Obama Reaches Out to Congressional Leaders

[grantcart]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama invited congressional leaders from both parties to the White House on Wednesday to discuss the partial government shutdown and looming debt-limit crisis, a White House official said.

Mr. Obama will use the meeting—the first with congressional leaders since the shutdown began Tuesday—to press leaders to reopen the government and reiterate his position that he won't negotiate on the debt limit or under the threat of a continued shutdown, the official said.

House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) received invitations Wednesday morning for the meeting.

The invitations came as the White House and lawmakers planned a new round of skirmishes in an effort to break a stalemate that has closed much of the federal government and is threatening to spill into a bigger fight over the country's ability to pay all of its bills.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304176904579111091033132998.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

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Interesting note by the WSJ reporter:

Mr. Obama will use the meeting—the first with congressional leaders since the shutdown began Tuesday—to press leaders to reopen the government and reiterate his position that he won't negotiate on the debt limit or under the threat of a continued shutdown, the official said.

Boehner will have to sit in a room with the President and other Congressional leaders without the Tea Party their to prop him up.

[Purveyor]

1. AP: Obama, Lawmakers to Hold Meeting on Shutdown

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the White House on Wednesday as a partial government shutdown entered a second day with little sign of a breakthrough to get hundreds of thousands of people back to work. Some on Capitol Hill ominously suggested the impasse might last for weeks, but a few Republicans seemed ready to blink.

House Speaker John Boehner's office said the Ohio Republican would attend the White House meeting Wednesday afternoon, casting it as a sign the president is ready to start negotiating on GOP demands to extract changes to the new health care law in exchange for funding the government.

"We're pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible,"" Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said. "It's unclear why we'd be having this meeting if it's not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Senate Minority Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were also to attend the White House meeting. An Obama adviser said Obama would urge House Republicans to pass a spending bill free of other demands.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BUDGET_BATTLE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-02-11-48-25

[elleng]

2. 'Invited are

Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic minority leader; Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader.

Mr. Boehner’s spokesman, Brendan Buck, said in a statement, “We’re pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible. It’s unclear why we’d be having this meeting if it’s not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties.”

Both the White House and the Senate’s Democratic leaders have refused to enter negotiations so long as the government remains shuttered and Republicans continue to demand that Mr. Obama agree to defund or delay the Affordable Care Act.'

http://www.nytimes.com/news/fiscal-crisis/2013/10/02/obama-to-meet-with-congressional-leaders-at-white-house/?_r=0

[bowens43]

3. Is Obama wearing his spelunking hat?

I

[vdogg]

5. You must have missed this part

"Mr. Obama will use the meeting—the first with congressional leaders since the shutdown began Tuesday—to press leaders to reopen the government and reiterate his position that he won't negotiate on the debt limit or under the threat of a continued shutdown, the official said."

[Cryptoad]

6. Is the meeting in a Cave? nt

[awoke_in_2003]

7. Well the republicans do have their...

heads in their ass.

[Cryptoad]

4. Odds,,,

on Boehner being sober ?

[awoke_in_2003]

9. About as likely as me winning the lottery. nt

[Amonester]

8. What? No cops on the scene to arrest the extortioners??

When, then?

[DCBob]

10. Good. It makes sense to at least have a discussion.

They Rethugs might give in... they need a way to exit this mess without looking like complete fools and this meeting might do that.

[CTyankee]

11. Do you think they'll refuse to go?

Hasn't Boner stiffed the Prez before?

[lark]

13. Repugs are doing what their ignorant base wants, they don't see themselves as losing.

Based on all their experience with this president, he caves at every opportunity so they think that's what will happen again. They will not just cave without a huge public clamor against them. They don't care about the country or the people, just don't want to screw their chances of re-election or piss off the MIC. Long as this doesn't affect the MIC or big finance, and the public's not screaming for their heads, they don't care.

I just hope that for once in his entire life, Obama stands firm and wont negotiate with the terrorists. Deficits are not our problem, lack of employement is. ACA doesn't increase the deficit, it reduces it. Negotiating is a losing option, Obama, don't go there!

[Iliyah]

12. I wouldn't be surprised if one or none of the so called GOP leaders show up

citing irreconcilable differences. What Pres O is doing which many do seem to not understand, is a democracy. GOPers don't believe in it but the Commander in Chief and the Democratic caucus does.

Dems are willing to work with others but the GOPers do not. I believe the American people are slowly seeing this and that current corporate media system are hugely a propaganda machine for the 1%ers. Look at Wall Street, they can careless that over 800,000 people are out of work.