In his weekly address Saturday, Obama called recent comments made by two Republican leaders “troubling.”





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Obama chalked up the comments to heated rhetoric in the final days of a campaign that could see the leadership change in one chamber of Congress.





"Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, we need to come together to help put people who are still looking for jobs back to work," Obama said.





Obama suggested taking "practical steps we can take right away to promote growth and encourage businesses to hire and expand" including tax breaks for middle-class families and investing in infrastructure.





"These are steps we all should be able to agree on, not Democratic or Republican ideas, but proposals that have traditionally been supported by both parties," he said.





He said he's concerned that Republicans and Democrats will spend the "next two years arguing with one another, trapped in stale debates, mired in gridlock, unable to make progress in solving the serious problems facing our country."





Once again he pushed for an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for middle-class families "who have borne the brunt of the recession."





He also urged lawmakers to provide move forward on proposals that would let businesses defer taxes on the equipment they buy next year and increase and make permanent the research and experimentation tax credit, "to spur innovation and foster new products and technologies."

In the long term, educational opportunities should be made readily available to young people so the U.S. can "remain competitive and prosperous in a global economy. "





He also stressed the need for new infrastructure such as high-speed rail and high-speed Internet.





"That means fostering a climate of innovation and entrepreneurship that will allow American businesses and American workers to lead in growth industries like clean energy," he said.

"On these issues I believe it’s the fundamental responsibility of all who hold elective office to seek out common ground," he said. "It may not always be easy to find agreement; at times we’ll have legitimate philosophical differences. And it may not always be the best politics. But it is the right thing to do for our country."

President Obama urged Republicans and Democrats to work together to solve the nation's economic issues regardless of the outcome of Tuesday's midterm elections.