Boehner Appearance Locally Garners National Attention

Speaker John Boehner's appearance at his annual Farm Forum in Piqua on Saturday has garnered national attention from Beltway political pundits due to his comments on immigration and tax reform:

House Speaker John Boehner told agriculture businesses in his home district that he’s pushing for a rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws, despite opposition and skepticism among some swing voters and GOP supporters.
“I’m still working with the President, working with my colleagues in a bipartisan way, and the Congress to move this issue along,” Boehner said in his annual outreach to agriculture leaders, dubbed the “Farm Forum,” held Saturday in Ohio.
Boehner indirectly acknowledged the unpopularity of his push for more immigrant workers. “I know it’s going to be hard that’s why it’s still hanging around,” he said.
“For the last 15 months I’ve been trying to move the ball down the field, only to be tackled by people that just don’t want to deal with it,” he said, according to Civitas Media.
Boehner also suggested that strengthening laws barring the hiring of illegal immigrants — principally mandated use of the E-Verify work authorization system — would wait until new laws make it easier for employers to hire foreign workers. ”I’m not sure we’re ready for nationwide E-Verify until we get into substantial immigration reform,” he said.

The story also hit the Washington Post's Plum Line and Politico. The local reporter deserves a raise for turning the waste of a perfectly fine Saturday morning into D.C. blog fodder.