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      WASHINGTON (AP) - Facing the prospect of big Republican gains in
Congress, President Barack Obama is sending voters a mixed message:
He says he sees opportunities to work with the GOP after Election
Day yet warns Washington could be consumed by gridlock if the
opposition takes control.


      It's a strategy based on Obama's need for voters to see him as
the same politician who ran for the White House promising a new era
of bipartisanship, at the same time he rallies his base to try to
stave off sweeping Republican victories in the Nov. 2 midterm
elections.


      During a town hall meeting with young people, Obama said there
are good GOP ideas, and some issues where he sees an opportunity to
work with Republican lawmakers.


      "My hope is that as we look forward, let's say on education or
on energy, some of the things that we haven't yet finished, that
we're going to have a greater spirit of cooperation after this next
election," Obama said.


      Just two days later, at a private fundraiser near Boston, Obama
warned that the prospects of bipartisan cooperation would be slim
if Republicans ran Congress. He said it would be nearly impossible
for him to advance some important issues, like clean energy and
education, or to achieve many of his foreign policy goals.


      "Not one of these issues will we be able to make serious
progress on if we do not have a strong Democratic Senate," Obama
said.


      The president's message was even more foreboding at a recent
Democratic National Committee fundraiser, when he predicted that a
GOP-led Congress would create a stalemate between the White House
and Capitol Hill. "We could even go backwards," he said.


      White House officials say there's nothing inconsistent in
Obama's remarks. Adviser David Axelrod said Obama wants to work
with Republicans but his experience from the first half of the
administration makes him "a little pessimistic." And he said it's
important for voters to understand that the potential for gridlock
exists if Republicans take control of Congress.


      "We want Democratic majorities," Axelrod said. "We don't want
things throttled down."


      The highly partisan atmosphere that has consumed Washington
throughout Obama's two years in office has discouraged voters.


      An Associated Press-GFK poll finds 84 percent of likely voters
say they're frustrated by politics, and 81 percent say they're
disappointed. The same poll also suggests that 61 percent of likely
voters believe the GOP will win control of Congress in the midterm
election, with most of those voters believing Republican victories
would be a good thing for the country.


      Should Obama's party lose control of Congress, the president may
have little choice but to work with Republicans on key issues when
the new session of Congress opens in January.


      Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says there are several
issues where he envisions cooperation between the president and a
more Republican Congress, such as trade, government spending and
changing an arcane tax reporting requirement that's part of the
unpopular health care overhaul. But McConnell said a bipartisan
effort will only be possible if the administration listens to
voters on Election Day.


      "I can't believe he's going to continue to ignore the wishes of
the American people if his party has a very bad day Nov. 2,"
McConnell said by phone. "If he pivots and wants to work with us,
obviously I'd be happy to talk to him."


      Republicans have shown little interest in working with Obama and
Democrats over the past two years, often using delaying tactics to
try to block legislation. And McConnell has said he wishes the
party could have obstructed more.


      Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman contributed to this
report.

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Politics and Government News

Facing the prospect of big Republican gains in
Congress, President Barack Obama is sending voters a mixed message:
He says he sees opportunities to work with the GOP after Election
Day yet warns Washington could be consumed by gridlock if the
opposition takes control.

Obama's message mixed on GOP cooperation

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