Working together

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.

President Barack Obama met with Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress on Tuesday at the White House to try to find common ground. The meeting was described as productive, which is a welcome sign.

With Republicans set to take control of the House of Representatives next month, the president extended a hand in an offer of bipartisanship. That will be needed if the nation is to move forward.

Although the meeting failed to produce any agreements on policy, the president was optimistic and suggested a future discussion with congressional leaders at Camp David, the presidential retreat.

“Today we had the beginning of a new dialogue that I hope — and I’m sure most Americans hope — will help break through the noise and help produce gains,” Obama said.

Republican Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the incoming House speaker, said it was a “very nice meeting.”

“Of course, we’ve had a lot of very nice meetings,” Boehner said. “The question is, can we find the common ground that the American people expect us to find?”

That is the question, and it’s going to be difficult, given that the Republicans have shown little interest in working with the Democrats. After his election in 2008, the president made several attempts to work with Republicans, but he was rebuffed time and again.

Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell claim they are willing and laid out their thoughts in a piece in Tuesday’s Washington Post titled, “Where we and the Democrats can work together.” But their philosophy essentially boils down to this: Republicans will “work with” Democrats if Democrats do what Republicans want.

The extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, which was a key topic of Tuesday’s meeting, is a prime example how this approach has played out. Boehner and McConnell say they want to find common ground, and there is plenty on the tax cuts. Both Democrats and Republicans generally agree that the tax cuts should be extended to about 98 percent of all Americans. The disagreement is over whether the wealthiest Americans should get an extension of all of the tax cuts — Republicans say yes, Democrats say no.

That disagreement has trumped any kind of deal so far — so much for common ground.

In his effort to be bipartisan, Obama announced Tuesday that he had assigned two senior administration officials to work with leaders in Congress to try to find a compromise on the issue.

Republicans, meanwhile, have dug in. They have made it clear that they will fight anything that doesn’t include tax breaks for their wealthy patrons. If the cuts do expire, the GOP is ready to blame the Democrats for the resulting “tax hikes.” Never mind that a Republican Congress passed the tax cuts — with an expiration date.

People don’t want any more of the rancorous partisanship in Washington. Obama has repeatedly shown his willingness to work with Republicans, and Tuesday’s meeting was yet another attempt. Now it’s time for Boehner and company to put their words into action.