Boehner: Fire Geithner and Summers

House Republican Leader John Boehner on Tuesday called on President Barack Obama to fire his economic team, saying White House economic policies have failed to get people back to work.

Democrats answered, seeking to underscore their continuing efforts to help businesses. They blamed Republicans for blocking many of the Democrats' recent efforts, as the two sides escalated their pitched political battle over jobs and the economy.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs sent a message to Twitter followers that said, "Boehner today embraces the return of policies that helped create the worst econ downturn since the Great Depression." But he didn't respond immediately to Boehner's specific demand for dismissal of the economic team.

The highlight of Boehner's speech in Cleveland was his demand that Obama request the resignations of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, National Economic Council Chairman Larry Summers and others. Boehner said that continuing uncertainty over future tax increases and regulatory changes had hurt private-sector job growth. The Obama administration's focus on preserving government jobs at the state and local level and extending jobless benefits has made matters worse, he said.

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