After GOP, Obama to dine with Democratic senators

[Nite Owl]

In this March 6, 2013, file photo Republican Senators, including Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Richard …
President Barack Obama has had two peacemaking dinners with Republican senators to discuss a possible path to cut deficits. Now, it's Democrats' turn to sit down with the commander in chief for a meal at a tony downtown Washington hotel.
On Wednesday night, Obama will break bread with Democratic Sens. Patty Murray (Washington), Dick Durbin (Illinois), Dianne Feinstein (California), Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire), Michael Bennet (Colorado), Ron Wyden (Oregon), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Mark Warner (Virginia), Chris Coons (Delaware), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) and Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse (both from Rhode Island), according to a source familiar with the list of invitees.
Among those not apparently invited: Sen. Bernie Sanders, independent from Vermont, who has sharply criticized Obama's push to reduce Social Security benefits by adopting a less generous cost-of-living increase formula known as "chained CPI."




http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/gop-obama-dine-democratic-senators-223716815--politics.html



Mostly right wing centrists who will agree with him. I'd think he would want some diversity of opinion. Whitehouse and Murray, I think they are with us.
Where is Harry Reid.

[forestpath]

1. That list is so slanted, Obama obviously doesn't want to hear dissenting voices.

[Nite Owl]

2. Seems like he wants to

Hear only his views.
Bernie and Harkin should be there, they represent US. This makes it so obvious that he doesn't give a damn about the people, those of us who worked to get him in office and donated.

[Demo_Chris]

3. The proposal made THAT clear...

At least we now know who and what he is.

Now comes the interesting part: seeing what happens next. Obama is going to lean hard on every congressman he can. And while most are no less corrupt than Obama, they have to know that this has the potential to destroy them politically. There are quite a few people out there who aren't just angry, they are furious.

More, like everyone else paying even the slightest attention, they now know that Obama's promises mean less than nothing. Which leads me to suspect that they aren't going to be all that eager to throw in with him without something significant in return -- something significant that he lacks the leverage to accomplish.

[Nite Owl]

6. No way could I ever

believe him, he lost something precious---trust. Not something that you can easily mend (as if he wanted to)

Congress may be a lot of things but one thing they aren't is dumb, most of them anyway. This would be especially so when it comes to their political career so I don't expect there to be overwhelming support, especially not in the House.
It almost seems like Obama wants a Republican congress.

[duffyduff]

11. Of course he does. What "philosophy" he has closely aligns with theirs. n/t

[forestpath]

4. Yeah, Mark Warner headed the Gang of Thugs, I mean 6. This is just like another

meeting of that.

[Cha]

5. Yes, but what are they discussing? With the latest batch of repubs

it was the Gun Control Laws. Why wouldn't these Dems be discussing the same thing with him? With the vote coming up soon?

I know the article didn't mention Sensible Gun Laws but that's what Susan Collins was late for when she met with Sandy Hook Parents.

[Nite Owl]

8. SS may not be the only thing

to be discussed of course but the article did specifically mention Bernie not being invited. If the gun bill were the focus wouldn't Blumenthal be there?

[Cha]

9. Maybe the writer wanted to go with the controversary?

But, maybe these are the Dem Senators who need convincing on Expanded background checks?

I'm just speculating of course from what the recent dinner with the repubs was about. Btw, Susan Collins is going to vote for expanded background checks. One of three repubs, so far.

[Brigid]

7. I don't see Al Franken on the list.

Or Elizabeth Warren.

[Cha]

10. Amid Gun Debate, Giffords Returns to Capitol to Honor Staff Member

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, met with Senators Pat Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, sponsors of a background check amendment to gun safety legislation, on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/