John Boehner's Office: It's True, We Really Want to Hurt Dems

Posted by Tana Ganeva, AlterNet at 11:24 AM on March 10, 2009.

Yesterday, liberal commentators jumped on a seemingly deadly gaffe by Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) when he stated in no uncertain terms that the GOP's strategy of stubborn obstructionism is intended to "bring down approval numbers for House Democrats," as opposed to say, steer the economy out of its death spiral, or at least help to buffer its harsh impact on the American people.

One would expect GOP leaders to frantically backpedal on the statement, like when some wayward Republican dares challenge the wisdom of Rush Limbaugh and is then forced to prostrate themselves before the GOP's Supreme Leader.

But nope. Apparently McHenry's take on the GOP's strategy is largely correct, according to John Boehner's office. In a statement to Greg Sargent, spokesperson Michael Steel said:

I think that's largely correct, but incomplete. Obviously, as Leader Boehner has said repeatedly, we stand ready to work with the Speaker and the President when it is in the best interest of the American people. When we cannot work together, Republicans will offer better solutions -- rooted in our principles -- to the problems facing our country. If House Democrats push for the same tired liberal agenda of higher taxes to pay for more ineffective government spending, I imagine that their standing with in the polls will suffer, but our first priority is doing the right thing for the American people, and we hope it is theirs as well.

Tagged as: democrats, gop, economy, boehner, mchenry