Cowardly Lion John Boehner, Afraid of the Teapartiers and Grover Norquist , walks out on Debt Ceiling Talks. Hides from President’s Phone Calls!

Afraid of the TeaPartiers and Grover Norquist, Cowardly Lion Republican House Speaker John Boehner has broken off talks with President Barack Obama on getting a budget deal to avert a government default.

President Obama, speaking at a press conference at the White House, told reporters that Boehner would not return his phone calls. "I’ve been left at the altar now a couple of times," the President said. "It is hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away from this kind of deal. Can they say yes to anything?"

Cowardly Lion Boehner, so afraid of losing his House Speaker job, hid from the President, refusing to return his calls.

Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid said, “Republicans have once again proven unable to overcome their ideological opposition to ending taxpayer-funded giveaways for millionaires, corporate jet owners and oil companies. I applaud President Obama for insisting that any deal to reduce our deficit be balanced between cuts and revenues. We must avert a default at all costs."

Boehner, speaking as his alter ego Cowardly Lion whimpered he would NOT allow Tax Increases for Millionaires, even if they didn't create jobs! He added, "And let me say, I have the same responsibilities as the President of the United States..we need to back away from the tree and take a look at the forest." He then broke out in song: "If I were Kiiiiinnnngggg of the Fooorrreeessssstttt!"

As the debt ceiling debate enters its final stages, House Republicans face increasing political isolation in their opposition to sweeping budget reforms that President Obama has pushed for and polls show most Americans now prefer. Republican resistance to compromise has turned a significant bloc of voters against them, according to several new polls, and has frustrated members of their own leadership as well as establishment GOP figures.

The fear among leading Republicans is that the party may lose an opportunity to lock in budget cuts that go beyond anything Democrats had previously been willing to consider. Five-term Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he had never seen any spending reductions attached to a debt ceiling vote. "It's inconceivable," Cole said. "Some of the members who haven't been here don't appreciate how much John Boehner has gotten for them." (Poor Boehner...the Nutty Teaparty Republicans Don't Have A Clue about History! and you know what they say about those who DON'T Remember History!) Boehner, an Ohio Republican and the House speaker, is leading an effort to try to prepare his restive House Republicans for a vote to raise the nation's borrowing limit.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate have begun lining up behind a plan, offered by a bipartisan group known as the "Gang of Six," to reduce the long-term deficit by nearly $4 trillion over the next decade. That plan would include about $1.2 trillion in additional tax revenues over the 10-year period that House Republicans have so far resisted. The White House indicated for the first time Wednesday that Obama would be willing to accept a short-term stop-gap plan, but only for a few days while Congress worked out the legislative details of a larger fix. Either way, House Republicans remain the key obstacle to passing a debt ceiling increase and avoiding a possible federal default after Aug. 2. Their strict adherence to a no-new-taxes pledge all but rules out consideration of a larger agreement on deficits and the debt ceiling. Their position is reinforced by the fear that "tea party" groups will mount primary challenges against many Republicans who vote for anything that could be characterized as a tax increase...

The party's enthusiasm for budget cuts over compromise may leave Republicans with less than they could have otherwise achieved. Obama had proposed a 3-to-1 ratio of spending cuts to tax increases, even carving into Medicare and Social Security while drawing opposition from within his own ranks...But the Millionaire backed TeaParty refuses to allow Republicans to compromise. A case in point is the back-up plan being crafted to raise the debt ceiling. It is far less ambitious than the Gang of Six plan, providing less than $1.5 trillion in cuts, a level unacceptable to many in the GOP. It would still represent an unprecedented accomplishment for a GOP House speaker. Nonetheless, rank-and-file House Republicans are unlikely to embrace it.

In the end, it may be a negative reaction in financial markets, rather than political pressure, that spurs action. Boehner's "got a big problem," Weber said. "You've got to make the case that the broad conservative principles can be served by this agreement."

Poor Boehner! Since he is running scared from the TeaPartiers who refuse to see the NEED to Raise the Debt Ceiling, he is between a rock and a hard place. What is clear is, he needs to adopt a compromise with the Democrats and raise the Debt Ceiling before we as a Nation default on our debts. Poor Boehner! He needs to distance himself from the Tea Party Zealots and Grover Norquist and come back to Reality and partner in a compromise with the President and the Democrats and Raise the Debt Ceiling without extensively harming our Seniors. He should also include forcing Millionaires to pay Some Taxes!