WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama urged members of both major US political parties Saturday to overcome their differences and work in “the spirit of common cause” for the good of the country.
“So as business resumes, I look forward to working together in that same spirit of common cause with members of Congress from both parties – because before we are Democrats or Republicans, we are Americans,” Obama said in his weekly radio address.
The remarks came after Obama paid an emotional tribute Wednesday to victims of an attack in Tucson, Arizona, where an emotionally unstable gunman shot dead six people and wounded 14 others in an attempted assassination on a congresswoman.
In a 35-minute eulogy that sought to unite a fractured America after the January 8 shooting, the president called for a more civil public discourse and urged Americans not to turn on one another, Democrat upon Republican.
The attack had prompted members of Congress to suspend their usual business and dedicate their time to matters related to the shooting.
This coming week, however, the lawmakers return to business as usual.
Obama said the shooting reminded Americans who they really are and how much they depend on one another.
