John Boehner: 'There seems to be some denial on the part of the president'

By Emi Kolawole

Rep. John Boehner, likely to be the next speaker of the House, is on the interview circuit. On Thursday, he sat down with ABC's Diane Sawyer and discussed a variety of topics, from his position on the Bush tax cuts and his relationship with President Obama to his personal history and his tendency to get emotional.

Asked whether he had seen Obama's press conference Wednesday after the Democratic Party had lost the House, Boehner said no. "But I've read a little bit about it," he added. "And there seems to be some denial on the part of the president, and other Democrat leaders. The message that was sent by the American people. When you have the most historic election in over 60-70 years, you would think that the other party would understand that the American people have clearly repudiated the policies that they put forward the last two years."

Boehner has often said his relationship with the president is respectful. Asked what his first sentence would be when he next sees Obama, Boehner said, " 'Hello. Nice to see you.' Now, listen, I have no personal animosity at all towards the president. I get along well with him. And while we disagree, we try to do it in a way that's -- neither one of us are disagreeable."

The conversation turned to Boehner's position on the Bush tax cuts and whether he favored extension of all tax cuts in perpetuity or was willing to agree to a compromise. Boehner grew slightly testy as Sawyer pushed him for a commitment:

BOEHNER: I believe that extending all the current tax rates for all Americans is the best policy, given the economic uncertainty that our country faces and the uncertainty the small businesspeople face all around the country.

SAWYER: But you're not gonna declare this way or the highway, at this point?

BOEHNER: It's only been 48 hours since the election. I do think that my job is to listen to the American people. I'm not -- I don't think Washington has a revenue problem. I think Washington has a spending problem.

SAWYER: So, you're not gonna rule out some negotiated compromise?

BOEHNER: I'm gonna make it perfectly clear. I am for extending all of the current tax rates for all Americans.

SAWYER: But you don't rule out -- if it's your only option --

BOEHNER: We're -- we're -- we're getting into -- what could be or not be -- it's too early for all that.

Boehner also sounded sure that Republicans would get the necessary votes, in both houses of Congress, to repeal the health care overhaul: "I'm pretty confident that, come next year, we will have the votes to repeal that bill and to replace it with commonsense reforms to bring down the cost of health insurance and expand access."

While it's likely Boehner has the votes in the House it is doubtful the Senate would pass a repeal, and Obama would almost certainly veto any repeal attempt.

Asked for his assessment of how history will judge Speaker Nancy Pelosi's four-year tenure, Boehner was brief but pointed, "I think it's too early to predict what it will say. Other than the partisanship got worse, not better."

Boehner brushed off Sawyer's comments about his propensity to get emotional. "Everybody knows I can get emotional from time to time."

The Slurpee-summit proposal was also touched on, but Boehner was cool to the idea of placing the icy beverage at the center of a meeting with the president, "I don't know about a Slurpee. How about a glass of merlot?"