Unsatisfied with throwing cold water on true conservative principles during his stint as Speaker of the House, former House speaker John A. Boehner told a business gathering on July 21 that Republicans are “not going to repeal and replace Obamacare” because “the American people have gotten accustomed to it.”
The Washington Post, which obtained a video of Boehner’s remarks, said he argued, “Here we are, seven months into this year, and yet they’ve not passed this bill. Now, they’re never — they’re not going to repeal and replace Obamacare. It’s been around too long. And the American people have gotten accustomed to it. Governors have gotten accustomed to this Medicaid expansion, and so trying to pull it back is really not going to work.”
Boehner added more bad news, “When it’s all said and done, you’re not going to have an employer mandate anymore, you’re not going to have the individual mandate. The Medicaid expansion will be there. The governors will have more control over their Medicaid populations and how to get them care, and a lot of Obamacare taxes will probably go.”
Boehner was appearing at ThoughtSpot, a trade show hosted by Good Neighbor Pharmacy at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Boehner expressed disappointment at how President Trump has handled his job, encouraging him to “quit tweeting” and avoid public arguments with TV personalities. He said, “He keeps getting in his own way. … I mean, going after Mika Brzezinski or Joe Scarborough? What the hell is the point?” He warned, “You never get into a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel. He does it every day. Never get into a p—ing match with a skunk. He does it every day. … It may have worked during the campaign. But I think he would do himself well if he would just slow the tweeting down and just focus on what he’s doing and not being critical.”
Boehner recounted how he would “sneak into” the White House to speak with former president Barack Obama so reporters wouldn’t see him. He asserted:
If I didn’t sneak in, if I went in like I would normally go in, the right-wing press would go crazy. “What is Boehner up to?” The left-wing press would go just as crazy. “What is Obama doing? He’s going to let Boehner roll him again.” You’re dead before you even have an agreement.