Obama, House GOP hold "very frank" meeting on debt limit
Updated 2:32 p.m. Eastern Time
No political blood was spilled as President Obama and House Republicans spent the better part of 90 minutes discussing the economy, the debt limit and job creation.
"It was a very productive meeting," Speaker John Boehner told reporters afterward. He went on to call it a "very frank" exchange.
On the morning after the House voted down a bill to increase the debt limit by $2.4-trillion, the Speaker cited a statement from 150 economists who say government spending cuts should exceed the size of the increase in the debt limit.
"This is the moment. This is the window of opportunity where we can deal with this on our terms," Boehner said about the meeting with the president.
A White House spokesman later echoed Boehner's characterization of the meeting.
"It was a very frank discussion," said press secretary Jay Carney, "but I would not say it was confrontational." He too called the session useful and productive.
No agreement was reached between the White House and the House majority. Carney said the debt limit issue wasn't discussed for very long, but the president remains optimistic common ground can be found.
"There's enough common ground to achieve significant deficit reduction," Carney told reporters at his daily press briefing.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-WI., made clear he had a bone to pick with Mr. Obama, trying to set him straight about GOP budget bill of which Ryan is the author.
"I simply explained what our plan is," said Ryan, who believes "it's been misdescribed" by the president and others. Ryan said he hopes from now on, the president "won't mischaracterize" the plan.
Ryan and others also expressed the hope this meeting would end what they see as White House demagoguery in criticizing Republican economic proposals.
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy came away heartened that Mr. Obama said he's committed to real spending cuts in the government and also the need for entitlement reform.
The meeting was closed to press coverage, but Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) was posting photos from the East Room as the meeting was underway. White House spokesman Jay Carney raised no objection. "I'm fine," he said.
Maybe next time, Issa can take a tape recorder. Or the White House can save Issa the trouble and let reporters cover the meeting.
