WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jason Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, issued this statement following today's meeting between President Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney:

"We commend President Obama and Governor Romney for meeting today.  Campaigns are understandably driven to emphasize differences.  Today's meeting reinforces the hard truth that governing requires the search for shared interests and collaboration among leaders with deeply held differences.

"While the nation remains deeply divided, Americans rightly demand that lawmakers solve problems.  The Congress has roughly twenty legislative days to avoid a deep blow to the already weakened economy. In a political environment that too often equates collaboration with weakness, the president's efforts to reach out to Republican leaders is important.

"Despite the rancor of the recent election, President Obama and Governor Romney each expressed the critical need to avoid the fiscal cliff, reduce the deficit by roughly $4 trillion, and support a combination of reductions in spending and new revenue.  While key differences remain between the parties, active bipartisan support for these basic goals will focus the nation and Congress on the hard decisions that lie ahead."

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center