They claim they couldn’t remember the President reaching out to them in the past. I don’t know what their issue is, but Congressional Republicans seems to have a very short memory or maybe it’s just selective memory. I can remember a very recent invitation from the President, asking Republicans to come to the White House for a screening of the movie Lincoln. They all refused.
Whatever their issue is, these Republicans are now happy again, because the President is continuing his outreach program to them. After taking them to dinner last night, President Obama will be hosting a lunch today. We’ll see what they have to say about him later, after all the dinners, breakfasts and lunches are over.
Reminds me of the saying, “what have you done for me lately.” They will love you when you’re paying, but hate you when you’re not.
Following on his unusual dinner on Wednesday with a dozen Republican senators, President Obama will have a bipartisan lunch on Thursday with Representative Paul D. Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee, and the panel’s senior Democrat, Representative Chris Van Hollen.
Mr. Obama’s recent spate of meals and phone calls with Republicans is a new outreach strategy to work around party leaders, especially in the Republican-controlled House, who have dug in against any more budget talks. And the lunch comes as Mr. Ryan is preparing to bring a new budget plan to a vote in his committee next week.
Since Mr. Ryan’s House budget is expected to be contrary to Mr. Obama’s plan, it is unclear what might come of the luncheon parlay. Mr. Ryan, as in the past three years, is expected to propose balancing the budget by cutting projected spending only, especially for the fast-growing entitlement programs Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. Obama wants a deficit-reduction package that is a balance of spending reductions and further tax increases by closing some breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
Mr. Obama’s two-hour dinner with Republican senators at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington on Wednesday apparently covered more subjects than the budget, including immigration and gun safety legislation – two of the president’s other second-term priorities. As they left, Senators John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma each gave waiting reporters a thumbs-up.
