Should President Obama even bother negotiating with the House?

Speaker John Boehner says he's done with one-on-one talks with the president. Maybe it's time for the feeling to be mutual

President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner
(Image credit: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has told his caucus that "he is done with private, one-on-one negotiations with President Obama," reports Russell Berman at The Hill. The break-up follows two torturous rounds of budget negotiations between the two men — the first in 2011 to raise the debt ceiling, and most recently to avert the fiscal cliff — that ended with no grand bargain and plenty of acrimony. According to Berman, Boehner "will return fully to the normal legislative process in 2013 — seeking to pass bills through the House that can be adopted, amended, or reconciled by the Senate."

Boehner's refusal to engage with Obama could be the seen as further evidence that the legislative process has broken down completely. No law can pass unless the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic president reach a compromise.

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.