John Boehner Defends His Famous Tan
Patricia Murphy
Capitol Hill Bureau Chief
Posted:
09/8/10
John Boehner, the perpetually caramel-complexioned leader of House Republicans, gamely defended his famous tan in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday morning.
After a weighty discussion about economic policy and taxes, Stephanopoulos presented the GOP leader with the results of a recent PPP poll that showed 30 percent of Ohio voters believe Boehner "spends too much time on his tan," while 27 percent "don't like his tan."
"Well, they probably didn't see me yesterday when I was out cutting my grass or riding my mountain bike, all right?" Boehner said with a smile.
When the "Good Morning America" anchor asked a follow-up question, Boehner said only, "Thanks, George."
The leader's tropical hue made headlines last year when President Obama joked at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that Boehner is "a person of color, although not a color that appears in the natural world."
The president will be on Boehner's Ohio turf Wednesday when he travels to the leader's home state for a speech on the economy.
In advance of Obama's remarks, Boehner laid out several policy options he said the president should follow to jump-start the economy, including a two-year freeze on all tax rates. Obama has repeatedly said he wants to allow the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2010 for American families making more than $250,000 annually.
Boehner also addressed the "Ground Zero mosque" controversy and the Florida pastor who is planning to burn the Koran on Sept. 11 to protest the planned Islamic center in New York.
"Just because you have a right to do something in America does not mean it's the right thing to do," Boehner said of both.
Click play below to watch video of Boehner defending his tan:
After a weighty discussion about economic policy and taxes, Stephanopoulos presented the GOP leader with the results of a recent PPP poll that showed 30 percent of Ohio voters believe Boehner "spends too much time on his tan," while 27 percent "don't like his tan."
"Well, they probably didn't see me yesterday when I was out cutting my grass or riding my mountain bike, all right?" Boehner said with a smile.
When the "Good Morning America" anchor asked a follow-up question, Boehner said only, "Thanks, George." The leader's tropical hue made headlines last year when President Obama joked at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that Boehner is "a person of color, although not a color that appears in the natural world."
The president will be on Boehner's Ohio turf Wednesday when he travels to the leader's home state for a speech on the economy.
In advance of Obama's remarks, Boehner laid out several policy options he said the president should follow to jump-start the economy, including a two-year freeze on all tax rates. Obama has repeatedly said he wants to allow the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2010 for American families making more than $250,000 annually.
Boehner also addressed the "Ground Zero mosque" controversy and the Florida pastor who is planning to burn the Koran on Sept. 11 to protest the planned Islamic center in New York.
"Just because you have a right to do something in America does not mean it's the right thing to do," Boehner said of both.
Click play below to watch video of Boehner defending his tan: