At House GOP meeting, standing ovations for Obama and Boehner
Updated 4:25 p.m. ET
As the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House move forward with rival spending plans, each marking up their budget plans today in the respective chambers' budget committees, President Obama traveled to Capitol Hill this afternoon to catalyze negotiations and attempt to broker a deal.
The president, who has voiced his opposition to the budget recently unveiled by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., but also reinforced his willingness to broker compromise, met this afternoon with the House GOP conference to continue feeling out the parameters of an eventual fiscal roadmap.
When he arrived at the conference meeting, Mr. Obama received a standing ovation, reports CBS News' Jill Jackson. The House Republicans' leader, House Speaker John Boehner, also received a "rousing" standing ovation, according to a source in the room.
As the president departed the Capitol, he told reporters that his meeting with Republicans was "useful."
"It was good," he said. "I enjoyed it."
After the meeting, Boehner said that the president and House Republicans "had a very frank and candid exchange of ideas," adding, "Frankly, I think it was productive."
"We know, however, that there are some very real differences between our two parties," he said. "Republicans want to balance the budget; the president doesn't. Republicans want to solve our long-term debt problem; the president doesn't."
Despite the differences, Boehner said, "Today was a good start," expressing his hope that "these kinds of discussions can continue."
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During the 90-minute meeting, members told CBS News there were no surprises - one said that "everybody colored inside the lines" - but they were glad that the meeting occurred.
Members tried to discuss balancing the budget; Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said the president "never said he wasn't going to, but never said he would" balance the budget.
Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., told Mr. Obama, "I don't know how your math on deficit reduction works."
In an interview with ABC News Tuesday, the president cautioned that balancing the budget within 10 years, as Ryan proposes, is important but must take a backseat to the overriding imperative of economic growth. "We're not going to balance the budget in 10 years, because if you look at what Paul Ryan does to the budget," he explained, "It means you have to voucherize medicare" and "slash deeply" into other important programs.
"My goal is not to chase a balanced budget just for the sake of balance," he explained. "My goal is how do we grow the economy, put people back to work."
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Looks like he has serious manlove for Obama ;O
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He may, but it won't do him any goos, Obama still has a thing for Reggie Love.
And the 2 parties both need a come to jeebus moment...
What does he think he is? There is no town hall meetings, no serious debate by those affected by such change.Suddenly, retirees and older Americans find themselves without a safety net to help pay spiraling health care costs? And this change is brought forward by a young lawmaker from Wisconsin?
This is not a totalitarian state or a national socialist party state where crucial decisions affecting millions of people are made by one man or a small group of men.
Growth for wall street? How about the middle class and a balanced budget, since the republicans mewl and whine and gripe every single time a Democrat is elected... but when they're in power they do far worse than what they blame the Democrat for.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/04/14/158424/republican-leaders-debt-limit-hypocrisy/
http://www.ontheissues.org/SenateVote/Party_2005-63.htm
(and scores of others -- the GOP is a gaggle of proven hypocrites.)
And, Boehner, your words in that video are very harsh, and inaccurate - based on your own history (not just your party's). Shame on you. Seriously.
Looks like he has serious manlove for Obama ;O
Look at Apple: 15 years ago it was losing money and heavily in debt. Did JObs com ein and take a meat cleaver to expenses? No, he oversaw the development of the "i" series of products that has given Apple the second highes market value in the world through the growth of the business. That is a model for what America must do.
"We know, however, that there are some very real differences between our two parties," he said. "Republicans want to balance the budget; the president doesn't. Republicans want to solve our long-term debt problem; the president doesn't."
What Boehner would have said if he was telling the truth:
"We know, however, that there are some very real differences between our two parties," he said. "Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of those getting Social Security and Medicare; the president wants to balance it on the backs of the rich. Both parties want to solve our long-term debt problems, but only if there is minimal pain to their own core constituencies."
HOW HAS HE BEEN SOCIALIST?
You really need to pay more attention to the news, IAM4 (couldn't read the rest of your pseudonym... had a lot of pretentious gibber in it...)