A day after the November elections, Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said Republicans are ready to be led by President Barack Obama. Much to their dismay, they feel like they are being bullied instead.

The frustration is seeping through, as, for the first time in a while, Republicans do not seem to have an upper hand in negotiations. Instead, they are a step behind, relegated to reactive politics as Obama, emboldened by a decisive re-election and more Democrats on the way in the next Congress, takes his case to the public and presents private offers the GOP is certain to reject.

Obama met with CEOs earlier this month, and then Republicans did. Obama met with small-business owners, and a Republican meeting with small-business owners will follow this Wednesday.

But no counter-meeting can obscure the fact that Obama’s bully pulpit far surpasses what any congressman — even the speaker — is able to deliver. So as Obama addressed a crowd at a campaign-style rally in Pennsylvania on Friday and called on Congress to raise taxes on high-income earners, the speaker and his conference were left stewing in the Capitol.

Boehner held an impromptu news conference directly after the president spoke, saying that talks are at a “stalemate” until the president delivers what the speaker deems a serious proposal.