Rep. Boehner's Washington Examiner Op-Ed Is Full Of Falsehoods

Rep. Boehner Tries To Have It Both Ways On The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act

Rep. Boehner Criticizes The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act In Washington...

Rep. Boehner Criticized The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act In Washington Newspaper.  In a June 23, 2009 op-ed in the Washington Examiner, House Minority Leader John Boehner wrote:

All year, Democrats have made promises about job creation. If Congress passed the trillion-dollar "stimulus," they promised unemployment would not rise above eight percent.

Five months later, unemployment has spiked to 9.4 percent, with President Obama now admitting that he expects it to reach 10 percent later this year.

[...]

Unfortunately, Democrats balked and commenced the biggest domestic spending binge in history. They've since passed a $400 billion "omnibus" spending bill loaded with 9,000 earmarks, a $3.6 trillion budget, and endless bailouts.

Yes, more should have been done to rein in spending when Republicans controlled Washington. But while Republicans have acknowledged this mistake and offered alternatives to curb spending, create jobs, and control the debt, Democrats have stepped on the accelerator, telling taxpayers that more government spending equals more jobs. We've certainly seen plenty of spending, but where are the jobs? [Boehner op-ed, Washington Examiner, 6/23/09]

...While Praising It Back Home In His Ohio District

Rep. Boehner Said Stimulus Projects "Will Create Much-Needed Jobs" In Ohio.  After federal officials ordered $57 million in federal stimulus money to be directed toward shovel-ready projects, House Minority Leader John Boehner released a statement saying:

"I'm pleased that federal officials stepped in to order Ohio to use all of its construction dollars for shovel-ready projects that will create much-needed jobs." [Boehner Release, 6/15/09; emphasis added]

Rep. Boehner Falsely Claimed Americans Oppose The Democratic Health Care Plan

Rep. Boehner Claimed Americans "Simply Don't Support" The Democratic Health Care Plan.  In a June 23, 2009 op-ed in the Washington Examiner, House Minority Leader John Boehner wrote: "Tomorrow night, the President will use a primetime campaign-style event in the White House to sell his plan, but his own party isn't even buying it right now. The President's proposal would empower bureaucrats - rather than patients and doctors - to make key medical decisions, limit treatments, and ration care, raise taxes, and kill jobs. The American people simply don't support it." [Boehner op-ed, Washington Examiner, 6/23/09]

In Reality, American Overwhelmingly Support Democratic Principals For Health Care Reform:

Americans Deem Coverage And Cost The Most Important Issues Regarding Health Care Reform.  According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, when asked which health care issue they thought the President should be focused on: 41% of respondents answered "cost," 43% of respondents answered "coverage," 11% answered "both equally," and 5% said "unsure." [NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll via PollingReport.com, accessed 6/22/09]

55% Of Americans Support President Obama's Plan For Health Care Reform.  According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, respondents were asked to respond to President Obama's plan for health care reform described as requiring, "health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. It also requires all but the smallest employers to provide health coverage for their employees, or pay a percentage of their payroll to help fund coverage for the uninsured. Families and individuals with lower- and middle-incomes would receive tax credits to help them afford insurance coverage. Some of the funding for this plan would come from raising taxes on wealthier Americans."  In response: 55% favored the plan, 35% opposed, 3% answered "depends," and 7% were unsure.  [NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll via PollingReport.com, accessed 6/22/09]

More Than 70% Of Americans Polled Want An Increased Governmental Role In Health Care.  According to CNN, "seventy-two percent of those questioned in recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they favor increasing the federal government's influence over the country's health care system in an attempt to lower costs and provide health care coverage to more Americans, with 27 percent opposing such a move." [CNN.com, 3/5/09]

More Than 60% Of Americans Think The Federal Government "Should Guarantee" Health Care For All Americans.  62% of respondents in a recent CNN/Opinion Research poll said they think "the federal government should guarantee health care for all Americans." Just 38% disagreed, while 1% said they weren't sure. [CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll, 5/14-17/09]

Plurality of Americans Polled Think Health Care Is The Most Pressing Issue For Congress And The President.  According to a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted February 18-22, 2009 and based on 1,112 respondents, when asked "Beside the economy, which of these domestic policy areas do you want the President and Congress to concentrate on MOST right now - health care, global warming, education, or Social Security?" the respondents' answers were: 40% Health Care, 5% Global Warming, 27% Education, 22% Social Security, 4% Something Else/Combination, and 1% Didn't Know.  [New York Times/CBS Poll, 2/09]

The Majority Of Americans Want An Obama-style Mix Of Public And Private Plans. According to a poll conducted by Lake Research:

• 60% of Americans favor "providing access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans even if it means raising taxes."
• 71% of Americans favor "providing access to affordable, quality health care for all Americans even if it means a major role for the federal government."
• 73% of Americans prefer "having a choice of private health insurance or a public health insurance plan." [Lake Research poll, 01/09]

Rep. Boehner Falsely Claimed American Energy And Independence Act Would Kill Jobs

Rep. Boehner Claimed American Energy And Independence Act Would Kill Jobs.  In a June 23, 2009 op-ed in the Washington Examiner, House Minority Leader John Boehner wrote: "On energy and the environment, under the guise of reducing carbon emissions, Democrats are poised to force anyone who drives a car, buys an American-made product, or flips on a light switch to pay a national energy tax. Not only will this drive up prices for food, gasoline, and electricity, it will ship millions of jobs to competitors like China and India that refuse to take the same approach. A study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce estimates the Democrats' plan will cost 2.5 million jobs." [Boehner op-ed, Washington Examiner, 6/23/09]

In Reality, Investing In Clean Energy Technologies Would Help Rebuild America's Economy For The Cost Of A Postage Stamp A Day.

Investment In Clean Energy Technology Will Create Over 1.7 Million American Jobs.  According to the Center for American Progress: "Investments in a clean-energy economy will generate major employment benefits for the entire U.S. economy. Our research finds that spending $150 billion on clean-energy investments would create roughly 1.7 million jobs. This is even after assuming a reduction in fossil fuel spending equivalent to the increase in clean-energy investments." [Center for American Progress, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy, 6/17/09]

• Every Single State Will Gain Jobs From An Investment In Clean Energy Technologies. According to the Center for American Progress, investments in clean energy projects would create 1.7 million American jobs in every state in the country. [Center for American Progress, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy, 6/17/09]

Investment in Clean Energy Technology Creates FOUR TIMES As Many Jobs As An Investment In Oil & Gas.  According to the Center for American Progress, "spending $1 million on energy efficiency and renewable energy produces a much larger expansion of employment than spending the same amount on fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Among fossil fuels, job creation in coal is about 32 percent greater than that for oil and natural gas. The employment creation for energy efficiency-retrofitting and mass transit-is 2.5 times to four times larger than that for oil and natural gas. With renewable energy, the job creation ranges between 2.5 times to three times more than that for oil and gas." [Center for American Progress, The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy, 6/17/09]

Investment In Renewable Energy Has Already Salvaged Many Manufacturing Facilities Closed During Economic Downturn.  Across America, factories and plants abandoned by the old economy have been re-tooled and re-opened to satisfy the growing demand for new energy technologies. For instance, once hopeless manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Michigan have re-energized their communities by creating jobs and leading the charge toward a new energy future. [Bloomberg, 4/2/09; Star Tribune, 4/22/09; Grand Rapids Press, 3/6/08]