Pelosi: Obama outreach to engage GOP

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WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- Senate Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the president failing to meet with Republicans prior to this week's upcoming discussions isn't what caused gridlock.

Her comments on CNN's "State of the Union" come as President Barack Obama is planning a meeting with both Republican and Democratic members of Congress in an effort to work with them in a more direct fashion.

"I think the meetings are a good idea because you understand each other better," she said. "But ... not having these meetings is not why we haven't had progress before. We haven't had progress before because the Republicans were committed to blocking the initiatives of President Barack Obama."

Despite her comments, Pelosi said she hopes that the meetings will create legislative breakthroughs on issues like gun control, job creating and national security.

She said that if Obama can diffuse some of Republican's opposition to those major issues, elections can become less important.

"I think it is, let's get some things done together to make elections less important," she said. "Let's come together for the benefit of the American people, first and foremost."