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Subscribe to RSSTop Talkers: After re-election, House Speaker John Boehner says he believes the House GOP and President Obama will find common ground "to avoid the fiscal cliff." Boehner is also talking less harshly about the president's signature health care law.
Updated 6 p.m. ET - Republicans' efforts to undo President Barack Obama's health care reform law appear to have come to an end, as House Speaker John Boehner described it Thursday as the "law of the land."
In an interview with ABC News, the nation's top elected Republican seemed to indicate that Congress wouldn't engage in the type of repeated repeal votes the way it had in the past two years. Boehner's office provided a transcript of the exchange:
SAWYER:
A couple of other questions about the agenda now. You have said next year that you would repeal the healthcare vote. That's still your mission?
BOEHNER:
Well, I think the election changes that. It's pretty clear that the president was reelected, Obamacare is the law of the land. I think there are parts of the healthcare law that are gonna be very difficult to implement. And very expensive. And as the time when we're tryin' to find a way to create a path toward a balanced budget everything has to be on the table.
SAWYER:
But you won't be spending the time next year trying to repeal Obamacare?
BOEHNER:
There certainly may be parts of it that we believe-- need to be changed. We may do that. No decisions at this point.
The speaker's pronouncement, if nothing else, signifies a pivot away from Republicans' efforts to showcase for conservatives their doggedness in looking to repeal "Obamacare."
It's also a recognition that the 2009-2010 health care law that came to define Obama's first term in office -- and propel Republicans to a majority in the House -- is here to stay.
A spokesman for Boehner sought to clarify the speaker's comments.
"While ObamaCare is the law of the land, it is costing us jobs and threatening our health care," said Kevin Smith, the speaker's communications director. "Speaker Boehner and House Republicans remain committed to repealing the law, and he said in the interview it would be on the table."
The Supreme Court's summer 2012 ruling upholding the constitutionality of the law disarmed conservatives of one of their best possible chances of defeating the health care law once and for all.
And Mitt Romney's loss on Tuesday meant that Republicans won't have in the White House a president that could severely limit the scope of the law before its key provisions begin to take effect in 2014.
House Speaker John Boehner reacts to the re-election of President Barack Obama, while pushing for a "balanced approach" to solving America's debt issues.
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It is a good thing the election didn't come down to Florida or we might be waiting till next year to hear who won the state. I swear the election officials in Florida are the most incompetent imbeciles in this country. How two states ravaged by a Hurricane can get all their votes counted and in on Election night is astounding and Florida cannot do it in 3 days.
if bohner , and his tea party congress doesn't give up their quest to make obama a '' one term '' president , i believe even the koch brothers are going to become democrats. nothing will make these conservatives look more like sore losers then bohner crying over his glass of '' victory champaign '' lol !!!
You better go find granny a pill.......
lilu98--I feel your pain. Most Americans (especially the Dems & Obama) do not understand the financial impact Obamacare will have on our economy. It's so far reaching that it will change the very fiber of our society. Having a government "fine" or "tax" a person or family because they didn't purchase a product from an insurance company is borderline communist. This is the "fiber" I am talking about-american is no longer a great nation with people running the government. The government is running/ruling the people now. 6 million people will be fined (taxed) $1200 $$ starting in 2014--only because they choose not to buy health insurance. Obama is a radical marxist, but the people of america spoke on election night wanting him as their President. It's truly a sad day in our country.
Nonsense, simply put you are engaging in hysterical hyperbole. May I mention the federal government's mandate to collect income tax, and its ability to fine you for tax evasion. Without taxation there would be be no military. You cannot have it both ways. In all other civilized countries all citizens are covered, and it costs less as a percentage of GDP!
Not even worth discussing until something happens, why waste time and energy, this is so lame!
Another sad day for America.
Boehner and the republicans are not stupid.
They are handing Obama a fresh new rope.
He will be the first to hang himself shortly.
His policies are not doable, and everyone knows this.
The conservatives will sit back and smile.
you are exactly right. Boehner knows the only way to teach the takers a lesson is to let them live thru it. Conservatives will need to let this country fail in order to teach everyone a lesson. great speeches mean NOTHING!! I hate to say it, but i am now willing to sit back and watch this disaster unfold. We will clean it up in 2016.
Agreed, I think I can weather four years.
I work for a living, and I save.
Bring it on.
We already have socialized medicine folks, medicaid, medicare, insurance for all vets, members of government, the list goes on. This is just called something different, and in fact may clean up a lot of these programs that are bleeding. Work toward a new solution instead of freaking out and spreading false information.
It's a tax stupid. it taxes everyone. Give it 2 years and the lib's will be crying the tax blues
Medicare and medicaid is paid for from taxes by individuals.
The vets don't ALL get free medical care.
And your list would be short.
