WASHINGTON — It’s lonely at the top.
President Obama has been dissed repeatedly by congressional Republicans who’ve turned down his invites to the White House — including for a recent screening of “Lincoln” with Director Steven Spielberg.
“Most people who know me know I’m a pretty friendly guy,” Obama said yesterday when asked if he didn’t socialize enough with lawmakers. “And I like a good party.”
But Obama insisted he’s no party pooper.
“Now that my girls are getting older, they don’t want to spend that much time with me anyway … I’m getting kind of lonely in this big house,” he complained. “So maybe a whole bunch of members of the House Republican caucus want to come over and socialize more.”
House Speaker John Boehner has yet to accept an invitation to a White House State Dinner. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell turned down an invitation to celebrate the University of Kentucky’s championship basketball team last year. Four Republicans even turned down the chance to screen the Oscar-nominated “Lincoln” with Obama and cast-members. (Top Democrats did attend).
On the night of the screening, Boehner “was in DC, but had to be at the Capitol to swear in a new member of Congress from New Jersey,” Boehner’s spokesman told the Post.
“When I’m over here at the congressional picnic and folks are coming up and taking pictures with their family, I promise you, Michelle and I are very nice to them and we have a wonderful time,” Obama insisted. “But it doesn’t prevent them from going onto the floor of the House and blasting me for being a big-spending socialist.”
“I promise you, we invite folks from Congress over here all the time. And when they choose to come, I enjoy their company,” Obama said. “Sometimes they don’t choose to come, and that has to do with the fact that I think they don’t consider the optics useful for them politically.”
After venting about the rejected invitations, Obama said the American people would punish sharply partisan lawmakers, which could lead to a change in behavior in Congress. “And that will be true whether I’m the life of the party or a stick in the mud,” he concluded.