Obama, McConnell to size up chances of cooperation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Sen. Mitch McConnell are having a get-together at the White House to size up prospects for cooperation between Democrats and Republicans, who have shown little zest for deal-making since Obama took office over six years ago.

Wednesday’s Oval Office discussion will be the first one-on-one meeting between Obama and the Kentucky Republican since the GOP took control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections. McConnell — who famously said after Obama’s inauguration that his goal was to make him a one-term president — is poised to become Senate majority leader when the new Congress convenes next month.

Obama and McConnell have both spoken about their interest in cooperating on areas like tax reform and infrastructure investments, although working through the details will likely expose long-standing differences.

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