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Right after Republicans swept last November’s Congressional elections, Rep. John Boehner – the new GOP Speaker of the House – drew himself up in a statesmanlike pose, faced the TV cameras, and dramatically declared, “We hope President Obama will now respect the will of the people.” Having spoken, Statesman Boehner and other Republican leaders promptly proceeded to stomp on the will of the people throughout the busy December session of Congress.
A big majority of folks, for example, favored extending jobless benefits to the millions of Americans who’re out of work, some 4.5 million of whom have been unemployed for more than a year. Meanwhile, the public also was overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of giving billions of dollars in special tax breaks to corporate millionaires and Wall Street billionaires. Boehner & Company, however, thumbed their noses at these clear expressions of the people’s will. They tried mightily to kill the unemployment bill, even as they went to the wall to provide more tax giveaways to America’s richest, most-privileged people.
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On another front, three-fourths of the public favored the repeal of the infamous don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy that flagrantly discriminates against gays serving in the military. Where was Mr. Respect-the-will-of-the-people? Standing defiantly against us. He took the same intractable stance on the Dream Act, which was backed by 54 percent of the people, and on the new nuclear treaty with Russia, which two-thirds of the people supported.
Speaker Boehner, you see, only respects voter sentiments when they agree with him. Moreover, now that he controls the House, he will determinedly push the special-interest agendas of corporate lobbyists and Wall Street banksters – agendas that most Americans oppose. But these moneyed elites have financed his entire congressional career, so when John Boehner tears up over respecting the will of “the people,” it’s the special interest people he means – not you.
“In lame-duck session, Republicans rarely followed the will of the people,” Austin American Statesman, December 26, 2010.