Boehner Calls Obama's Agenda 'Pathetic'

(New York Post) - House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Sunday panned as "pathetic" the 2012 agenda President Barack Obama plans to roll out Tuesday in his State of the Union address.

Boehner said he already "read a lot about what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night and it sounds to me like the same old policies we've been seeing: more spending, higher taxes, more regulations -- the same policies that haven't helped our economy. They've made it worse."

"If that's what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, I think it's pathetic," the speaker said on "FOX News Sunday."

"It's time to go in a new direction," Boehner said. "We need to end the regulatory nightmare that's coming out of Washington and serving as a wet blanket over our economy."

In a preview of the speech, Obama said in a video message to supporters that he will lay out an economic blueprint that is "built to last" for middle-class Americans.

Obama's re-election campaign distributed the video online Saturday, just hours ahead of the South Carolina primary where Republican candidates vied for the nomination to challenge him in November.

The prime-time speech -- in which Obama will begin making the argument for a second term -- will focus on four themes: manufacturing, energy, education and what Obama calls "a return to American values."

Obama has cast the 2012 election as a choice between Republicans, who he says protect the rich and leave middle-class Americans "on your own," and Democrats who he says will make sure everyone gets an even break.

"We can go in two directions," said Obama. "One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few."

Read more: New York Post