Mr. Speaker, stop 'teasing' and start leading

Early this week, the Speaker reignited his favorite cop-out for explaining why he continues to block immigration reform: he blamed President Obama.  What was the media's reaction to his poor excuse?  Well, it wasn't pretty.

The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel Editorial:

"Huh?

"Maybe this was Boehner playing to his base after chiding them in a speech last week in Ohio for whining about how hard it was to move forward on immigration legislation…Whatever Boehner's motivations, it was the same old Boehner: It's the president's fault.

"Actually, no; it's the fault of some on the far right who don't want reform."

MSNBC:

"As for Boehner, what the Speaker said last week was entirely true: the "blame Obama" talking point is transparently dumb, so Boehner's candor about who ultimately bears responsibility was a welcome change of pace. Why run back to Capitol Hill now to deny what is plainly true?

"Mr. Speaker, there's no point in fibbing when we've seen the video."

Bloomberg:

"Boehner raised expectations for rewriting the immigration law in January…[but] put the plan on hold when Republican lawmakers pushed back, saying they didn't want the divisive issue to distract from their focus on blaming Democrats for the troubled rollout of Obamacare.

"Boehner said he went too far in teasing Republicans at the April 24 event in Ohio, saying his comments were "misunderstood." He discussed the moment yesterday at a private Republican meeting where he blamed President Barack Obama for the impasse on immigration policy.

"In the private meeting with Republicans, Boehner ‘said it didn't come off like he intended it,' Florida Republican Ted Yoho said. Asked how it was intended, Yoho said, ‘you'd have to ask him.'

"[And] Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz told reporters that Boehner "tried to put the genie back in the bottle" by blaming Obama, not fellow House Republicans, for inaction on immigration."

The Washington Post:

"The other day John Boehner made a heretical admission. By mocking House GOP colleagues for moaning about the difficulties inherent in tackling immigration reform, he revealed them to be the true obstacle to movement on the issue.

"…Boehner apologized to them…reverting to the stance that the real culprit is that Obama can't be trusted to enforce the law."

TIME Magazine:

"House Republican leaders have repeatedly let a few rays of hope shine on the prospect of passing an immigration reform bill this year, only to quickly close the door and draw the blinds. They did it again Tuesday.

"Repeating a line that Republicans have used for months, Boehner said his party can't trust President Barack Obama as a partner on immigration reform…"

The New York Times:

"A week after mocking his Republican troops over their resistance to an immigration bill, Speaker John A. Boehner returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday with a different message: Any movement on an overhaul will depend on a new White House attitude toward Republicans in Congress.

"Meeting with House Republicans behind closed doors on Tuesday, Mr. Boehner defended statements he made in his Ohio district last week, when he called members of his conference babies who were whining at the difficulty of moving forward on immigration legislation. The speaker told his members on Tuesday that he was simply kidding around…then…quickly shifted the blame to the president, saying that Mr. Obama had lost the trust of House Republicans…"

While he may have been caught teasing the ones he loves, during the 113th Congress, the Speaker has allowed those same fellow House Republican Members to vote on:

• 3 anti-immigrant bills that threaten the lives of DREAMers on the House floor; and
• 5anti-immigrantbillsin the House Judiciary Committee that will negatively affect and impact the immigrant community, including asking farmworkers to ‘self deport' in exchange for earning the opportunity to return to the U.S. as a temporary worker in the future.

Enough with the excuses.  Save the stalling, balking, and caving, Mr. Speaker.  The American people know that you have 7 times passed essential legislation without the majority of your party's support.  With 200 bipartisan co-sponsors and over 30 House Republicans expressing support for CIR, the votes to pass H.R. 15 exist.  The House Republican leadership failed to address immigration reform in a commonsense manner last year.  Will you and your Members fail again this year?

Remember your own words, Speaker Boehner.  Make a choice.  Solve a problem.  Bring immigration reform up for a vote.