Obama’s $400 billion fast one blows up in his face.

"Can we get to the part where I get more money already?"

I just watched Speaker Boehner’s response to Obama’s news conference from earlier today following Boehner’s walking away from the debt limit talks. Boehner’s response was about what I had expected having watched Obama’s press conference earlier.

Obama’s frustrated response to the difficulties he’s been facing in relieving more Americans of more of their hard earned money was immensely entertaining to watch. He was clearly agitated and kept me thinking that at any moment he could say something that would shed a little more light on his view of his political opponents. You know another comment of the caliber of his “Bibles and guns” or “typical white woman” comments. Unfortunately that never happened though Obama did once again clearly illustrate his confusion over how our system works as he “ordered” top lawmakers to a meeting with him at 11:00am tomorrow.

It was clear throughout the president’s rant that he was desperate to get his side of the day’s events into the history books. I can’t recall a time when I’ve seen this president act as quickly as he did today. Mere minutes after reports surfaced that Boehner had walked out on the negotiations Obama had scheduled a news conference which started on time about an hour later. Keep in mind; it took this man 4 days to sign the stimulus legislation after warning that failure to pass it would result in the end of the financial world within days. In this case however, Obama’s punctuality and timeliness were in line with what one should expect from a leader. Obama’s sole intent was to get his side of the argument out there quickly and ensure the media’s spin on the situation be that Republicans simply will not agree to anything and he said as much.

At one point Whitehouse correspondent Nora O’Donnell asked the president about an agreement that had allegedly been reached between the Whitehouse and Congress and about claims that the “goal post had been moved” on Republicans at the last minute. Obama denied that he had attempted to modify any agreement and turned the question of trust around on Republicans, implying that they could not be trusted as they are refusing to simply roll over and give Obama what he wants.

The entire press conference seemed a desperate attempt to plant the seeds of Obama’s account of events in the minds of America before the other side was heard. The urgency he displayed in suggesting what the press should report and insisting that the Republicans inexplicably walked away from a better deal than they were originally seeking was a dead give-away that the world would soon hear another account of the day’s events that would stand in stark contrast to the president’s version.

A short time later Speaker John Boehner responded to the president’s earlier attacks and as expected his account was vastly different. Boehner said that indeed an agreement on revenue had been reached but, as Ms. O’Donnell put it, “the goal posts were moved” when yesterday Obama demanded an additional $400 billion in increased taxes. This would have brought the increase to the federal coffers from this deal to $1.2 trillion as both sides agree that the closing of tax loopholes and other action outlined in the agreement would have generated $800 billion. Not a bad chunk of change for a piece of legislation we’re all being led to believe will reduce out of control federal spending. Just imagine the interest the feds will collect on all that extra money just sitting in the bank not being spent.

As I’ve already discussed here: https://somestuffyoushouldknow.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/the-debt-ceiling-non-issue/ as well as here: https://somestuffyoushouldknow.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/obama-the-sky-is-falling-again/ , Democrat and Republican lawmakers have been in agreement for weeks that the debt ceiling must be raised. The only issue holding this entire process up is Obama’s incessant insistence that he receive more and more dollars from the already strapped American tax payers. He has mentioned on more than one occasion that he and people like him could and should be giving more money to the government however, he’s not once mentioned exactly what he intends to spend the additional revenue on or how generating more revenue for the fed to spend has ANYTHING to do with reducing spending which has been his claimed objective since day one. Rather than attempting to once again scare the country into willingly giving up more money, Obama should attempt to be a leader and focus on the issue at hand. He’s still got time to attempt to bilk us out of more of our money after the debt ceiling issue has been addressed. This is textbook “never let a crisis go to waste” governing from an administration that has created crisis after crisis in order to push its agenda of massive government and endless federal spending forward.

Speaker Boehner was asked today during his televised response to Obama’s tirade if he trusted Obama as a negotiator. Mr. Boehner gave a safe response in that he said he did trust Obama as a negotiator.

I submit that based on Obama’s less than upfront approach to Obamacare, the fact that he has used scare tactics each time he’s been forced to make the case to the American public that he needs to spend more of our money and now his inexplicable insistence on getting his hands on more tax dollars under the guise of reducing spending, Obama cannot be trusted as a negotiator.

Of course the fact that he lied directly to Ms. O’Donnell today might imply that he has integrity issues beyond the negotiating table.