Whitehouse invites/calls CBO director to meeting

[volinbham]

Big deal or no big deal? I saw in another news story that this has rarely (if ever) happened that a POTUS would call in the CBO head for a meeting; particularly when ongoing legislation is happening and the CBO analysis is unfavorable to the POTUS.

Republicans Assail President Obama Meeting with Congressional Budget Office Director As Inappropriate - Political Punch

Interesting that the invite came after the CBO analysis said this:

He said those in the meeting also discussed “various policy options that could produce budgetary savings in the long run.” He described why last week he assessed the health care legislation offered by Senate Democrats as failing in the president’s stated goal of bending the cost curve of health care. “In the legislation that has been reported we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount,” Elmendorf testified last week. “And on the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs.”

This tactic seems smarmy to me. Clearly Obama is trying to exert some influence on the CBO.

 

[T-TownVol]

another example of "change" from this administration

this is pressure from the top, plain and simple. do you think that it is because the CBO does not recognize ANY of the 2/3 of the funds, that BHO says will come from changes inside the current system, as valid

 

[droski]

i really think obama doesn't know what to do and is generally shocked when other people in gov't don't think he is a genius and question his socialist policies. this is a guy way too used to getting his arse kissed.

 

[topnotch03]

There should never be any direct contact between the president and the cbo, but let's look who the president is

 

[droski]

imagine if bush had done the same thing what hte media reaction woudl have been.

 

[VolFan32]

imagine if bush had done the same thing what hte media reaction woudl have been.

They would have jumped on him and called him a dictator.