Obama: ‘America will be watching’ to see if GOP will cooperate

President Barack Obama went on the attack against Republicans on
Saturday, accusing the GOP of obstructing a litany of his legislative
priorities in Congress.

The president struck a decidedly
partisan note in his address, castigating Senate Republicans in
particular for using their 41-vote bloc to slow down and filibuster a
number of pieces of legislation.

{mosads}”What we need is a willingness in Washington to put the public’s
interests first – a willingness to score fewer political points so that
we can start solving more problems,” Obama said. “That’s why I was
disappointed this week to see a dreary and familiar politics get in the
way of our ability to move forward on a series of critical issues that
have a direct impact on people’s lives.”

Obama took aim in particular at the Senate’s failure to end debate
and pass legislation containing a series of extensions to unemployment
benefits, tax credits, and other benefits.

The Senate voted
56-40 on Thursday night to end debate, four short of the 60 senators
needed on such a vote. One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), joined
with the GOP on the vote.

The president hammered Republicans on that stalled legislation, as
well as on GOP efforts to hold up legislation to raise the liability
cap for oil companies that suffer accidents, as well as 136 nominees to
federal positions requiring a confirmation vote.

“All we ask for is a simple up or down vote,” he said. “That’s what the American people deserve.”

It
was on these partisan notes that Obama sought to set the stage for a
bipartisan meeting on Wednesday at the White House, where he’ll look to
build consensus with lawmakers on an energy bill that can win enough
support to pass through Congress.

Republicans have already criticized Obama for his Oval Office
address on Tuesday, and using that time to talk about the need for an
energy bill, legislation that, in its current form, Republicans
contend, results in a “national energy tax.”

Next week, Obama implored, should be more productive and less partisan.

“Whether
we are Democrats or Republicans, we’ve got an obligation that goes
beyond caring about the next election. We have an obligation to care
for the next generation,” he said. “So I hope that when Congress
returns next week, they do so with a greater spirit of compromise and
cooperation. America will be watching.”