Just over 11 months ago, Rep. Joe Barton stood up at a White House fiscal summit and told the new president that a little bit of bipartisanship would go a long way, on health care and a host of other agenda items.

The president took the point under advisement. "The majority has to be inclusive," he told the Arlington Republican. "On the other hand, the minority has to be constructive."

The State of the Union speech Wednesday night provided Barack Obama yet another crucible after a year of hurt feelings, stumbles on his top domestic priority, and a dramatic shift in political momentum.

For Texas Republicans, it didn't much matter what sweet nothings he came to whisper. They're just not ready to trust him, let alone provide the sort of bipartisan victories Democrats could use to survive as the majority party after November.

"If he'd listened to me last year at the White House, it'd be a whole different ballgame," Barton said. "I hate to say 'I told you so.' "

Obama, like presidents before him, campaigned on changing the ways of Washington. But when it comes to partisan rancor, little is different from when George W. Bush was in the White House. Now, with a scary political climate for Democrats and the loss of their supermajority in the Senate, can Obama implement the changes he promised Wednesday?

Texas Republicans say they don't think he'll give enough ground. And the GOP, like Democrats, might already be locking into position for the fall campaigns, ensuring more legislative logjams.

"A year ago, there was no interest on their part in working with me, because they had 256 votes in the House and 60 in the Senate, and what do we need any Republicans for?" said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville. "Maybe now the question should be: Why should Republicans work with Democrats? "

Obama chided both parties to set aside their "tired old battles" and tossed Republicans a number of crowd-pleasing lines, promising more offshore drilling and a push for long-stalled trade deals with Panama, South Korea and Colombia.

"What frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day," he said.

He urged fellow Democrats to buck up despite the loss in Massachusetts.

"We still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills," Obama said. But he had this warning for Republicans: "Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership."

GOP sore spots

Health care was the biggest sore spot heading into the speech. Even though Obama worked hard to change the focus to the economy and job creation – a move welcomed by Republicans – the bitterness of his first year won't easily fade.

"They thought they had the votes," Barton said. "I don't know that he has it in him to change tactics."

Obama's call for ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gay service members, and for a new comprehensive immigration policy, were among the many signals that he won't readily cave on all fronts, even if he retrenches in some areas.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Dallas, a leading fiscal conservative, was looking for far more contrition than Obama was willing to offer for a year of overspending. Something like: " 'I had a stimulus plan. Looked good on the chalk board; it didn't work,' " Hensarling said.

Embracing a capital gains tax cut or some other central GOP goal would be a show of good faith, he said before the speech – and he applauded when Obama delivered, partially, with a call for tax breaks on small-business investment.

Still, "the president does have an opportunity to pivot," as President Bill Clinton did when Democrats lost the House in 1994, Hensarling said.

Burgess also cited the Clinton precedent, though he doubts Obama is willing to start governing from the center. "I'm not sure if he can be as adept at adapting as Bill Clinton was," he said.

Republicans went into the speech harping on backroom deals on health care; the decision to treat the Christmas Day airline bomber as a criminal instead of a terrorist; a spending freeze proposal that applies to only a fraction of the budget; and a litany of other slights, omissions and failings.

"The easiest way to extend an olive branch is to simply ask conservatives to participate, which he has not done, which [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi has not done, which none of the Democrat leadership has done from Day 1," said Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston.

Frustration all around

That frustration extends to both parties.

In the Senate this week, with no one listening but the stenographer and C-SPAN viewers, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., pleaded for détente. "We're all hankering for a good, bipartisan moment," she said.

Republicans see a congressional majority, though still unlikely, within their grasp, so they may be disinclined to give Obama any victories. And the two Republicans leading the effort to win GOP seats are from Texas: Rep. Pete Sessions of Dallas and Sen. John Cornyn.

Democrats accused Republicans of cynicism for demanding that a party with a clear majority unilaterally change its ways.

Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, head of the Democrats' Senate campaign committee, told CNN that "when we hear about 'slow down and start over,' it really means 'don't do anything.' Republicans have come to the conclusion that the president's failure not only in health care but across the board is their way to political victory."

Unlike some Republicans, Burgess is openly optimistic that cooperation can improve in coming months. Certainly, he joked, "there are enormous opportunities that have been unexplored."

On the other hand, he acknowledged Menendez's point. Many Republicans do see advantage as Democrats flail.

Burgess said he'd rather keep pushing for common ground than step aside as Obama and his party self-destruct. But it's up to the president to show enough good faith to rebuild trust with his detractors. One speech won't do the trick.

"He's the president. It's his obligation to try to rectify that," Burgess said.


To view the original article, click here.