Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson

[jefferson_dem]

Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson
By: John Bresnahan
January 12, 2011 06:44 PM EST

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturday’s shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.

Boehner is instead scheduled to attend a reception on Wednesday night on behalf of Maria Cino, a former top House GOP aide who is seeking the Republican National Committee chairmanship. Boehner is backing Cino’s challenge to current RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

Boehner’s reception for Cino was first reported on Wednesday morning by POLITICO.

Senior Democrats - who to date had been impressed with Boehner’s response to the Arizona tragedy - expressed surprise at what they saw as an unmistakable misstep by the new speaker: appearing at a partisan political event on the same night as the the president, first lady Michelle Obama, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Arizona congressional delegation come together at the memorial service for the victims of an attack that nearly took the life of a member of the House. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) was critically wounded in Saturday’s attack, while six other people died and a dozen more were wounded.

“It is disrespectful for Speaker Boehner to skip joining the President’s and bipartisan congressional delegation to the Tucson Memorial so he could host a Washington D.C. cocktail party for RNC members,” said a Democratic leadership aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

<SNIP>

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47521.html#ixzz1ArruEShM

[impik]

1. Piece of nothingness

[SharonAnn]

32. Well, he's got his priorities. Booze and "business as usual".

[politicasista]

2. Gotta go chase that American Dream n/t

[Rosa Luxemburg]

28. should have dumped him in the nearest lake

[politicasista]

40. lol

Then, he can cry us a bigger river. :rofl:

[dhill926]

3. would he have to pay for drinks?

[jillan]

4. Ohhhh - that makes me want to cry orange tears!!

[maryellen99]

5. I bet any money that when Boehner and his cohorts first heard about the shooting

they celebrated in private-I wouldn't put it past them.

[frazzled]

6. I hope someone gets pictures of the cocktail party

he's attending instead.

[DCKit]

7. Disappointed, my ass. This is wonderful news.

Even some hard-core Wingers should be throwing up a little over this.

[C_U_L8R]

8. Nothing gets between Boner and a cocktail party

except maybe a tanning booth session.

[TwilightGardener]

9. Classy.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Remember this shit? Gingrich: Snub Caused Impasse -- Treatment On Air Force One Blamed

Gingrich: Snub Caused Impasse -- Treatment On Air Force One Blamed
Seattle Times News Services

WASHINGTON - President Clinton said today he was "sorry and surprised" if House Speaker Newt Gingrich took offense at the way he had been treated on Air Force One.

Gingrich complained yesterday that in 24 hours of flying to and from the Jerusalem funeral of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin last week Clinton failed to discuss their budget differences - and made Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., sit in the back of the plane and leave by the rear exit.

The speaker said his personal pique helped prompt the partial shutdown of the federal government.

The alleged "snub," the Georgia Republican told reporters, was "part of why you ended up with us sending down a tougher continuing resolution" - the stopgap spending bill that Clinton vetoed Monday, leading to the shutdown.

"It's petty, but I think it's human," Gingrich said of his reaction.

"If I genuinely hurt their feelings, I'm really sorry and surprised," the president said today. As for Gingrich focusing his ire toward the tough spending resolution, Clinton said, "I just don't understand it."

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19951116&slug=2152925

[stevedeshazer]

13. Sure do.

It was my first thought when reading this.

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Who the %$#* would want him there? Seriously.

Who cares what he does?

Let him stay the hell away.

[SpiralHawk]

12. Republicons are slamming back the cocktails

what twisted VALUES they have...

[Cali_Democrat]

14. What a heartless prick

Dems need to spread this far and wide.

[11 Bravo]

15. NOTHING comes between the Boner and his booze.

[golfguru]

21. Are you kidding?

Air Force One is very well stocked with booze.
Even my ex-employers Queen Air 6 seater was well stocked with booze,
so I can imagine what is on AF1.

The 6 seats on our company plane consisted of 4 very nice seats in the
middle, 1 nice seat next to the pilot in front, but the 6th seat was
on top of the commode in the tail section.

