WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? President Barack Obama, offering a first glimpse of next week's State of the Union address, made clear Saturday that the speech will deliver a starkly partisan election-year call for a "return to American values."
"I'm going to lay out a blueprint for an American economy that's built to last," Obama said in a campaign video sent to supporters. "And most importantly, a return to American values of fairness for all, and responsibility from all."
A reference to values is usually political code for social and religious issues, a rallying cry for conservative Republicans who want to deny the Democratic president a second White House term in November.
But Obama, who delivers his annual State of the Union Address to Congress Tuesday night, is running for re-election on his claim of being a champion for the middle class, while trying to paint Republicans as the party for the rich.
"We can go in two directions. One is toward less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few," Obama said.
Republicans, who hold a closely watched primary election in South Carolina Saturday to help select their nominee to face Obama, say he is an old-fashioned tax-and-spend liberal whose policies hurt business and jobs.
Attacking congressional Republicans on their own turf, during a prime-time, televised joint session of Congress, signals a de-emphasis on appeals for cooperation that have marked Obama's previous State of the Union addresses.
Obama campaigned in 2008 on a message of reaching across the political aisle to change the way that Washington works, but now complains that Republicans have obstructed his efforts to collaborate and are only interested in seeing him fail.
Republicans say they oppose his policies because they view them as bad for the country, and say they are happy to work with the president on areas of genuine common ground.
Polls show Americans are fed up with political gridlock in Washington, but tend to blame congressional Republicans more than the president for the state of affairs.
Obama gave no details of his proposals, but listed American manufacturing "with more good jobs and more products stamped with Made in America," American energy, and skills for American workers as key parts of his plans for the economy.
"They're big ideas, because we've got to meet this moment. And this speech is going to be about how we do it," he said.
Voters rate the economy as one of the most important factors in the upcoming lection, and while U.S. growth has picked up, it remains fragile and unemployment at 8.5 percent is still high by historical standards.
(Editing by Xavier Briand)
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