Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

What's behind president's Republican outreach?

Details

  • Description

    All-Star panel weighs in

  • Duration 7:47
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Knowledge that we because of change circumstances with the imposition of the sequestered there is day.

Increased focus on engagement because of the opportunity the circumstances provide.

You know he's trying to make.

Something good out of a bad situation.

-- approach of campaigning in America and and really being quite confrontational hasn't been working so well and so I'm hoping that this is a new approach.

On the part of the president to reach out to have some dialogue to see if there's common ground.

Because we've got some really serious challenges and so much we can accomplish.

-- -- find that common ground.

Well the president is aggressively reaching out that's what Republicans are saying that senator Toomey was one of many senators.

I invited to dinner at the Jefferson Hotel here in Washington last night as they see the list of Republican senators who attended and then today.

Representative Paul Ryan of course.

Vice presidential nominees also the House Budget Committee chairman was at -- along with Chris van Holland who was on our -- last night.

The speaker of the house is optimistic but maybe not to optimist.

Now he's gonna after being an office now over four years he's actually -- a sit down and talk to members.

I think it's a sign a hopeful side.

And I'm hopeful -- -- come out of it but.

If the president continues to insist on -- so they're very -- for the president doesn't believe the we have a spending problem.

I don't know we're gonna get -- for but some optimist.

With that let's bring in our panel Jason Riley editorial board member of the Wall Street Journal.

AB Stoddard associate editor of the hill and syndicated columnist Charles -- OK Jason welcome back what do your thoughts this outrage.

I think the president does not scared his on the defensive I think his poll numbers are down a little bit the Wall Street Journal poll last week said that.

Republicans are closing the gap with Democrats when it comes to handling of the economy.

He said the economy would suffer as part of the sequester but investors disagree the Dow was up.

And I think his biggest concern here is that the public might figure out that cutting.

85 billion dollars out of a three point six trillion dollar budget.

Will not in the world.

-- -- I agree -- municipal that the president.

Do unlike what Jay Carney said.

Did changes strategy and they realize they had to his poll numbers -- sinking very rapidly actually.

And that he was.

Unable to campaign against sequester cuts.

While at the same time failing to really -- engage in replacing them and get away with it just wasn't helping him drag down Republicans as well as the president.

Look you know I'm glad he's doing this I'm always for it's quite late but it's not too late.

If the president is going to do this just for show obviously that's a waste of time that if he actually -- some Republican senators mentioned last night.

He's trying to engage in payment in it in an honest discussion about us true concessions on.

-- Medicare reforms and that's a good start.

How.

-- -- the line -- Charles I guess is the question with.

Where he starts taking -- hammering from his own party.

After their enthusiasm about his inauguration speech and his first strategy of going after Republicans.

Now it seems like it's -- it's a much different strategy and doesn't start to take it on the chin from the left I'm not sure that he was responding to is -- He's a second term president he's not gonna be he's not going to be up for re election.

I think what he did starting with the election.

Fiscal cliff and sequester was for his own sake for his own presidency and legacy.

To try to crush the Republicans to improve on the victory ended November.

By.

Neutering the Republican House which is.

Which is the obstacle to him and -- the vision he has of America that he outlined in his inaugural addressed.

Neutering your narrow and these two years and then you -- beating -- in the mid term elections to control.

All of congress in the last two years -- strategy was to go against them.

To work to make that case that there are currently in the rich he tried it Enron and the election -- exceeded.

He tried it on the fiscal cliff it succeeded and it crashed on the sequestered.

The apocalypse he predicted made him look ridiculous and cynical and when you close the White House.

And you keep out these Iowa kids everybody understands that united leading you play games that's really heard of in the poll numbers.

Speaking of which.

The white -- secretary was asked about this these Iowa six graders.

Who went to FaceBook to make their appeal of going to the White House.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The Secret Service like other agencies of government is affected by the sequestered.

And the Secret Service presented options.

Mid range from canceling tours to.

Potential furloughs and cuts in overtime for the White House made -- decision it.

We would unfortunately have to temporarily suspend.

These -- -- -- tradeoffs here are never good because of the nature of the cuts in the way that the law is written if you're given flexibility your option is to.

Give less money to disabled kids so you can get more money to -- as.

You know more support for kids -- -- this is this this is a similar kind of tradeoff and it's very unfortunate.

Just.

It's it is ridiculous it is unfortunate -- can agree -- the last statement that mr.

Carney made I had the stunts he's pulling him from releasing illegal immigrants in detention centers.

Talk about aircraft -- air traffic controller shortages.

Teacher layoffs I mean.

That the president's goal here is to inflict an actual amount of pain as a result this question.

In order for the public to help pressure Republicans into -- Two more tax hikes we know that is that's all we know that every effort the Republicans have made trying to ease the pain of these cuts.

White House has rejected -- -- more.

FaceBook appeals from six graders and fourth graders and third graders from the White House sustained for the -- start again.

More -- spring breaks out of feeling that they're going to remind something tells me.

But this is really part of the Republicans mixed message on the sequester -- -- Knew that the White House might somewhere secretly in -- dark closet have the ability.

To monkey around with -- sequester -- OK so.

There will be sequester oversight hearings that will be general accounting office reports for years to calm about sequester hocus pocus.

But Republicans told us -- I was gonna fall first and then they said it was going to be fine so there are so bungled up on the PR message themselves.

Knowing that the that the White House could probably do this was a -- -- -- You know that kind -- explanation.

Was truly jumping the shark.

He's talking about kids in the White House and all of us that the ends with throwing orphans in the snow in the week who want to.

But we have -- -- Republicans and forced us.

I have an idea if you wanna kids in the White -- and and support -- with the funds.

That the president's.

Travel expenses alone for from the gulf and -- -- Tiger Woods we would pay for a year -- White House.

-- visits so I suggest that perhaps he curtail the travel.

Well perhaps auction off the set of clubs and -- might be able to allow those Iowa Todd.

To come through the White House.

All right thanks I'm not cynical and a good kick -- and -- --

Load More