By Steve Holland WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama's campaign strategy for Democrats in the November elections is taking shape – appeal to Republicans to make compromises and if they do not, accuse them of obstruction. Obama is basically angling to call the bluff of Republicans who he believes have done nothing but stand in opposition to his proposals on revamping the US healthcare system and stimulating the economy. It is a strategy he is outlining in town-hall meetings and most recently at Democratic fund-raising events he held last week, as he seeks to regain his political footing after Democrats lost their 60-vote supermajority in the Senate. "I told my Republican friends I want to work together with them where I can – and I meant it," Obama said at a Democratic event on Thursday. "And I told them I will also call them out if they said they want to work on something then when I offer a hand, I get nothing in return." By the same token, Republicans are expressing a willingness to work with Obama – up to a point – and are interested to see if he really is willing to agree to some of their priorities. Sensing they stand to make big gains in congressional elections in November, they are in no mood to agree to anything that would raise taxes or increase government spending and budget deficits. "Republicans will not blindly abandon our commitment to the American people and throw out our principles," said the top Republican in the House of Representatives, John Boehner. And they are also wary of Obama, suspecting his newfound willingness to talk to them is a political ploy aimed at spotlighting their initiatives and ridiculing them. Obama's pledge to seek unity will be put to the test as early as this week. Tomorrow he hosts Democratic and Republican leaders from the House and Senate at the White House for talks on jobs and the economy. Democratic leaders are pushing a multibillion-dollar jobs bill that is expected to seek an extension of unemployment benefits and aid to beleaguered state budgets, among other items. Republicans want to see Obama hold true to pledges made in his State of the Union speech and seek measures to build more nuclear plants, increase offshore oil exploration and take steps to increase US exports such as entering into foreign trade agreements. Obama and his Democrats, struggling to bring down the country's 9.7 per cent jobless rate and having seen their healthcare overhaul stalled, are eager to prove to Americans they can generate results ahead of the November elections. "Voters are looking for results," said political analyst Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. "Right now they're frustrated that they're not seeing bipartisan results." Mindful that independent voters want to see bipartisanship and are disenchanted with Obama, Republicans are under pressure to prove they can join in governing, ahead of elections in which more than a third of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are at stake. Some see a potential for agreement on a scaled-backed healthcare initiative.
