I was unimpressed by both the John Boehner and the Steny Hoyer interviews Sunday morning on Fox News Sunday.  

My criticism of John Boehner all stemmed from his answer to the questioning of Chris Wallace regarding the new Republican Pledge.  Wallace asked why the Pledge does not contain any reference to permanently ending earmarks.  Boehner's immediate answer was that this wasn't necessary because Republicans had already acted on earmarks and a moratorium was already in effect.  Wallace responded that moratoriums are not permanent and would a Boehner led Congress end all earmarks.  This was a yes or no question and in my view an entirely reasonable question.  Boehner's answer, "You can be assured that it will not be business as usual under a new Republican Congress."   Well this by itself was business as usual.  The question needed to be answered yes or no and instead Boehner's response was exactly business as usual.  He avoided the question by suggesting an answer but not giving any answer at all.  

My criticisms of Steny Hoyer run even deeper.  It was the performance of the Congress that was being challenged by Wallace yet Hoyer continued to speak of the Congress' performance as Bush v Obama.  He cited the downturn in the economy as beginning with the Bush Administration and being worse than originally realized.  This was a pure whitewash.  Let's measure the performance of the Congress Congressman Hoyer.  Your party has controlled the Congress since 2007.   Your control over the current congress began with a complete majority in the Senate in 2009.  Democrats had the full 60 seat majority it required to provide cloture on any issue.   This changed in 2010 with the election of Scott Brown but the Senate still has a 59 - 41 majority in the Senate including independents who caucus with Democrats and whose votes they can usually depend on. 

When did the economy begin to go south?   In the budget year 2008, the first budget over which these Democrats held full responsibility.  It is in the House of Representatives where ALL appropriations bills originate, not the White House.  Thus neither Bush nor Obama can be provided full responsibility over spending in any of those years.  Yet, Hoyer wanted to speak of what happened within the Budget Years 2008 and 2009 as Bush's responsibility.  This is disingenuous at the very least.  

I'll reference the economic data that was included in a prior commentary to describe the economy in this century and people can judge for themselves.   Republicans made huge mistakes in the early part of the Bush Administration with increases to entitlement programs.  

http://theteapartyplatform.com/2010/07/17/our-economic-problems-are-bushs-fault.aspx

Imagine if the huge sums of money that this Republican Congress spent on new entitlements had instead been used to pay down the debt and reduce future interest obligations.   Instead the Congress continued to pass program after program that as long as we remain a debtor nation we cannot afford. 

When Democrats came into power they were intent on making those we elected to be conservative actually look conservative.  

×        TARP

×        Stimulus

×        Healthcare

×        Financial Regulation Reform  

These were all products of the Pelosi - Reid Congress whether it was Bush or Obama that slept on Pennsylvania Avenue.  

×        I watched angry constituents at Town Hall Meetings who were ignored by Senators like Arlen Specter when they told him that the federal government was not able to administer a Cash for Clunker program and asked how he could possibly believe they could manage one seventh of the nation's economy? 

×        I was slightly amused despite the actual lack of humor in the subject as Claire McCaskill asked her constituents if they didn't trust her and they overwhelmingly hollered, "No." 

×        I watched as this Congress sat by and first tried to ignore and now are trying to delay enforcement of ethics charges against Charles Rangel and Maxine Waters.  

×        I watched as this Congress sat by and watched Barack Obama use Chicago thug tactics to take over General Motors and Chrysler and thus use taxpayer funds to protect the jobs and the pensions of the United Auto Workers Union while watching all other jobs go to hell in a hand basket. 

×        I watched as Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, two of the chief architects of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco were assigned responsibility to fix the problem. 

×        I watched as public employee unions gained strength and with taxpayer money continue to contribute to Democrat candidates who promise them more taxpayer money. 

×        I watched as the Obama Administration openly bought the votes of Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).  Most importantly, I watched the process that was executed in the Congress by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to railroad the Healthcare Bill through the Congress, a bill they all knew 70% of this country did not and still do not want. 

×        I listened to Nancy Pelosi tell me that they had to pass the Healthcare Bill to find out what was in it. 

×        I watched as Pelosi gave the Congress insufficient time to read, digest and debate a 2,700 page bill. 

×        I have since listened to others as they prepare for a potential socialist system and they find what is actually in this bill, things like a 3.8% tax on the sales of all homes. 

×        I look at the potential trillions of dollars of unfunded liabilities we have in Social Security yet this Congress refuses to allow any portion of the program to be privatized where the fund can be owned and controlled  by the individual citizen rather than remain exposed to the robber barons in the Congress? 

×        I watch as this Congress refuses to continue current tax rates but instead is intent on further destruction of the economy by allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire.  

×        I watch as this Congress refuses to use its power of oversight to ensure the Obama administration enforces the border with Mexico. 

×        I watch as Congress refuses to exercise any control over the current Justice Department and the corruption that exists as evidenced by their refusal to prosecute the New Black Panthers who intimidated voters on Election Day 2008 in Philadelphia. 

×        I watched Congress sit by idly as the Justice Department sued the State of Arizona for acting to enforce federal laws this administration refuses to enforce.

×        I watch as the unemployment rate continues to stagnate at around 10% as measured understanding that it is the uncertainty that is created by this Congress and Obama that leads businesses and investors to wait and see before committing to new jobs and new ventures. 

×        I watch as this Congress defines the solution to every problem as more government and more costly solutions that end up solving nothing at all.     

This is your performance Congressman Hoyer and it has little to do with whether it was Bush or Obama in the White House and everything to do with whether it was Pelosi or Hastert in the Speakership position.