This week, Obama will meet privately with the caucus at the White House in the latest attempt to define a sometimes strained relationship between Congress’s most recognizable legislative coalition and its highest-profile 
former member. The session with Obama comes just days after a closed-door, clear-the-air meeting last Thursday between the caucus and White House chief of staff Bill Daley.
Neither side would outline the agenda for the upcoming meeting, tentatively scheduled for late this week.
The membership has long complained that, in addressing the sluggish economy, Obama has neglected chronic problems in the African-American community — including an unemployment rate that’s nearly twice the national average. The caucus has also criticized the president for negotiating away funding for key social programs during the last budget fight — most notably, canceling federal funding for abortions in Washington.
But the White House insists Obama hasn’t forgotten black voters, who still give him approval ratings above 80 percent. Aides also note that despite three overseas military conflicts and bare-knuckle budget fights with Republicans — not to mention the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound and the launch of Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign — the president is making sure the lines of communication with the CBC are open.
“Like any relationship, there will be times when things aren’t where they need to be,” said Kevin Lewis, White House director of African-American media. “We felt it was important that they speak to the president” and clear time on his calendar.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), chairman of the caucus, insisted the organization’s relationship with Obama — who was its only Senate representative when he held office from 2005 to 2008 — is strong.
“We want nothing more than to see President Obama succeed,” Cleaver said in a statement to POLITICO. The organization, he added, has had conflicts with Obama’s predecessors, and “no good, solid relationship is devoid of disagreements. We look forward to building upon our strong relationship.”
Still, the 42-year-old organization believed Obama’s 2008 election would give it a stronger White House advocate. Factor in the president’s high approval numbers among African-American voters, however, and CBC members find themselves in a difficult spot explaining why they haven’t done more to help constituents.
“All you’ve got to do is look at the unemployment numbers from Friday as a starting point. You’ve got 16.1 percent African-American unemployment and 9 percent nationally,” a source familiar with CBC politics told POLITICO. “Members are confronted with that every time they go back to their districts. … That’s a tough position to be in when your former colleague is now the president of the United States.”
And it’s happening at a time when the 43-member caucus, which includes one Republican but no senators in its ranks, is fighting through perhaps its most difficult period. Because the GOP holds an overwhelming majority in the House, the CBC’s power — and its profile — has been diminished substantially.
Nevertheless, Obama publicly reached out to the caucus ahead of last year’s midterm elections. Speaking at a Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner, he urged members to get out the vote in their districts to keep Democrats in power.
“I need everybody here to go back to your neighborhoods, to go back to your workplaces, to go to churches and go to the barbershops and go to the beauty shops,” he said, “and tell them we’ve got more work to do.”
