Obama not backing down amid deep partisan division

WASHINGTON - The tone and tenor of the Obama White House since Democrats suffered a crushing defeat to the GOP during the November midterm elections have been anything but conciliatory, and have raised doubts about whether the president can - or wants to - break through partisan gridlock in Congress before voters choose his successor next year.

The president will enter the House chamber tonight for his sixth State of the Union address riding a wave of confidence driven by an improving economy and brightening public approval ratings. And he seems as defiant as ever.

Although Obama has vetoed just two bills in his six years, the White House has threatened to veto five measures from Congress this month alone - including legislation that would authorize the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, tie funding of the Department of Homeland Security to a rollback of Obama's executive actions on immigration and impose new economic sanctions on Iran.

Obama vowed in a private meeting with Democrats last week that he will play 'offense” during the final two years of his presidency, building on the aggressive executive actions he laid out over the past two months. The legislative proposals he has previewed - including a plan for free community college and a revamping of the tax code - have been based firmly on his terms, drawing objections from Republicans.

In the weeks leading up to the speech, Obama has toured the country trying to build momentum, putting Republicans on the defensive. Twenty-two guests will join first lady Michelle Obama in her box during tonight's address, as the president seeks to illustrate his priorities for improving the lives of middle-class Americans. Obama will travel to Boise, Idaho, and Lawrence, Kan., this week to follow up on his speech in a pair of deep-red states.

'America's resurgence is real,” Obama said in his weekly radio address. 'Our job now is to make sure that every American feels that they're a part of our country's comeback. That's what I'll focus on in my State of the Union - how to build on our momentum, with rising wages, growing incomes and a stronger middle class. And I'll call on this new Congress to join me in putting aside the political games and finding areas where we agree so we can deliver for the American people.”

White House aides said they see no contradiction in Obama's approach to dealing with the GOP-controlled Congress, and they point out that some of his proposals received Republican support in the past. They say Obama is eager to work with the GOP in areas where there is common ground. Republicans have been adopting a more populist message on the economy, emphasizing mobility and wage growth, ahead of the 2016 presidential race.

Yet as Obama takes his case to the American public, he has made clear that he doesn't intend to cede much ground to his rivals.

'Some of them are going to be legislative proposals Republicans may not love, but we'll push them,” White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.”

The president's proposal to raise $320 billion in new revenue over 10 years by increasing taxes and fees for wealthy Americans and big financial institutions angered Republicans, who had cited tax reform as a potential area of compromise.

'I would guess the president would love for Republicans in Congress to take the bait or to somehow have our heads turned away from working toward constructive solutions in some cases,” Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said when asked about Obama's strategy. 'Our goal should be to perform, to show we can legislate responsibly, to show that we are steady, to show that we look out in advance for oncoming issues that need to be dealt with, and that we don't have the herky-jerky, stop-start, government-on and government-off method that's been occurring in recent times.”