Obama has plenty of time for right wing republicans. He wines and dines them. Liberals? Not so much
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doesn't like what President Obama's budget could do to Social Security benefits. And he's not that happy that the White House is hosting a dozen Republican Senators for dinner tonight -- while progressives' invitations appear to have been lost in the mail.
Asked whether Obama ought to reach out more to liberals, including those like Sanders who are eager to chew up his budget, the senator joked: “Am I anxious to get a good free dinner? Absolutely, I am always open for a good free dinner.”
But "that invitation has not been offered," Sanders told Top Line in an interview on Pennsylvania Avenue just outside the White House gates. "He hasn't reached out to me, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't reached out to progressives, and that is disappointing.”
Sanders is part of a group of progressive members of Congress, and interest groups, opposing the president’s budget. Following his interview with Top Line, he joined a rally in front of the White House to garner support for a petition calling on the president not to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.
“People who have voted with the president, it's not just Bernie Sanders, are extremely disappointed with the president,” says Sanders, who points to unions, veterans’ organizations, and AARP as organizations that share his position. “They are saying, do not balance the budget on people who have lost their arms and legs defending this country.”
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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/guess-not-coming-dinner-sen-bernie-sanders-says-111007362.html
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