The White House today announced that President Obama will deliver his much anticipated jobs speech before a joint session of Congress next Thursday. That date also happens to be the next GOP debate and John Boehner doesn’t like that:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has asked President Obama to address a joint-session of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 8, when it wouldn’t conflict with the Republican presidential debate.

Citing logistical difficulties, Boehner requested that Obama hold his jobs address, which Obama wants to deliver next Wednesday, one day later.

The Speaker’s letter made no mention of the more obvious conflict: between the president’s speech, and a Republican presidential debate scheduled on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST. That debate is the first of the post-Labor Day political season, and the first one in which Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is set to participate.

Why can’t both happen at the same time? John Boehner had no problem giving a speech the same time as the President a few months back, so what’s the problem now?

The debate is scheduled to appear on MSNBC only, so I don’t see why MSNBC can’t run the debate and everyone else carry the address. Also there are only two members of Congress who are to appear in the debate. Is John Boehner saying he wants to shut the House down for this debate, especially after the totally ineffective Congress he has been running just gets off a 5-week taxpayer funded vacation? Who does he think he is fooling?

It’s going to be interesting to see the right try to push this issue as some sort of corruption from the White House. Before that happens, allow me to cite this part of the U.S. Constitution, since the party that claims to love the Constitution is also the party that flat out ignores it:

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

For the millions of Americans out of work, losing their homes and unable to eat, these are extraordinary times. The President could have and should have used this authority during the recess. As matter of fact I went after the President two weeks ago for making us wait this long on getting a plan out there. The right also jumped on him for it and now John Boehner is expecting the people to wait even longer because of some debate? Sorry Mr. Boehner but that is NOT going to happen. You sir are paid by the American people to run the Congress, not try and get them out of work for some debate. If you don’t want to do your job then get out of office.

UPDATE:

It gets even better. Boehner is saying that the House is supposed to be off next Thursday. They go back to work next Tuesday after a 5 week paid vacation. The House then works until September 26th and then takes another week long paid vacation. Perhaps it’s time to cut the damn vacations out in Congress and make them work. If they don’t want to do that then it’s time to either cut their pay or fire them.