House Speaker John Boehner does not want Barack Obama’s job.
“I like to play golf, I like to cut my own grass, I do drink red wine, I smoke cigarettes, and I’m not giving that up to be President of the United States,” he said Thursday night during his first appearance on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
And he had a little fun with Leno when asked if the GOP’s political infighting is the worst it has ever been.
“Oh, no — well, maybe it is. Probably. Yeah,” Boehner said, eliciting laughter from the audience.
“It’s bad. Listen, you know, the funny thing about the so-called infighting is that we agree on all the goals. We think Obamacare is bad for the country, we think we shouldn’t spend more than what we bring in, we think the president’s ignoring the laws. It’s all a fight over tactics. It’s not over what our goals are,” he said.
But there isn’t as much common ground in Congress today as there was when Boehner joined more than 20 years ago as a representative from Ohio, Boehner continued. He described himself as a Republican with beliefs to the right of the center of the political spectrum, with a different perspective than Obama.
“He and I get along fine,” he said of the president.
As House speaker, Boehner said he plays the role of big brother, father, dean of students, and principal to some of the 435 members in the House of Representatives.
“I try to work with members on both sides of the aisle,” he said.
“It’s hard running for office when people can’t say your name,” he said. “But thank God my name wasn’t [Anthony] Weiner. What took you guys so long?”
Boehner, who had been asked several times in the past to appear on the Tonight Show, followed appearances by former President George W. Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz last November.
Boehner said he attributes his tanned skin to playing golf, riding a bike, and cutting his own grass — but not to using a tanning bed.
Fellow comedian Jimmy Fallon will replace Leno as the show’s host next month.
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Michele Richinick