Obama will 'work with anyone of either party who’s got a good idea'

President Obama promised an effort to work with the other side of the aisle in his weekly address on New Year's Day, just days before the 112th Congress and a new GOP House majority begin.

"At the start of 2011, we’re still just emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime recession that’s taken a terrible toll on millions of families," Obama said. "We all have friends and neighbors trying to get their lives back on track."

The president said that the recovery is "gaining traction," but noted "serious decisions" loom about keeping the economy on track in the long run.

"In a few days, a new Congress will form, with one house controlled by Democrats, and one house controlled by Republicans – who now have a shared responsibility to move this country forward," Obama said. "And here’s what I want you to know: I’m willing to work with anyone of either party who’s got a good idea and the commitment to see it through.

"And we should all expect you to hold us accountable for our progress or our failure to deliver," he added.

Obama said that America had weathered a decade of unexpected threats and trials, but stressed that the new one was full of promise and opportunity.

"And if we just remember what America is capable of, and live up to that legacy, then I’m confident that we are poised for a period of progress – one in which our economy is growing, our standing in the world is rising, and we do what it takes to make sure America remains in the 21st century what it was in the 20th: the greatest country in the world," he said.

---