**US President Barack Obama has sought to rally Senate Democrats, urging them not to weaken their resolve to see through healthcare and financial reforms.**He emphasised they still hold a 59-41 majority, one under the 60 needed to overcome Republican delaying tactics.
Mr Obama also accused Republicans of snubbing his party’s overtures, saying: “We extend a hand and get a fist.”
Democrats lost their Senate majority when the Republicans captured Massachusetts in a recent election.
“We still have to lead,” Mr Obama told his party’s senators at their strategy conference in Washington.
“We’ve got to finish the job, even though it’s hard”
Barack Obama
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Last month’s loss of the Massachusetts seat, held for decades by the late Sen Edward Kennedy, stunned the Democrats, throwing into doubt President Obama’s signature campaign to pass a healthcare reform bill.
In the wake of the Massachusetts defeat, Mr Obama unveiled plans for major new financial sector curbs, including limits to the size of banks and restrictions on riskier trading.
In his first State of the Union address last week, the US president said creating jobs must be the nation’s number one focus, as he announced a spending freeze to tackle the budget deficit.
‘Constant pressure’
On Wednesday, President Obama urged senators to avoid the temptation to “tread lightly, keep your head down and play it safe”.
“We’ve got to finish the job on healthcare. We’ve got to finish the job on financial regulatory reform. We’ve got to finish the job, even though it’s hard,” he said.
With polls showing many Americans unhappy with Mr Obama’s handling of the economy and suspicious of his healthcare plans, Democrats face difficult mid-term Congressional elections in November.
A number of the senators the US president addressed on Wednesday face potentially tough Republican challenges in those polls.
Mr Obama sharpened his challenge to the Republicans, accusing them of rejecting Democratic attempts to reach across the aisle.
“We’ll call them out when they say they want to work with us, and we extend a hand and get a fist in return,” he said.
The comment echoed language he used about America’s overseas enemies in his inaugural address of January 2009, when he said the US “will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist”.
Mr Obama also said the US would put “constant pressure” on China and other countries to open their markets, while at the same time warning that closing the US off from international competition would be a mistake.
He said he would be “much tougher” with China on enforcing trade rules, but said he was not in favour of revoking relations with Beijing.