The current impasse

With changes due to the recent election it is now more difficult for Obama to get things done. What stands out is the blatant avowal of the Republicans to work solely for Obama's defeat in 2012. That means they will support no proposal that could be of credit to Obama. In the present need for recovery from the Republican induced meltdown,
with millions of people in dire financial circumstances, homes lost, jobs lost, and the misery that goes with those calamities, the Republican machine is adamant that it will say NO to any initiative that could be construed as a credit to Obama.

They feel so strongly that they should be in control that they will sacrifice the well being of millions of Americans to achieve their obsessive goal. That will be two more years of stagnation and gridlock unless Obama caves in and lets them run the show.
Gingrich tried this with Clinton and got knocked on his ass. Hopefully that scenario will repeat.

My notion is that the President should appeal directly to the electorate and condemn the Republican hubris. Both Republicans and Democrats are honor bound to protect the welfare of the country, not attempt to insure their own reelection. To me it is plain treason to distort the governance for party gain