By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Thursday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) slammed Vice President Joe Biden over the inefficiency of the Democrats’ stimulus plan and the lack of jobs it has created in Boehner’s home state of Ohio.

“Ohio’s unemployment rate is above 10 percent. The nation’s unemployment continues to rise. And families and small businesses across the country are asking, ‘Mr. Vice President, where are the jobs?’,” Boehner said.

Boehner blamed the Obama administration for its inability to restore jobs to Americans across the country.

“The administration promised the stimulus would keep unemployment below 8 percent, and they promised the stimulus would create jobs immediately. It’s pretty clear now that the administration was wrong,” Boehner said.

The House Minority Leader cited other Democratic legislation that he believes could worsen the economy as well, saying “Here we are at a time when we’re trying to save jobs in America, help get our economy going again, and all people see is a lot of wasteful Washington spending, job-killing measures like energy and health care, and, oh, yes, we’ve got to take care of the saltwater marsh mouse.”

On Wedndesay, Boehner said President Obama and Vice President Biden have been telling lies about why the Stimulus package hasn’t reversed the nation’s spiraling unemployment rate, and argued that GOP-backed tax cut plans would a better solution to return momentum to the struggling economy.

Boehner also touched on the recent letter which incriminates the CIA on enhanced interrogation methods, insisting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should apologize for having accused the intelligence agency of a lack of transparency.

“I do not believe that the CIA lied to Congress. I’m still waiting for Speaker Pelosi to either put up the facts or retract her statement and apologize. And I don’t know that this letter changes anything with regard to the speaker’s action,” Boehner said.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) accuses President Barack Obama of not paying enough attention to polls that indicate Americans are not ready to change the health care plans they already have. Cantor explains, contrary to the Democrats’ rhetoric, Americans who are satisfied with their health care plans will not be able to keep it under a government plan. (0:35)

 

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Senator-elect Al Franken (D-Minn.) joins Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for a press conference. July 6, 2009.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.) deplores the lack of institutional frameworks as more and more bail-outs are issued by the Obama administration. Capito believes that as a consequence, holding companies are not made responsible for bankruptcy. (0:21)

 

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Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) says the Obama administration’s new financial regulatory reform plan fails to meet the needs of the financial system. Hensarling uses the example of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to illustrate how Democrats are not trying to stop the “bail-out mania”. (0:37)

 

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On Wednesday night Republican and Democratic congressmen faced off against one another at Nationals Park in the 48th annual Congressional Baseball Game. The Democrats won the game 15-10 in seven innings.

Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.), who said he started warming up his arm months ago for this game, pitched all seven innings for the Democrats. The Democrats won the game for the first time since 2000. Baca stated after the game that the team was inspired by the election of President Obama this year, and that it was time for change both on and off the field.

The home-team Democrats started off the scoring with a six-run second inning against GOP starter Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), but the Republicans quickly answered in the top of the third inning with six runs themselves.

The Democrats, aided by several fielding errors and walks, then scored nine runs in the bottom of the third off of reliever Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.). The Republicans mounted a small comeback in the top of the seventh and final inning, but their three runs were not enough to win the game.

Former President Bill Clinton explains that he knew the Democrats would win the Presidential election in 2008. He said he told Hillary that if the Democrats didn’t nominate a convicted felon then the nation would elect a Democrat for President. He also said that the culture of the country has shifted, and as a result people believe in the promise of their country again. (0:29)

 

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Former President Bill Clinton says that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his wife, wants to revolutionize foreign aid. According to Clinton, half of all foreign aid is spent within the U.S. before going over-seas. (0:18)

 

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) says President Barack Obama has a better chance of passing major health care reform than the previous Democratic administration because the cost of health care has gone up, businesses in general support the plan and the majority of Americans want the system to change. (0:41)

 

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By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

Health care access and better choice of doctors may be the new norm if Senate Democrats have their way. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was accompanied today by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Conference Secretary Patty Murray (D-Wash.), for a discussion on health care reform plans. Reid said if reform was easy, it would have been done a long time ago.

Reid mentioned the health care related bills the Democrats have been working on, saying “It gives opportunity for the Republicans to add insight and ensure them an opportunity to be able to help negotiate a good deal. [We] always save the Republicans a seat at the negotiating table and we’ll continue to do that. All they need is to do is sit down and talk to us and I’m hopeful and very confident they will do that at the final time of getting a health care bill and all brought up.”

Proposed legislation covers health issues such as children’s health care, better access, affordability and the choice of what doctors and hospitals people can go to. Reid said he believes his colleagues have done an excellent job in creating legislation that reflects the core principals of the American people.

Despite the senators’ aforementioned reach across the aisle, Durbin said that it has become clear to him that, at least in the highest leadership, the Senate Republicans are going to oppose whatever is proposed. He said, “They are the ones who are motivating this opposition to change because they’re cashing in on this broken system.”

Sen. Schumer believes that there are some things that have to be worked out but that it seems the parties are beginning to agree on at least a basic structure. He said the top priorities are providing a public option and ensuring affordable health care for all Americans.