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President Obama said some Republicans have “got to be embarrassed” by the House of Representatives, saying lawmakers in the chamber “don’t have a lot to show” for their time in the majority.
Obama argued Republicans worried about a primary challenge from the right were responsible for dysfunction in Washington, while speaking at a town hall forum at American University moderated by MSNBC host Chris Matthews.
“I actually think there are a lot of Republicans who want to get stuff done,” Obama said. “They’ve got to be embarrassed. Because the truth of the matter is they’ve now been in charge of the House of Representatives – one branch or one chamber in one branch of government – for a couple of years now. They just don’t have a lot to show for it.”
{mosads}House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) dismissed the notion that Republicans were responsible for a historically unproductive congressional session at a Wednesday press conference on Capitol Hill.
“The American people work hard and they’ve got a right to expect their elected representatives to do the same. House Republicans are listening,” Boehner said, noting the House has passed nearly 150 bills.
“Every single one of these bills have been blocked by Washington Democrats,” Boehner said. “The Senate, the president continue to stand in the way of the people’s priorities.”
Obama, for his part, said that throughout history American politics get “all bollixed up,” but that voters would “ultimately” insist their elected officials strike compromises.
“If, over and over again, they see that we’re not addressing the core problems that we have, eventually they will put in place people that are serious about getting the work done,” Obama said.
The president’s appearance at the Washington, D.C. college comes amid polls showing the president — and his signature health care law — ranking perilously low with the younger voters who propelled him twice to the White House.