President Barack Obama dismissed criticism he does n't spend enough time developing relationships with Washington deal-makers who can help push his agenda forward . In an exclusive interview with CNN chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin , Obama said he is determined to make time for his family . `` Sometimes Michelle and I not doing the circuit and going out to dinners with folks is perceived as us being cool , '' Obama said . `` It actually really has more to do with us being parents . '' The president has been criticized from all sides for failing to achieve more bipartisanship , especially given his 2008 campaign pledge to bridge partisan and ideological divides once in office . Some of the president 's frustrated allies have complained that a seeming reluctance to build relationships with more members of Congress and Washington insiders has made it difficult for him to get business done . Romney gets more personal . In the interview , which will air as part of the documentary `` Obama Revealed : The Man , The President , '' Obama suggested he is willing to build those relationships , but often turns down social engagements because he prioritizes time at home with his children . `` Sometimes on the weekends , we may turn down the invitation to this or that or the other just because we 're trying to carve out family time , '' Obama said . `` And I think that 's sometimes interpreted as me not wanting to be out there slapping backs and wheeling and dealing . That really has more to do with just the stage we are in our lives . '' Asked if things would change if he 's elected to a second term , Obama said , `` My hope is that getting past this election , people will have an opportunity to maybe step back and say , 'You know what ? The differences that divide us are n't as important as the common bonds we have as Americans . ' `` `` And some of that I 'm sure will require additional effort on my part . Hopefully , we 'll see more effort on the other side , as well , '' he added . David Maraniss , who penned biographies of former President Bill Clinton and Obama , said the current president `` is not going to become this great transactional politician , '' like Clinton . `` Bill Clinton was imbalanced . He would spend the hours between 6:00 and 9:00 ( p.m. ) talking to people in Congress , '' Maraniss said . `` Whereas President Obama is basically with his family during those hours , which is sort of a balanced thing to do but not necessarily good for a president . '' One of the president 's closest friends and aides , Valerie Jarrett , said Obama `` wants to be the kind of dad he never had . '' The president has been slammed by Republicans for what they consider an unwillingness to compromise , particularly in legislative matters . Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine , who worked closely with the president early in his term , said she is not sure Obama `` truly understands the relationship and interaction that occurs between the president and the legislative branch . '' `` Somehow , he thinks , well , the Congress is , you know , that 's their job and this is my job , '' Snowe said . `` But we have to really interact with one another , ultimately , to get the job done for the country . '' The president said he repeatedly reached out across the aisle in the hope of achieving bipartisan solutions , even at the expense of condemnation from members of his own party . It was the GOP , he said , that made reaching across party lines nearly impossible . `` If anything , I think I received a lot of criticism from my own party for going out of my way to try to solicit Republican cooperation , '' Obama said . `` The fact of the matter was that politically there was a decision that was made fairly early on , among some of their leadership , that said working with the president is not good politics . ''
Obama has been criticized for failing to build relationships with Washington insiders . Clinton spent evenings talking to lawmakers ; Obama spends that time with family , biographer says . Comment: