Obama, Boehner Need to Get Back to Earth - Outrage

Adds details from House Speaker Boehner's speech in Washington starting in 1st paragraph.

WASHINGTON (TheStreet) -- House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, quipped today that he and President Barack Obama are from different planets ideologically.

That might actually have been funny if the remark hadn't been made during a discussion about job creation that reinforced barriers to compromise on proposals intended to get the 14 million unemployed Americans back to work.

It's unfortunate that Boehner didn't present any new details about alternatives to the $450 billion jobs plan presented by Obama last week.

But at least Boehner said the House "will consider" Obama's proposals even as he called them "a poor substitute" for the pro-growth policies of his Republican party, according to coverage of Boehner's speech by the Los Angeles Times.

Maybe it's a good thing Boehner didn't present a fully hatched alternative jobs plan. We don't need competing plans. We need something to get done.

So just this once, for the good of the nation, Boehner and Obama need to find something to agree on.

Frankly, I think the Obama plan could use a little help anyway, so I'd like to see Boehner really engage with the president to get a good plan passed.

Besides, this showdown between Republicans and Democrats in Washington is getting tiresome. I'm sick of hearing Obama yammer on and on from his bully pulpit, and I'm equally put off by the steely, defiant stare coming back from Boehner.

It's easy to dig in your heels and disagree on everything. It takes real leadership to come to an agreement. It would be refreshing to see some real leadership from Obama and Boehner.

Obama sent his treasury secretary out with a fig leaf yesterday, when Timothy Geithner said in a CNBC interview that the White House is open to anything that will create jobs.

Take the fig leaf, Mr. Speaker. For the love of country, take the offer in good faith and help the president put together a jobs plan that will have a real shot at turning things around before it's too late.

The U.S. economy is barely growing and companies are rarely hiring, so clearly this isn't the time for more talking or a staring contest.

This is the time for leadership.

--Written by Glenn Hall in New York. For more Outrage, check out the Today's Outrage blog or follow me on Twitter @GlennHall

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