Obama sees areas for compromise with GOP

[mike r]

Source: Associated Press

Ahead of midterm elections likely to produce big Republican gains, President Barack Obama said Monday that conservative activists are right to be worried about the deficit and he foresees compromising with the GOP on that issue and others.

Responding to a question at a backyard town hall with middle-class Virginians, Obama extended an unusual olive branch to tea party activists even as he implicitly acknowledged he'll be confronting empowered congressional Republicans after November's elections. Whether the GOP retakes the House or just makes big gains there and in the Senate, Obama's comments indicated the president has been thinking about how to move forward without the large Democratic majorities he's enjoyed since taking office.

"Where I think we have a great opportunity to work together is on the issue of our long-term debt," Obama told a resident who asked how he planned to work with a Congress heavier on Republicans.

"I have to say I understand a lot of people who are upset on the other side, and some of them were rallying in D.C.," Obama said, referring to a rally Sunday by the FreedomWorks group that attracted tea party adherents. "I do understand people's legitimate fears about are we hocking our future because we're borrowing so much to finance debt and deficits. I understand that. ... So I think there's an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together and to say, 'What are the tough decisions we've got to make right now?'"


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