First, here's
the news:
President Obama will host congressional leaders at the White House later Wednesday, a White House official said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have all been invited to attend, the official said.
During the meeting, Obama will call on the "House to pass the clean CR to reopen the government, and call on Congress to act to raise the debt ceiling to pay the bills we have already incurred and avoid devastating consequences on our economy."
In other words, he's asking for a meeting so that he can deliver a face-to-face version of the same pitch he's been making in public: End the government shutdown and avoid an economic shutdown and do it without demanding a ransom.
Or, as House Speaker John Boehner's spokesman puts it, the president has now caved and given Republicans exactly what they wanted:
Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said the speaker will attend the meeting, which is set for 5:30 p.m. “We’re pleased the president finally recognizes that his refusal to negotiate is indefensible. It’s unclear why we’d be having this meeting if it’s not meant to be a start to serious talks between the two parties."
If that's really what Boehner's office believes, then they are going to be in for a rude awakening. Sure, anything is possible. Maybe Obama really is deciding to cave to the House Republican insane asylum even though roughly three-quarters of the country is on his side in this dispute.
But the far more likely scenario here is that Obama is calling this meeting to make it clear that his position remains the same: That House Republicans need to end this shutdown by passing legislation to fund government without attaching poison pills, and that they need to act swiftly to avoid an economic shutdown by raising the debt limit.
Even if Obama doesn't expect Boehner to cave, the meeting has value, not just because it helps him continue driving the story, but also because it makes it clear to House Republicans outside of Ted Cruz's orbit that if they want to end the GOP shutdown, supporting a clean CR is the only way to go.
Sign our petition thanking President Obama for refusing to negotiate with Republicans over the full faith and credit of the United States, and urging him to stay strong.