Obama to GOP: ‘You can’t just say no’

President Obama dared congressional Republicans voicing opposition to his agenda to offer their own legislative proposals in his first speech since Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

“If they do disagree with me, then I look forward to hearing from them how they want to pay for infrastructure and R&D that we need to grow,” Obama said Wednesday at Boise State University in Idaho.

{mosads}But, the president said, those plans have “got to be specific” and “can’t pretend there’s nothing we can do to help.”

“It can’t just be no,” he said. “I’m happy to state a conversation. Tell me how to do the things we need to do. Tell me how to get to yes. You can’t just say no.”

The president said that in private conversations, GOP lawmakers were more receptive to the idea that the federal government should invest in certain priorities. But he noted that his proposals received a chilly reception during his address to the nation on Tuesday.

“Republicans were not applauding for many of these ideas, they were kind of quiet,” Obama said. “But when it comes to issues like infrastructure and research, I think when you talk to them privately, when they’re not on camera, they generally agree that it’s important.”

A spokesman for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Obama can look forward to the GOP’s ideas in legislative form very soon.

“President Obama just isn’t living in reality. Republicans are saying ‘yes’ to good, common-sense jobs bills, and they’ll soon be sitting on the president’s desk,” Cory Fritz said.

Obama repeatedly said he was searching for common ground, noting that his first post-State of the Union speech was in Idaho, a state where he “got whooped twice” in the general elections. On Thursday, he’ll travel to Kansas for another event in a traditional Republican stronghold.

“In places like Idaho, the only blue turf is your field,” Obama quipped in reference to the school’s famous football stadium.

The president also used the university’s football team to argue that he would remain a relevant force despite his lame duck status. He made reference to Boise State’s shocking overtime victory over favorite Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

“I may be in the fourth quarter of my presidency, but here at the home of the team with the most famous ‘Statue of Liberty’ play in history, I don’t need to remind you that big things happen late in the fourth quarter,” Obama said.