'We're always happy to hear from the president, but I don't really feel any compelling need to do it [on camera],' Texas Sen. John Cornyn said. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Cornyn: No thanks to Obama Q & A

Senate Republicans don’t have much of an appetite to give President Barack Obama their version of question-and-answer time — not after seeing how Obama handled House Republicans last week.

“We’re always happy to hear from the president, but I don’t really feel any compelling need to do it [on camera],” Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the Republicans' chief campaign strategist, told POLITICO.


The White House has suggested that it would like Obama to address the Senate GOP Conference, with TV cameras present. Obama administration officials are eager for voters to see Obama operate in a format he relishes — and handle his former Senate colleagues the same way he did last week to House Republicans at their annual retreat.

Asked about the White House invitation to Senate Republicans, Cornyn said: “For what purpose? Was it for photo op or is it serious? The president can invite Mitch McConnell, John Boehner or anybody he wants for a serious talk about issues.”

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said this week that Obama had been planning to meet with Senate Republicans and that he "wouldn't have any problem with it being open [to cameras] if we spoke to the Senate Republicans, too."

Obama had an on-camera question-and-answer session this week with Senate Democrats at their annual retreat at Washington’s Newseum, but there's little desire to a similar give-and-take among the entire 41-member Senate GOP Conference.

"They don't want anything to do with it," said a GOP insider. "They want the whole thing to just go away."

Republicans have considered several different formats for any session with Obama, including a "roundtable discussion," but don't believe that it will benefit them politically if Obama comes off as well as he did in Baltimore.

A top GOP aide said Senate Republicans "have already held their annual conference," and that, at this point, "there's nothing to invite the president to."

This source noted that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will be part of a "Big Four" meeting of top members from each party with Obama on Tuesday, the first in what is supposed to be a regular monthly session with the president.

"If they want to put that on camera, we'd support that," said the GOP aide of the White House.

Cornyn acknowledged that Obama was "in his element" in his meeting with House Republicans.

"I can see why he and his handlers would want to replicate that,” Cornyn said. "I think we’re more interested in serious public policy issues rather than providing another photo-opportunity for the president.”