The taxation that we are about to incur will make the sale of anti-depression pills go through the roof.
We are not socialist.
We have some programs that appear that way, but are not.
Welfare, food stamps, WIC, THESE are socialist programs.
In some instances they are necessary.
In most cases, they are a waste of money.
All paid by taxes, no difference. The fact is the GOP folks LIKE to label things socialist, all the while if they get a tax break, or get free healthcare(free meaning a part of their retirement or government position), then its OK to let Americans pay for it. Vets if they serve to term get free healthcare...for life. Shall we talk about government officials? I for one paid a ton of taxes for my employees, it was a part my hiring package to them. Business owners see this as a MAJOR money thing, but its not. Its good business. This is a chance to every american to get healthcare. Period. If someone falls on the street, I do not walk by and leave them, I help them. Its part of being human. Happy employee's means a good business, what will happen when all Americans feel good?
wait till you loves gets sick like hell with terminal illness !! see if your stupid republican Party can help you with the medical bills !!!!
How ironic it is the democrats that follow the christian principle of community coming together for the good of all, and the republicans follow the principles of social darwinism and survival of the fitest. This is why child mortality is higher in the USA than in other industrialized states.
If you are terminal ?????
You might want life insurance.
Obamacare doesn't cover that.
Obamacare is going to hurt the seniors. They have put into the system since its inception. With Obama stealing 176 billion dollars from it to pay for Obamacare seniors, they will be short changed. There will be rationing, doctors will not longer take Medicaree patients because Obamacare is going to cut 25% from their reimimbursemtnt. In my town some medicare patients have been told that their Dr. will not longer keep them as a patient and some Drs. are no longer accepting Medicare patients, thus making it hard for seniors to find care. He lied about keeping your Dr., premiums not going, up and being able to keep your insurance. I had a Medigap plan which pays for the 20% Medicare does not pay for. I lost my plan twice, almost lost my Dr. and my premium went up $60.00. Well, I am not going to have to worry anymore about it because I just signed up for AARP. It is a lot more expensive and I will have to tighten my belt to pay for it, but I would rather do that then having the Government stickkng their nose into my healthcare. I am not promoting AARP because I do not like their organization. But my husband has been on their plan for 2 years, has a lot of medical problems and the only bill he has ever had is for his medications which he gets cheaply. It is not connected in any way with other insurance companies so Obamacare does not affect it.
Interestingly the AARP supported Obama in the last election!
The AARP is a corporation.
They could give a rats ass about the elderly.
And they can kiss my ass too.
"Boehner: 'Obamacare is the law of the land'" You and the Bastard up in the white house can kiss my ass as I refuse to pay for someone Else's stupidity. You can take this "Obamacare" or should I say Obamanation and SHOVE IT
whymewhyus you can kiss my ass too
Sir, your comment suggests that you have only one dendron, and it is missfiring. Perhaps you should head to the hills and live as a hermit somewhere where there is no "we".
White Trash comes in all shapes and sizes. John "Bone Head" Boehner is the size and shape of the day. Dump This Piece of Trash Voters. Not worth the oxygen he is Wasting.
Hey... everyone take a deep breath.... have faith.... give Affordable Healthcare a chance (umm, because it's the law), ammend where necessary, work together, get over the back-biteing partisianship, everyone take a deep breath.... have faith.... give Affordable Healthcare a chance (umm, because it's the law), work together, get over the back-biteing partisianship, everyone take a deep breath.... have faith.... give Affordable Healthcare a chance (umm, because it's the law), work together, get over the back-biteing partisianship LET'S WORK TOGETHER, WHATDAYA SAY?!?
The problem lies in that the "fines" companies pay for not helping to provide healthcare are less than they would pay for providing it. Essentially it is cheaper for them to tell employees they are on their own for healthcare than it is for them to help pay for it. Somewhere I saw the math for a fortune 500 and it turned out they would save over 25 million by simply paying the penalties.
My big question is costs. Are premiums going to go up now that it is required to cover people with preexisting conditions and insurance companies will be needing to pay out more. I am pretty sure the companies won't just be eating the cost themselves, they are a for profit business and that would make no sense.
It is also cheaper for a healthy person, like myself, to just pay the extra tax, and then only get coverage if I am sick, since they can no longer deny preexisting conditions. I pay almost 3k for insurance now, the fine is 900 or so....do the math.
I am normally a small government person, but if we are going to do a universal health care system, it would be better to do a full socialist health care where you pay the government and they cover everyone. Being forced to buy from privatized insurance can just cause so many problems.
So, Obama and all of congress will have Obamacare as well? If it's good enough for us it should be good enough for them too.
Obama care, law of the land, and a 1000 page confusing mess.
