President Barack Obama got to portray Republicans in Congress as obstructionists only because he had a powerful Democrat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to obstruct on his behalf — and that protective cover is about to expire, Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania told
Newsmax TV on Monday.
"We have almost
400 pieces of legislation that went through the House of Representatives that went over to the Senate that were tabled by Mr. Reid," Kelly told "MidPoint" host Ric Blackwell in response to comments by the president in an extended National Public Radio interview.
Obama told NPR that because Democrats lost their Senate majority in the midterm election, "now you've got Republicans in a position where it's not enough for them simply to grind the wheels of Congress to a halt and then blame me."
"They are going to be in a position in which they have to show that they can responsibly govern, given that they have significant majorities in both chambers," he said.
Kelly, who came to Washington on the tea party wave of 2010, scoffed at the idea that Republicans need to prove they can write acceptable legislation.
"The president is noted for humor, but in this case he's very funny," said Kelly.
Obama conceded in the NPR interview that he hasn't had to veto many bills "partly because legislation that I objected to was typically blocked in the Senate."
But he said that facing a Senate under Republican management, "I suspect there are going to be some times where I've got to pull that [veto] pen out."
"The truth of the matter is, he hasn't had to veto anything because the Senate kept everything coming from his desk," said Kelly.
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