President reaching out to Republicans for budget deal

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And the president continuing its push for a so called grand bargain speaking directly tied directly to Republicans about a budget deal today as even telling you he's having -- about fifteen minutes with leaders of the House Budget Committee a Republican chairman Paul Ryan.

And -- Democrat Chris van Holland.

The president kicked off his new effort to quite a good charm.

The opposition last night when he invited a dozen senate Republicans out for dinner breaking bread and the hope of breaking the sequester stalemate.

Senator Lindsey Graham spoke to Fox News after the knee up he indicates they're heading in the right direction but there's still a long way to go.

I can say that the presence in the campaigner in chief and it hasn't worked.

And at the end of the day this is his legacy his last term.

And I do believe that the Ronald Reagan model where he said -- -- Tip O'Neill is the right model.

The presence been a very distant figure to Republicans and Democrats.

He's always on the campaign trail.

I haven't talked to him in over a year.

But now he's engaging members of the senate and the house not just the leadership.

And I encourage the president to keep this up.

Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill save Social Security from bankruptcy by not just talking but by doing.

So I hope the president will win the perpetual campaign -- start governing governing means talking.

That is Washington bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal and wrote an article earlier this week.

Titled how made need to reach an elusive big deal Jerry is as part of the plan do you think this is the path towards that big deal.

Well I think if there is gonna be a big deal this is the path to you know I I agree with senator Graham.

In most respects but I don't think this is a case of Ronald Reagan reaching out to Tip O'Neill.

Leader to leader this is a case of the president reaching down below the leadership in trying to get some of those people in the middle of the senate and I referred to that in the com.

Earlier this week who really do want to get something done here they're just frustrated they can't get any traction because all this noise is going on above them -- below them.

This gives them a chance to be empowered you know the president reaches out people in the middle of the senate starting with Republicans and frankly he's gonna have to do the same thing with Democrats.

And saying look if you guys -- you can get going on something I'll have your back is that's the key here Republicans are gonna move -- a big deal.

Unless they are convinced the president will deliver democratic votes on cuts to entitlement spending and Democrats are gonna move unless they're convince Republicans.

In a tax reform deal will accept a little more revenue.

If that -- if those conditions can be created there's the potential here.

Well that's it will take some potential you know some are calling potential potential that underlie -- -- -- -- is summer calling as they charm offensive.

And I hesitate using those terms a little bit because.

It it -- is that this is temporary and a charm offensive you can kind of you know shrug off as a little and this curious your -- on the president's actions with the dinner and lunch do you think it's a true charm offensive or do you think maybe just maybe it's a tipping point.

Well it does matter what I think so much I have talked to some Republicans in the last to 24 hours about this.

And I think their view is that this is positive you know that there are guardedly optimistic that this represented change it's a move in the right direction.

There's some cynicism that this is about photo ops as opposed to substantive conversations.

One Republican said to me if you -- -- have serious conversations.

You do -- in private not in public and maybe that's true.

But on the other hand I think they've been waiting for this on the hill for a while they're not gonna turn it down now.

So I think you know despite some reservations and some belief that you're not gonna do a deal over dinner that's not is not that easy.

But that this is a different town and they're gonna play along those lines for awhile -- hope for the best.

Let's see if it continues one of the things that you wrote an article this week he said what's frustrating about the past years is that the two parties have -- is so much energy.

To under achieve.

It's interesting to see two different leadership style to see the president inviting you making these these dinner munching notations NEC senator Rand Paul filibustering on the floor.

Just you know last night for so many hours is because he passionately believes in something -- there.

Very different.

Types of leadership and people have different opinions about it but I'm curious what you think it says about.

The leadership we might see from either side.

Well I think what it says to me is that the sequester kind of brought the futility and the silliness of what we've been doing home to a lot of people I think about the sequester the sequester cut spending.

Want to areas of the budget that are small -- already shrinking.

Discretionary did domestic spending programs the congress approves every year.

And defense spending which is gone down a lot already it doesn't do anything about the things that are really creating the deficit the big entitlement programs.

They keep ballooning and we'll continue to do so for twenty or thirty more years.

So I think people look at this and they say well this doesn't make any sense we're attacking the deficit by going after the wrong things and leaving alone the things that really matter.

And I think maybe the sequester brought home to people.

The futility of continuing that -- and that's why I think for the first time in awhile.

We have a conversation about the big deal under way again and that's really what the president is trying to take advantage of people are willing to talk about something that makes more long -- sense.

After a lot of sort of silliness about short term steps.

Your article is published on Tuesday -- believe and so we saw quite a change of the last 48 hours and we look forward to what you say next week but these are handling rallies I didn't -- predict great to see you thank you aren't sure.

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President reaching out to Republicans for budget deal

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