Obama assails Republican foes, urges bipartisan effort

BALTIMORE Jan 29 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday scolded his Republican opponents for trying to block his legislative agenda at almost every turn and urged them to join a bipartisan push to create jobs and spur economic recovery.

The Democratic president delivered the double-edged message in a sometimes tense session at a Republican congressional retreat in Baltimore as he sought to dig out of his deepest political rut since taking office a year ago.

Facing down his Republican critics two days after a State of the Union speech aimed at reconnecting with the public, Obama sought to counter their attempt to paint him as a big-spending liberal who only wants to expand government.

"I am not an ideologue," Obama assured his audience, prompting some murmuring in the crowd. "I'm not."

Instead he accused Republicans of trying to obstruct him on efforts ranging from economic stimulus spending to healthcare reform.

He also suggested that the Republican strategy was aimed at building a case against his Democratic party to score points in the November congressional mid-term elections.

"These are serious times and what's required of all us is to do what's right for our country even if it's not best for our politics," Obama said. "There may be better things than poll numbers."

With his own poll numbers down and his presidency faltering after his first year, Obama has launched a drive this week to show Americans that he understands their economic pain.

A shocking Republican win last week in an election to the U.S. Senate in traditionally Democratic-dominated Massachusetts has cast much of Obama's legislative agenda in doubt and jolted him into reshaping his priorities.

He declared jobs his top concern in his State of the Union speech. Polls show Americans increasingly frustrated about 10 percent unemployment.

NO MINCED WORDS

Taking on his opponents, Obama did not mince words.

He charged that Republicans had unfairly depicted his now-stalled healthcare overhaul effort as "some Bolshevik plot" but said he nevertheless welcomed their ideas as Democratic leaders try to determine how to move the matter forward.

He slammed blanket Republican opposition to a $787 billion economic stimulus plan passed by the Democratic-led Congress last year, saying despite that opposition some Republican lawmakers appeared at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects in their districts funded by the program.

And he insisted that Friday's government report of 5.7 percent economic growth for the fourth quarter showed his efforts to jumpstart the economy were working.

While acknowledging double-digit unemployment could not be tolerated, Obama also reminded the lawmakers of the high joblessness and huge budget deficit he had inherited from his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

But Obama also appealed to Republicans to work with him to find common ground and show Americans their parties can move beyond partisan rancor that he has promised to end in Washington.

He cited a bank bailout tax, closing tax loopholes for companies that ship jobs overseas and a proposed three-year spending freeze on some domestic programs as areas for potential agreement.

"Join with me," he said. "Let's do this together, Republicans and Democrats." (Writing by Matt Spetalnick, additional reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by David Storey)