The president has invited members of Congress from both parties for a meeting at the White House next Tuesday, the first of the bipartisan brainstorming sessions that Mr. Obama proposed during the State of the Union address. Republicans will also be invited to the White House this weekend to watch the Super Bowl, as well as to Camp David and other venues for social visits.
The outreach represents a marked shift in both strategy and substance by Mr. Obama and his allies at a time when Democrats are adapting to the loss of their 60-vote supermajority in the Senate and the president has been losing support among independent voters…
Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, when asked if Democrats might be trying to create a treacherous political situation for Republicans, responded, “They might be.”
“When we do policy and get good results, there is always the possibility that Democrats might gain a little politically,” he said. “But I think our main job here is to help the country.”
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