Hannity: John Boehner 'Grubered' Conservatives on Budget Bill

Fox News host Sean Hannity compared House Speaker John Boehner to Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber for his role in pushing through a $1.1 trillion compromise spending bill, saying he is "cowardly" and should be removed from office.

Playing a clip of Boehner's strong words after President Barack Obama announced his executive action on amnesty during his Fox talk show Thursday night, Hannity called the speaker "John Gruber Boehner," and said while he talked tough on the issue of amnesty, "unfortunately, that's all it was," reports Real Clear Politics.

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"It's conservatives who feel like they've been burned as the Speaker aligned himself with the president, with Harry Reid, Steny Hoyer and Joe Biden to pass a spending bill," said Hannity. "John Boehner 'Grubered' conservatives tonight and by that, I mean, the conservative base in particular."

Gruber, who is often called the architect of Obamacare for his role in writing the act, came under fire for saying Congress relied on "the stupidity" of the American people when it came to getting Obamacare passed. He apologized for making that statement during House hearings this week, while denying his role in crafting the president's legacy healthcare reform legislation.

Earlier on Thursday's show, outgoing Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann said that a "deal" on the bill would not have come before the November midterm elections, and Hannity said she "hit the nail on the head."

"He never would have done this before the election," said Hannity. "He has no inspiring vision and to me, he is everything that is wrong with Washington. He is a Democratic Party-lite. He doesn't have those bold colored differences that Reagan talked about.

"And he should, in my view, he should not be the Speaker and should be replaced."

The new spending bill, said Hannity, is "filled with political favorites," and had Congress waited until February, when Republicans will control both houses, "they could have dealt with robbing our kids blind. They could have defunded Obamacare and offered an alternative."

Further, he said that Congress could have taken Obama on over his "unconstitutional, unlawful action" on immigration.

But instead, the bill shows Boehner as "a guy that's weak and is a Washington insider."

The House narrowly approved the $1.1 trillion in government spending bill Thursday night after President Barack Obama and Republicans combined efforts to override Democrats' complaints that the bill would also ease bank regulations imposed after the economy's near-collapse in 2008.

A final showdown is coming in the Senate on the bill, which passed the House by a 219-206 vote. It may have difficulty clearing, as the bill has opponents on both sides of the table.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday delivered a rare public rebuke to Obama over the bill, saying she was "enormously disappointed" he had decided to embrace legislation that she described as an attempt at blackmail by Republicans.

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