At least Jesus Christ is happy that we are following his word and working together to take care of each other's health care needs. Obamacare follows the Christian principle of love for fellow man.
We are NOT following God's word what so ever!! Abortion, same sex marriage? Read you Bible for God's sake!
Do you also believe we shouldn't eat shellfish? Do you think a father should be able to sell his daughter to her rapist? I only ask because this is also in the bible. Sure is easy to pick out things ya like isn't it? FYI the ACA doesn't allow any taxpayer funds for abortions, that's just another RWNJ pipe dream. What does gay marriage have to do with the ACA?
If Jesus was resurrected tomorrow, he would be killed again by one of his RWNJ supposed followers. Jesus would be a commie socialist liberal in your eyes. He believed in paying taxes, looking out for the well being of all, didn't force his beliefs on others, and had that awesome long hippie hair!
The bible is a collection of stories created by man, edited by man, and propogated by man to control the populace. If you think the current bible is exactly how God would have wanted and wasn't corrupted by power hungry monarchs, I got a bridge in Alaska to sell you.
Nubian...I couldn't agree with you more. There are many who are sooo afraid to think outside the "good book" so they keep repeating and regurgitating the garbage they have been taught and told even though it makes absolutely no sense at all.
Those crazy bible thumpers and anti women candidates sunk the boat for Romney.
Tim,
Thank you, it is the ACA, and I have been correcting people since the whole "Obamacare" verbiage started. It is truly just a beginning in what hopefully will be truly needed change. It did not go as far as it should have, but could not because of partisan politics. I believe that all Americans should be entitled to health care, and whether people want to believe it or not, they have already been paying for the uninsured. My belief is that health insurance should be run by a non-profit organization. As long as companies are allowed to make a profit on health care coverage, premiums will continue to rise. Single payor, not for profit.
Geez... I'd call the sex police if Boehner even LOOKED at me that way!...
Part time jobs? Like the states that have right-to-work laws? Ahhhh, so sorry we will be taking care of our poor and sick as Jesus told us to do. And hopefully those really rich people will have to cough up a little more. Thank God
if bohner , and his tea party congress doesn't give up their quest to make obama a '' one term '' president , i believe even the koch brothers are going to become democrats. nothing will make these conservatives look more like sore losers then bohner crying over his glass of '' victory champaign '' lol !!!
In the last 6 Presidential elections the Republican has received the most popular votes 1 time.
Shouldn't the GOP view that as a problem? Their base is disappearing.
Mr. Speaker should say, "Hell, YES!". Rejoice.
Now, calm down; know that you were very wrong, Mr. Speaker.
Keep your imagination about big issues behind, and focus front and center on President's agenda that has been most recently approved by the USA. Follow it in a cooperative fashion, calmly, without tantrums, and serve the people of this nation and not get carried away in partisan fights. It will not serve you well because you would have chosen not to serve the people of this nation.
. Every action has a re-action, and you liberals think you can just take to people and they aren't going to change their behavior.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Oh, but we have changed behavior. I was told America would not in my life time vote for anything other than a white male as President...... but we did.
I know it burns you up inside, but change is real.
As for Universal Health care - virtually the whole civilized world, from Canada, and Japan to Israel and Australia have it.
The idea that corporations in America will defeat it, it just your sore grapes talking.
Greece has it too and look at their economies, they are on the verge of collapse.
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. ”
Margaret Thatcher
So did you vote for Obama because of the color of his skin and not the content of his character?
The Republican party really let us down this election.
They could have nailed Obama to the wall when he declared an amnesty program by himself, without Congress, the rule of law, the will of the American people, all of which is all un constitutional. A violation of his oath of office. Where was our Government ?
Boehner and the GOP don't have to do anything once the tax and premium hikes kick in the American people will do it for them.
Nothing made a difference on Tuesday to many millions of 'Bama-boy lovers - not his incompetence, his poor handling of the economy, the $5 trillion added to our National debt, bankrupt green energy companies, not Benghazi - none of that mattered.
If you voted for Romney and will be hurt in any way by Obama's policies, then I feel sorry for you.
If you voted for Obama and will be hurt, then good !! f-ck you and your family ! You got what you wanted and deserve what you will get !
We were warned !!!
Let the unintended consequences of Obamacare begin !!! LMFAO !!!
I beg to differ, those of us who have worked all our lives and paid for our own needs WERE SCREWED! Obama and his followers believe that they are entitled to whatever of our income that they can get their hands on. They see us educating our kids and they want us to pay for their kids or themselves as well. When you let the government control your life by supporting you, you are giving up your freedom to choose. I have never been uninsured for more than a minute of my life. When my daughter graduated university, I didn't have to tell her to make sure she bought health insurance. It's the responsible thing to do.
Same to you and yours, dogf*rt. It wasn't just policy differences after all was it?