[Canuckistanian]

16. Keep it classy, Boner

You're an inspiration to heartless bastards everywhere.

[tanyev]

17. We see his true colors shining through.....

[ProSense]

18. Boehner's motto:

Jeers, tears and cheers.

[golfguru]

19. Boehner is 3rd in line to be president

2nd of course is VP Biden. None of those 3 should be on the same airplane together.

[ProSense]

22. That rule is for the President and VP, and

how does the reception fit in?

[golfguru]

27. First I thought

Boehner was going to fly commercial.
But then learned he is skipping it.
His excuse is a partisan previous scheduled event.

He should attend the reception instead to add more dignity to the event.

[retread]

41. Boner attending an event does NOT lend more dignity. n/t

[golfguru]

48. Anytime Speaker of the house attends anything

it lends more dignity to any event. May be not in your eyes,
but the Speaker is far more important figure than you and me.

The speaker decides what bills get voted on in the House.
They can mold the agenda to fit their desires.
You won't see a bill up for vote that the Speaker hasn't already approved.

Also, the Speaker is 3rd in line for presidency. If you are unable to grasp
all that then I am afraid you are under-informed.

[Pisces]

20. Nothing has changed, and they still don't get how they make themselves look small.

[BeyondGeography]

23. Dumb

[Beaverhausen]

24. I'm sure there's a well-stocked bar on Air Force One

what is his problem?

[David Zephyr]

25. Because he gets drunk after hours.

And there are reporters on the plane.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

26. What a turd..

[TheBigotBasher]

29. Whisky and coctails or a memorial service?

Free drinking or praying?

It is obvious to all the choice Boner would have made.

[Monk06]

30. Boner hates the President and will slight and humilate him at every opportunity. Obama should cease

having anything to do with him. Write him off. Pretend he
doesn't exist. Let Pelosi kick the Boner in the balls for
the next two years. Then send him back to the golf course.

[NatBurner]

31. wow what a complete and total dick

these assholes would be comical if this weren't such serious business

[bullwinkle428]

33. Boner, you are big bag of shit.

[LiberalFighter]

34. Again Boehner shows poor judgement

[TuxedoKat]

35. What about John McCain

or Sen. John Kyl or any other representatives are they there?

[LiberalFighter]

37. Didn't see them. Anyone else see them there?

[Mass]

38. McCain and Kyl were there, but I did not see any representatives of the House GOP leadeship.

I saw Pelosi too.

Here are a few others that were there: Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman

[Empowerer]

39. Kyl was there. I didn't see McCain but saw Mrs. McCain.

He may have been there, but not in the camera shot.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

49. yes they were there...McCain was there

[LiberalFighter]

36. 2012 Campaign.

Tucson Memorial Service -- Boehner shuns appearance

Reception for GOP National Chair candidate -- Boehner drinks like a sot and smokes like a factory chimney in full production. Probably should be shown as a snake slinking around.

[Supersedeas]

42. cocktails with Fat Cats....AGAIN

[jenmito]

43. Some reporter, I forget her name, was on MSNBC and said Boehner had a PRAYER service at the time

that Air Force 1 was scheduled to take off, and the fundraiser was NOT the reason. Yesh, right.

[Empowerer]

45. Actually, that was true

Event Rep. Clyburn said that was the case.

That doesn't mean he could not have flown out later or that he should have attended the fundraiser later that night. But this does at least explain part of his behavior.

[jenmito]

46. Oh...

I thought Clyburn was TOLD that on TV by an anchor and he took their word for it. Either way, he could/shoulda been there.

[Empowerer]

47. I certainly agree that he should have been there

But his rationale for not being there, while shaky, is not nearly as raggedy as I originally thought.

As for Clyburn, I saw him being asked why Boehner skipped the memorial to attend a fundraiser and he responded that it was his understanding that Boehner had declined to go on Air Force One because he felt he needed to attend the 1:00 service.

But Boehner should have been there.

[CLANG]

44. I'm sure he would have gone if Obama

would have had a top shelf open bar at the memorial service.