For Obama and GOP leaders, just meeting is a bipartisan accomplishment
| Washington
The much anticipated White House meeting between President Obama and bipartisan congressional leaders has finally taken place. The president called it 鈥減roductive.鈥� Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called it 鈥渁 useful and frank discussion.鈥� Both Mr. Obama and likely new House speaker John Boehner (R) spoke of finding common ground.
Over the hour, there seemed to be enough time just to air the various topics of concern, starting with the soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia that Obama wants ratified before Congress adjourns.
On Topic A, taxes, Obama appointed his Treasury secretary and budget director to negotiate with the congressional Republicans to break through what he called a 鈥渓ogjam鈥� on the issue before the end of the year, when tax rates are scheduled to rise. Republicans want to extend the tax cuts permanently at all levels. The Democrats want to retain only those for families making up to $250,000.
鈥淭here was broad agreement that we need to work to get that resolved before the end of the year,鈥� Obama said. But, he added, 鈥渢here's still differences about how to get there.鈥�
On the START treaty, which needs to be ratified by the Senate to go into effect, Obama has faced a significant GOP roadblock, which continued into Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. Senator McConnell argued afterward that other matters needed to be settled first, including the tax issue and funding to keep the federal government operational. He said all 42 Senate Republicans agreed they could consider the treaty 鈥渋f there鈥檚 time left鈥� after addressing the other issues.
If the START debate is pushed into the new Congress, Obama will need more Republican votes than he would now, since the Democrats lost six Senate seats in the midterms.
No cocktails and dinner, please
Given the atmosphere of partisan rancor infusing Washington, just having the meeting at all was an accomplishment. Obama鈥檚 original offer 鈥� a meeting, cocktails, dinner in the White House residence on Nov. 18 鈥� didn鈥檛 fly with the Republicans. They cited a scheduling conflict. Democrats cried 鈥渟nub.鈥� Whatever the case, the Tuesday meeting was just an hour, in the morning, in the White House鈥檚 Roosevelt Room.
But it鈥檚 a start, both sides agreed, four weeks after the political earthquake of the Nov. 2 midterm elections, when the Republicans swept the Democrats out of power in the House and cut into their Senate majority. During the meeting, Obama accepted some blame for the lack of bipartisan outreach during the last two years, a point the No. 2 House Republican, Eric Cantor of Virginia, welcomed.
Still, despite all the talk of a fresh start, Obama acknowledged the elephant in the room 鈥� what he called 鈥渢he current hyper-partisan climate.鈥�
鈥淭here are always those who argue that the best strategy is simply to try to defeat your opposition, instead of working with them,鈥� the president said.
He needed look no further than McConnell to see someone whose stated goal is to make sure Obama does not win a second term. And in a Washington Post opinion piece published Tuesday by McConnell and Boehner, the rhetoric seemed distinctly McConnell-esque.
The column 鈥� titled 鈥淲here we and Democrats can work together鈥� 鈥� called on the White House and Democratic leaders to 鈥減rioritize.鈥�
鈥淚t's time to choose struggling middle-class families and small businesses over the demands of the liberal base,鈥� the GOP leaders wrote. 鈥淚t's time to get serious.鈥�
Each side may need the other
In fact, both parties face pressures from their political bases, perhaps the Republicans even more than the Democrats, as the energized tea party movement watches to see what the GOP can deliver with its new power.
William Galston, a veteran of the Clinton White House who saw up close how the president regrouped after the Democrats lost control of Congress in 1994, expected the 鈥減olite noises鈥� that came out of Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. Public opinion clearly favors bipartisanship and collegiality.
But, as Obama himself noted, there are strong forces at play pushing the parties in opposite directions. Mr. Galston, now a scholar at the Brookings Institution, sees the next Congress unfolding in two phases.
鈥淭he first will be quite confrontational; both sides will take their best swings at each other,鈥� Galston says. 鈥淓ventually 鈥� and I can鈥檛 tell you when eventually is, but I wouldn鈥檛 expect it to be any later than the end of calendar 2011 鈥� the two sides will recognize that they鈥檙e taking substantial political risks by not making a better public effort to come together.鈥�
