President Obama says his meeting with Senate Republicans Tuesday was “warm and fuzzy” — but he was kidding. By most accounts the private luncheon left both sides testy and accomplished little in the way of promoting bipartisanship.
Obama talked about his let’s-have-lunch date with Republicans later Tuesday during a fundraiser in California, where he had to deal with a heckler who complained that the president was not moving quickly enough to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” restriction on gays serving openly in the military. The repeal bill is expected to come up later this week in the House and in a Senate committee.
After the heckler’s “move faster” shout at the San Francisco event, Obama shot back, “Good to see ya,” and recalled a similar encounter in Los Angeles. “He really should buy a ticket to, if he wants to — if he wants to demonstrate — buy a ticket to a guy who doesn’t support his point of view.” Maybe the protester didn’t read the newspapers, Obama continued, “because we are working with Congress as we speak to roll back ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ ” Click play above for video:
That incident was a blip. During his speech, the president hinted that he was fed up with the difficult attempts at courtship with the GOP. “The day has passed when I expected this to be a full partnership,” he said of his relations with congressional Republicans.
The Republicans had a different take, describing the meeting with Obama — which was not open to the media — on immigration reform and energy legislation as testy and questioning his willingness to compromise. “He needs to take a Valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans,” the Washington Post quoted Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) as saying. “He’s pretty thin-skinned.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), in a burn over unsuccessful talks on the financial markets reform bill, wondered out loud how Obama’s could have the nerve to ask for help on other issues. “My question again: How can you reconcile that duplicity? You can say that, but then the big issues have been constructed in such a way to be absolutely partisan.”
In California, speaking to a partisan audience, Obama said he had told Republicans in Washington: “You don’t even have to meet me halfway. I’ll bring most Democrats on these issues [immigration and energy]. I’m just looking for eight or 10 of you.” Four Republicans — Corker not among them — voted for the Senate bill cracking down on certain Wall Street practices.
Obama insisted that “there’s not a failure of bipartisanship” on the part of Democrats. “There’s gotta be some give on the other side, particularly when you drove the car into the ditch. We can’t just go back to business as usual.”
The reckless-driving reference was a jab at Republicans for their stewardship of the economy during the Bush presidency, but such rhetoric did little to advance “warm and fuzzy” relations. Obama, again needling, said he understood political realities and was sympathetic to the Republicans in their stand-offishness. “Their are members of their [political] base who think if somebody even smiles at me, they think, ‘You’re a traitor, you smiled at Obama.’ ”
Yet he insisted that he told Republicans, regarding climate-change legislation, “We’re ready to work with you right now to get this done.”
Obama was in San Francisco to appear at fundraisers for the reelection of Sen. Barbara Boxer.
1 Comment
Spoiled little brats, to used to getting their own way to bend at all. Pampered to the point of their own destruction.
Comment by Copa — May 26, 2010 @ 7:18 pm