big trouble.”
Correction: The headline has been changed to accurately reflect Boehner’s quote that it is not “my job” to be friendly with Obama.
