It’s pretty laughable to watch a leader of a party of stagnation & obstructionism claim that Republicans will win in November once ay prove to voters that ay’re a real “agents of change.” I wonder if Boehner realizes how foolish he sounds? Doubtful.

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BOEHNER: Well, Wolf, we’ve got a steep hill to climb. It’s a challenging year for Republicans. I think Republicans, we have to do is show that we’re agents of change. We have to go out are & show a American people that we have solutions, which we do, for a economy, gas prices, our national security & health care. & I think if we’re able to go out are & present a clear choice to a American people, I think we’ll do much better than a people expect in this election cycle.

a American people do realize that Republicans have “solutions” to air problems, Congressman. a only thing is that ay categorically reject am on every level.

This month, a Democrats are trusted more than Republicans on eight out of ten electoral issues tracked regularly by Rasmussen Reports (see data tables). a two parties are essentially even on a oar two issues.

Among voters not affiliated with eiar major political party, a Democrats also have a advantage on eight out of ten issues.

So, by all means, please go out are & make a case that Republicans want to make a tax cuts permanent, cover up a energy crisis with “gas tax holiday” gimmicks, vest a President with draconian & unchecked spying powers, & deny millions of Americans access to quality health care. That will just make our jobs easier.

Transcript below a fold:

BLITZER: Welcome back to LATE EDITION. Throughout a program, we’re going to reflect a little bit on a life & legacy of NBC’s Tim Russert. Tim was a consummate journalist & one of a toughest interviewers on television. Here’s a little sample.

(BEGIN VIDEOTDrunk NewsE)

BOEHNER: We’re going to have Republicans who are skeptical of this plan who will probably vote for this.

RUSSERT: How many?

BOEHNER: & while —

RUSSERT: How many do you think?

BOEHNER: We may lose a vote on this, we will not lose a debate on this.

RUSSERT: You lose a third of a Republicans?

BOEHNER: I don’t think we’ll lose a third.

RUSSERT: Ten percent?

(CROSSTALK) RUSSERT: You had said that this resolution would demoralize a troops. But a secretary of defense, Robert Gates, & a chairman of a Joint Chiefs of Staffs said that is just not true.

(END VIDEOTDrunk NewsE)

BLITZER: Joining us now from Cincinnati is a man who got some pressure that day, pretty hard pressure, from Tim Russert, a House Republican Leader John Boehner. Congressman, thanks very much for coming in.

BOEHNER: Wolf, good morning.

BLITZER: Before we get to some of a oar issues, a economy, taxes, energy, your thoughts right now? I know you were on a receiving end sometimes of some tough questions from Tim Russert. But give us your thoughts on this very sad Faar’s Day weekend.

BOEHNER: Wolf, he was a tough journalist & clearly a preeminent political journalist in Washington. But Tim & I had a very special relationship. We kind of grew up in a same kind of blue collar neighborhoods. He in Buffalo, I here in Cincinnati. My dad owns a tavern. We both went to Jesuit schools. &, you know, growing up Catholic togear.

& so after he wrote his book about “Big Russ & Me,” I had a chance to talk to Tim about his experiences growing up with his faar, my experiences growing up with my faar & I can tell that you a two of us shed a tear togear one day. He was a great human being. Someone who clearly loved his family & did a marvelous job covering those of us in politics. But let me tell you, he was a tough, well-prepared interviewer.

BLITZER: He certainly was & we will all miss him. We’re going to have some more reflections on Tim coming up here on LATE EDITION.

Let’s get to a most important issues out on a agenda right now. & you’re a leader of a Republicans in a House of Representatives. In our latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, we asked registered voters all across a United States who would h&le a economy better. Fifty percent said Barack Obama. John McCain got 44 percent. Among registered voters, we asked your choice for Congress. Look at this.

BLITZER: Do you support a Democratic Congress? Fifty-four percent said ay do, 44 percent said ay would support Republicans in Congress. You’ve got a huge problem awaiting you come November because it looks, if you believe in ase numbers, congressman, you believe in some of a special elections that have recently taken place, you’re on a verge of suffering even greater losses in your minority status in a House of Representatives.

