While Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) called his dinner with President Obama and 11 other Republican Senators Wednesday night a good experience and a step forward in deficit negotiations, he added it "should have happened years ago" and Obama needed to continue work on his relationship-building with Congress.
"It's going to take a while to build the kind of confidence and trust that's needed," Coburn said. "If you've had years of having somebody put their finger in your eye and question your motivations and ascribe to you things that aren't accurate, that takes some healing. I think it was very good for the president to have that dinner, and I think he needs to do a whole lot more of that, because relationships matter, and building trust and confidence and knowing you're not going to get gamed is the way you get something done for the American people."
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