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Published December 23, 2015
President Obama will tell the nation Tuesday night that he understands the bipartisan nature of governing in this post-mid-term world and he's willing to make it happen. "With their votes, the American people determined that governing will now be a shared responsibility between parties. New laws will only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans," he says in excerpts released by the White House. "We will move forward together, or not at all - for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics."
After the GOP won the House in November, the president openly stated his intent to work with Republican leaders on deficit reduction and curbing government spending, among other issues. While the idea was welcomed by the GOP, many have been skeptical at best about Mr. Obama's performance thus far on that front. In a meeting with reporters Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner was asked what the level of outreach has been from the president to him. Boehner held up his hand and signaled with his hand a zero sign, saying, "[Z]ero... none... zilch."
However, there appears to be a collective open mind among GOPers about what the president will say in Tuesday's speech.
The president is expected to call for a federal freeze in spending, Fox News has learned, and in newly-released excerpts, ponder the old Washington question about whether two parties can truly work together.
The president will say, "At stake right now is not who wins the next election - after all, we just had an election. At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It's whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded. It's whether we sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world. We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again."
The president will hone in on what the public is likely listening for: what he will do about unemployment.
"[W]e have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone," he's expected to say. "We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children. That's the project the American people want us to work on. Together."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/excerpts-presidents-state-of-the-union-call-for-bipartisanship