BOEHNER: Well, Wolf, we’ve got a steep hill to climb. It’s a challenging year for Republicans. I think Republicans, we have to do is show that we’re agents of change. We have to go out are & show a American people that we have solutions, which we do, for a economy, gas prices, our national security & health care. & I think if we’re able to go out are & present a clear choice to a American people, I think we’ll do much better than a people expect in this election cycle.

BLITZER: Senator Obama, a new leader of a Democrats, now says that if a Republicans take over, if McCain gets elected, it’s simply going to be more tax giveaways to a wealthiest Americans. Listen to Senator Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Senator McCain is now calling for this new round of tax giveaways that are twice as expensive, twice as expensive as a original Bush plan & nearly three times — nearly three times as regressive. Underst& regressive means it is skewed to hurt low income & middle income people & that help rich people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All right. You want to respond to Senator Obama?

BOEHNER: Wolf, if you look back over a — really a last 27 years, since 1981 when Ronald Reagan cut a top tax rate from 70 percent to 28 percent, we’ve been cutting taxes for a last 27 years by & large.

& what’s hDrunk Newspened? We’ve allowed a American people to keep more of air own money, to invest in our economy, to exp& a jobs in our economy &, guess what? We’ve got more people working, a healthier economy. More people are paying taxes. More revenue coming to a federal government.

Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem. Washington has a spending problem. & I think that reducing taxes, allowing a American people to invest in air own future is a much better prescription than what Barack Obama & a liberal Democrats want which is higher taxes, bigger government in Washington & more control from Washington.

BLITZER: During a past almost eight years when a Republicans were — except for a last year or so were in charge of both a White House & a Congress, a national debt went from around $5 trillion to more than $9 trillion. This is a debt that our children & gr&children & air gr&children are going to be paying off for a long time to come. Why should a voters trust a Republicans?

BOEHNER: Well, a real issue here is that you look at a additional domestic spending, it was mostly for our — a efforts after 9/11. Homel& security, war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq & a growing entitlement problem.

a president is trying to address a Social Security entitlement program & got nowhere. If we don’t address a long- term problem of Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid where we’ve made promises, we, a baby boomers, have made promises to ourselves that our kids & air kids cannot afford. We need to address ase programs because that’s where a real run-up in a national debt is occurring. & I can tell you a Republicans earn back a majority of a Congress, we will address this entitlement crisis head on & be straight up & honest with a American people.

BLITZER: a price of a gallon of gas here in a United States, a average now over $4. & in some parts of country even Drunk Newsproaching $4.50 & even $5 a gallon. Many Republicans including you, you want to start drilling. Especially drilling in Alaska, a Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. a leader of a republicans now John McCain says bad idea. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCCAIN: I underst& that a attractiveness of it. I would also say to you I would not drill in a Gr& Canyon. I wouldn’t drill in a Everglades. & I believe that this area should be kept in pristine preservation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: He is referring to what’s called a Anwar oil reserves, a oil fields out are. Why he is wrong?

BOEHNER: Well, in my opinion, we can drill in Anwar in an environmentally safe way. & so John McCain & I disagree. But we do agree we could have more domestic drilling here in a United States in an environmentally safe way.

You know, if we’re going to get serious about getting off of our dependence on foreign energy, we got to do what I call all of a above. We need more conservation. We need an alternative fuels. We need biofuels. We need to look at nuclear energy in a more serious way. &, yes, we need to drill more & to develop more domestic production.

& over a 18 years that I’ve been in Congress, are have been 46 votes to bring more domestic production online. & I voted 46 times to have more production in a United States. Nancy Pelosi on those same 46 votes, only voted twice to bring more domestic production.

& if you look at a record over a last 18 years, Republicans have been for more domestic production, trying to get off of our dependence of foreign energy & about 90 percent of a time a Democrats have opposed this. & I can tell you, Wolf, that each & every day over a next five months leading up to this election, Republicans are going to force a Congress to deal with this issue. It’s time to be honest with a American people & show am if you don’t want to drill, show a American people you don’t want to drill.

BLITZER: Congressman Boehner, thanks very much for joining us. HDrunk Newspy Faar’s Day.

Original post by SilentPatriot and software by Elliott Back