President Woos GOP to Seek Broad Deal

President Barack Obama stepped up his wooing of rank-and-file Republican lawmakers Wednesday, inviting about a dozen senators to dinner at a Washington restaurant and setting a visit to the Capitol in hopes of reigniting talks on a broad budget deal.

The efforts mark his most aggressive outreach to lawmakers in years and show Mr. Obama is trying to build his own coalition in Congress at a time when his past negotiating partners in the GOP leadership are under renewed pressure to accommodate the party's conservative base.

Mr. Obama phoned a number of senators not in leadership positions over the weekend to gauge support for what has come to be known as a grand bargain. He has insisted that tax increases be part of any deal to rein in deficits, while Republicans have said any revenues from tax-law changes must be used to reduce tax rates.

Some Republicans remained doubtful that Mr. Obama can strike a deal that would shore up Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement programs, reduce deficits and potentially overhaul the tax code. Some went so far as to dismiss the dinner as political theater.

For his part, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who said the president asked him to organize the dinner at the Jefferson Hotel, said, "I'm assuming the president wants to talk seriously about the issues of the day." As for the choice of restaurant, Mr. Graham said: "He picked; I hope he buys."

The White House is actively courting Mr. Graham because he has said he would be open to raising revenues as part of a larger deal that would also retool entitlement programs.

In addition, the president has asked to address Republican and Democratic caucuses in the House and Senate next week. And in recent weeks he has stepped up his contacts with business leaders, who could be important allies in maintaining momentum in the talks, should they begin in earnest.

The overtures mark a departure for a president who has been criticized for shunning lawmakers, choosing instead to socialize and play golf with a small circle of friends and aides.

One of the dinner invitees, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), said in an interview beforehand that Mr. Obama showed little appetite for direct talks with lawmakers in his first term, but that his stance had shifted lately. "Whether that translates into action, I'm not sure," he said. "I want to work with the guy."

One barrier is the high level of mutual distrust. Rare is the day in Washington when the two parties aren't blaming one another for gridlock.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424..._LEFTTopStories

DO NOT TRUST THE TARD.
He has NEVER kept his word on anything other than destroying the country.

Quote: Brevity wrote in post #2

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DO NOT TRUST THE TARD.
He has NEVER kept his word on anything other than destroying the country.

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Zitat

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The efforts mark his most aggressive outreach to lawmakers in years...

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...and pretty much his only effort. Internal polls must be disturbing.