I've not kept up with politics recently. Has Boehner kept his promise to fly commercially now that he has Queen Nancy's old job? I hope he hasn't or doesn't disappoint me.
Is Boehner Flying Commercially?
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A very good question, arkfarmbear. This was big news just after the elections last November and for those of you who aren't up-to-speed on the topic, here's the link to the NYT blog commentary that was posted the day after the Speaker's announcement.
I did a very quick Google search and couldn't find anything online to prove he has or hasn't traveled on non-commercial aircraft. His own congressional website doesn't mention any of his travel, much less his mode of travel. I did find a comment on an unrelated press release on the official website of the Speaker, however no direct commentary on the Speaker's actions since the November announcement.
The comment is posted on that website as a response to a press release discussing the Speaker's plan to continue funding the troops despite the budget impasse and one commenter chimes in that to save money: "All congressmen will travel by commercial carrier and turn assigned aircraft back, as the President is the only person that should have his own aircraft." There is no official / sanctioned response to the comment. One would think that if the Speaker is doing something positive that he promised to do, a press hack would be jumping to trumpet the news.
It's possible that the security folks talked him out of following through on his promise and it's also possible that he had a change of heart after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Unfortunately, I sort of assume it was just one of many empty promises aimed at distinguishing partisan differences and/or discredit the former Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Maybe I'll call his office tomorrow and ask.
I did a very quick Google search and couldn't find anything online to prove he has or hasn't traveled on non-commercial aircraft. His own congressional website doesn't mention any of his travel, much less his mode of travel. I did find a comment on an unrelated press release on the official website of the Speaker, however no direct commentary on the Speaker's actions since the November announcement.
The comment is posted on that website as a response to a press release discussing the Speaker's plan to continue funding the troops despite the budget impasse and one commenter chimes in that to save money: "All congressmen will travel by commercial carrier and turn assigned aircraft back, as the President is the only person that should have his own aircraft." There is no official / sanctioned response to the comment. One would think that if the Speaker is doing something positive that he promised to do, a press hack would be jumping to trumpet the news.
It's possible that the security folks talked him out of following through on his promise and it's also possible that he had a change of heart after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Unfortunately, I sort of assume it was just one of many empty promises aimed at distinguishing partisan differences and/or discredit the former Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
Maybe I'll call his office tomorrow and ask.
I think he is assuming all the trappings that come with the office. He will hide behind some "regulation" to justify it. One of the reasons politicians make promises they never intend to keep is because they know they will never have to.
The Tea Partiers deserve what they get.
Pelosi said she offered to fly commercial but the Secret Service forced her hand. They required that the aircraft be able to complete the trip non-stop. They used the aircraft that met the mission requirement. A Gulfstream GV.
When I hear politicians bashing Gulfstream jets it is upsetting. Gulfstreams are made in the US. If the politicians were successful in eliminating these royal barges there would be countless numbers of high wage US jobs lost.
The Tea Partiers deserve what they get.
Pelosi said she offered to fly commercial but the Secret Service forced her hand. They required that the aircraft be able to complete the trip non-stop. They used the aircraft that met the mission requirement. A Gulfstream GV.
When I hear politicians bashing Gulfstream jets it is upsetting. Gulfstreams are made in the US. If the politicians were successful in eliminating these royal barges there would be countless numbers of high wage US jobs lost.
B_VinylBoy
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I could probably think of other reasons why to vote out a politician than whether or not they stuck to their word to fly commercial. Not defending Boehner, of course, but whether or not this particular "promise" is kept should be the least of our worries now.
B_RedDude
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Of course, Obama's limousine has been exempted from the tougher emissions standards that the EPA wants to enforce...:frown1:
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I agree with you, VB: there's bigger fish to fry. However, if you go back to the discussions among the talking heads and Republicans last year, it was presented as though Boehner was somehow more likable, more approachable, even more responsible to the American people than Nancy Pelosi simply because he was refusing to fly on military charters.
As CNN commented on November 10, 2010:
When Nancy Pelosi became speaker in early 2007 she began flying home to California on military aircraft, following the practice of previous speakers, like her GOP predecessor Dennis Hastert, who used Pentagon planes to go home to Illinois. Republicans criticized Pelosi at the time, accusing her of wasting of taxpayer money and requesting a much larger plane than others used.
I had a nice chat yesterday with a staffer in the Speaker's office who clarified that the Speaker's comments pertained to his trips to and from his home in Ohio. In the Speaker's role, he uses military aircraft as appropriate but they were unable or unwilling to provide specific details due to 'security concerns'. I did a little fact checking and found out that he did indeed caveat his statement in November last year as reported by The Washington Post:
"Well, I have talked to our security folks about the security that's involved in my new role, but over the last 20 years, I have flown back and forth to my district on the commercial aircraft, and I'm going to continue to do that," Boehner told reporters at a Capitol briefing.
Note the phrase "back and forth to my district". So, we have a statement, distortion of the statement, inflation of the statement's value, and subsequent expectations that are difficult to meet. Typical political discourse in this country.
I don't believe it is wrong for someone in his position to use military aircraft (privately-owned, non-commercial aircraft ought to be ruled out, though) and the mud-slinging against Nancy Pelosi is, unfortunately, to be expected from an opposition party.
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ColoradoGuy: Given the current volatile atmosphere within American politics these days, I would expect members of Congress to use more secure ways to travel to and from the places they need to get to regardless of their affiliation. If that meant private jets, limos or whatever, then so be it (within logical reason, of course). For anyone to expect people on any major level of celebrity to travel like the average person is ridiculous. It would be nice to know that Boehner flew coach, however, he's the speaker of the House. I may not agree with most Republicans on many political issues, but any prevention necessary to stop another crazed ideological lunatic to take matters in their own hands and start shooting is a good thing.
As for the mud slinging, it's expected for those who are desperate for the attention to pander to the lowest common denominator. I would expect hardcore Republicans to denounce Pelosi even if she sneezed, the same way I would expect overly devoted Liberals to cry foul every time Boehner forgets to wash his hands after taking a leak. Considering your awareness of what's going on around here, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. :wink:
As for the mud slinging, it's expected for those who are desperate for the attention to pander to the lowest common denominator. I would expect hardcore Republicans to denounce Pelosi even if she sneezed, the same way I would expect overly devoted Liberals to cry foul every time Boehner forgets to wash his hands after taking a leak. Considering your awareness of what's going on around here, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. :wink:
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