But Republicans have identified low-hanging fruit that could be considered early in 2015, might pass presidential muster, and would challenge the public expectation that the GOP Congress and Obama will be locked in perpetual gridlock for the next two years.

One is a change to Obamacare, authored by Davis, that House Republican leaders have identified as an early legislative goal in 2015. The “Hire Our Heroes Act” would exclude veterans from the employer mandate threshold of providing health care if those veterans already are covered under military or Veterans Administration health care.

Davis said it has bipartisan support, addresses high veteran unemployment, and adheres to a “piecemeal” strategy of trying to improve Obamacare even as Republicans concurrently move to repeal it.

“I am not really worried about the legacy of this Congress, because frankly when you look at the polling, people don’t like either party in Congress,” Davis said. “...That doesn’t mean that we have to throw our hands up in the air and stop doing our job.”

McCaskill said she believes her side will listen to any possible improvements to Obamacare, but old divisions run deep.

“I have said from Day One that I am at the table if we can improve the bill, make it simpler, make it better for people, make it less cumbersome for employers in this country,” she said. “I want to help improve the bill. I have not yet had a partner that wants to do that across the aisle.”

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