Obama hardens tone in push for his jobs bill

Though polls showed Americans sceptical of the plan and Democrats’ loss of a congressional seat raised new questions about his political strength.In the latest stop on what has become a “pass this bill” tour, Obama used a campaign-style rally to press his warning to Republicans not to let election politics delay action on his proposals to reduce chronically high US unemployment.“You need leaders who will put country before party,” Obama told a cheering crowd at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. “The time for gridlock and games is over. The time for action is now.”Obama and the Republicans – all looking toward elections in November 2012 – are locked in their third major budget battle of the year, after a near-shutdown of the government in April, a last-minute deal to avert a government default in August and negotiations now over the president’s jobs plan.Battle lines have been drawn around familiar turf: Obama wants to raise taxes on wealthier Americans and corporations to pay for his plans; Republicans want to cut spending.Obama has sought to pressure Republicans by taking his case on the road and accusing them of playing “political games” over jobs. But it is clear his own 2012 re-election depends heavily on his ability to spur the stagnant American economy.Obama’s visit to the electoral swing state of North Carolina was aimed at building support for his jobs bill, which calls for a mixture of tax cuts and new government spending.