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Guess who’s going out to dinner again? Another dozen senators will dine with President Barack Obama Wednesday night at the Jefferson Hotel, but this time they will be Democrats.
Obama dined last month with a dozen Republicans at the hotel and last week at the White House with a dozen more.
Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray, Wash., helped put together the dinner, according to a Senate Democratic aide, who confirmed an AP report.
Other invited senators include Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein of California, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Chris Coons of Delaware, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Mark Warner of Virginia, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Oregon’s Ron Wyden.
The charm offensive appeared to bear some fruit last week when 16 Republicans — 13 of whom had dined with Obama — agreed to debate gun legislation. But most of those Republican votes have since peeled away from supporting the Manchin-Toomey amendment that would broaden background checks.
The president also has some wooing of Democrats to do when it comes to his proposals to reach a grand bargain on the deficit, and in particular his proposal to adopt a stingier measure of inflation for Social Security and other federal benefits.
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