Obama’s Menu
March 13 | Posted by mrossol | ObamaWho is on the menu???
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By JASON L. RILEY
Republican lawmakers who have been dining with President Obama are skeptical of his outreach efforts. Perhaps they’re starting to figure out who’s on the menu.
“In conversations with House and Senate Republicans late Tuesday, a deep suspicion of his motives for reaching out and his commitment to working with them on fiscal and other issues hung like a dark cloud over their otherwise predictable comments expressing cautious optimism that Washington could be on the cusp of a new era of bipartisanship,” reports Roll Call.
Last week Mr. Obama dined with a dozen Republican senators, and the overtures continued this week with visits to Capital Hill. Having been repeatedly burned while trying to reach a “grand bargain” with the president, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell aren’t much interested in further discussions with the White House outside of the regular budget process. That’s left the president dealing with rank-and-file Republicans, who are apparently becoming just as suspicious as their caucus leaders.
The reality is that the substance of Mr. Obama’s demands hasn’t changed, only the fact that he’s now making them in person over fancy meals. The president continues to insist on higher taxes in return for entitlement spending reductions. The goal is to peel of a few Republicans to help him pressure the GOP leadership. If it doesn’t work, Mr. Obama will say that he tried but that GOP obstructionists stood in the way. In fact, the only thing he’s trying to do with this faux-bipartisanship is put one over on voters. Republicans have already given him his tax rate hikes. They’re not the ones standing in the way of a deal.
Political Diary: Obama’s Menu .
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