Obama ready to cooperate with Congress

Washington:US President Barack Obama Wednesday said he is ready to work with Republicans who defeated Democrats and cruised to victory, becoming the majority party in both chambers of Congress after Tuesday's mid-term election.

At a White House press conference held here Wednesday, Obama acknowledged that Republicans had "obviously" had a good midterm election, but expressed confidence that voters still support his ideas, Xinhua reported.

In his first public comments after his party's midterm rout Tuesday, Obama said he believed the message sent by voters was similar to the one they've sent in the last few elections: Voters want Washington to get things done.

Obama said he would look forward to working with Republican leaders, not forgetting to make a point of complimenting incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The president, nevertheless, hailed his handling of the economy, saying he's going full steam ahead with plans to take executive action on issues such as immigration.

He also touted the progress of his administration by pointing to growing numbers of people with insurance and more people with jobs, among a host of other strong economic indicators.

Obama defended his relationships with members of Congress by describing them as largely "cordial" and "constructive".

"Oftentimes though, we just haven't been able to get what's discussed in a leadership meeting through caucuses in the House and Senate to deliver a bill," he said.