Obama: Washington must put 'numbing' weight of politics aside

President Barack Obama will renew his call for bipartisanship in his State of the Union address Wednesday evening despite a turbulent first year in office marked by partisan squabbling.

According to excerpts of the speech, Obama will call on Democrats and Republicans "to work through our differences, to overcome the numbing weight of our politics."

"In this new decade, it’s time the American people get a government that matches their decency, that embodies their strength," Obama will say.
 

The president, whose sweeping healthcare reform and economic policies have been opposed nearly en masse by Republicans concerned about big government, appears ready to return to themes central to his victory in the 2008 presidential campaign: hope and optimism. He will acknowledge the economic struggles Americans are facing but show confidence that the country has the "stubborn resilience" to recover.
 
"It is because of this spirit – this great decency and great strength – that I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight," he will say. "Despite our hardships, our union is strong."

Obama also plans to show he won't easily give up his top legislative priority, healthcare reform. The president will note that Americans will lose health coverage and see their costs increase unless government acts.
 
"I will not walk away from these Americans," Obama will say. "And neither should the people in this chamber."
 

The excerpts do not show whether Obama will press lawmakers to pass healthcare bills stalled by last week's Republican Senate victory in Massachusetts or whether he prefers a less-ambitious approach.
 
The president will also say he's ready to take on record federal deficits, spending levels and the influence of lobbyists.

He will call for legislation that strictly limits lobbyists' campaign contributions, the disclosure of each lobbyist contact between administration officials and Congress, and requirements that lawmakers to post earmark requests on a single website online.
 
Obama will say that the country faces a "mountain of debt" that can't be addressed until Washington deals with its "deficit of trust."
 
"To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists, to do our work openly, and to give our people the government they deserve," he said.

This article was updated at 7:41 p.m.

 

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