Could cooperation break out on Capitol Hill?

News coverage of Friday's meeting of President Obama and Congressional leaders has focused on two jocular but in-your-face comments the new president made. I found another quote far more interesting. Obama at one point is said to have told some Republican leaders that if they want to get something done they have to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh -- and when House Minority Whip Eric Cantor pressed his argument, Obama drew laughter by saying, according to one account, "We have a difference of opinion, and I won." But the really important quote came from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a true believer on the Republican side. "Anyone who belittles cooperation resigns him or herself to a state of permanent legislative gridlock, and that is simply no longer acceptable to the American people," he said. "Republicans will choose bipartisan solutions over partisan failures every single time." Regardless of their radio listening habits, if Congressional Republicans listen to McConnell there is some possibility that something will actually get done. Lest some stories you read or hear give you the impression that Obama swatted Cantor down like a fly, he read a handout from Cantor on Republican proposals, and while he disagreed with some points he also said, "Eric, I don't see anything crazy here." Some Republicans will have to work very hard to compromise and still be re-elected. For Republican senators it's not a big problem. Most red states have enough moderate voters for that. But on House side there are a number of Republicans whose districts could replace a compromising Congressman with someone more hardline. For the non-partisan, opinion is likely to tilt in favor of the Obama stimulus proposals because lower income recipients of federal largesse are more likely to spend it, and that's what the economy needs at the moment. (In a growing economy, it would make more sense to adopt Republican tax cuts for the affluent and rely on trickle-down.)