Obama To Press Corps: I Can’t Make GOP Cooperate On Budget [View all]

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Obama To Press Corps: I Can’t Make GOP Cooperate On Budget

Brian Beutler

President Obama devoted several minutes at a surprise Tuesday White House press briefing to combating the conventional wisdom that it’s within his power — and the power of the presidency more generally — to make members of Congress, particularly members of the opposite party, cooperate.

But though he placed the onus on congressional Republicans to work constructively with him — specifically to replace sequestration — he did allude to an ongoing effort to provide GOP elected officials with the political cover they need to reach a budget agreement with Democrats.

Responding to a question from ABC’s Jonathan Karl that was premised on the notion that Obama might not have enough “juice” to push the rest of his agenda through Congress, Obama reminded the assembled reporters that elected officials are independent agents who reach their own policymaking decisions.

“You seem to suggest somehow these folks over there have no responsibilities and my job is to somehow get them to behave,” Obama said. “That’s their job. They’re elected, members of Congress are elected, to do what’s right for their constituents and the American people.”

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