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BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): “President Obama should ask for and accept the resignations of the remaining members of his economic team, starting with Secretary Geithner and Larry Summers, the head of the National Economic Council.” (Video from MSNBC)

House Majority Leader John Boehner stole the show on Tuesday morning with a barrage of criticism aimed at Democrats’ handling of the economy. In addition to calling for two high-profile resignations, the Ohio congressman also called for an extension of Bush-era tax cuts and a reduction of non-defense discretionary spending.

And Washington isn’t taking the criticism lightly Rep. Boehner is heir apparent to the Speaker of the House if Republicans take back control in November. (Video from PBS)

House Speaker Robert Gibbs soon after Tweeted “Boehner today embraces the return of policies that helped create the worst econ[onomic] downturn since the Great Depression.”

And as Bloomberg’s Julianna Goldman reports, both Republicans and Democrats realize a renewed focus on the economy is the key to success in the midterm elections and now, both parties are going tit for tat.

JULIANNA GOLDMAN: “Republicans are looking for an enemy right now. We heard from the president last week blaming Republicans, blaming former President George W. Bush for the economic mess. ... Sometimes members of the minority party and Congress try to make headlines because they struggle to get air time, but this is one of those cases where you factor in the upcoming elections…”

Boehner’s attack came as the National Association of Realtors released bleak economic numbers showing sales of existing homes plunging to their lowest level in 15 years. And with unemployment holding steady at 9.5 percent, CNBC suggests Boehner could have a point.

STANLEY ROACH: “We have a reactive fed. They're always being driven by the latest problem. The recovery is faltering again. Surprise of surprises after the monster crisis we saw, and so they're being very reactive. My view is that the fed needs to be much more strategic and avoid setting us up for another round of asset and credit bubbles in the future.”

ANCHOR: “So Trish is wondering, does the Fed know what it’s doing?”

But The Christian Science Monitor’s Dave Cook says there's actually only one reason Boehner’s comments are getting any attention at all.

“… it is August in Washington, and most political players — including Mr. Obama — are out of town on vacation. That leaves the political operatives here and on duty with time on their hands. … Boehner’s speech is likely to be forgotten when [Tuesday’s primary] results … begin coming in…”

The Democratic National Committee released a video response to Boehner’s criticism, saying it was Boehner who “invented the ways of Washington." If you’d like to see that video for yourself, visit the link in our transcript section.

Get more multi-source political news from Newsy.com.