President Obama will blame House Republican leader Eric Cantor for blocking his jobs package when he speaks later today in Mesquite, Texas.

The attack on a single House member demonstrates Obama's resolve in pushing the full $447 billion jobs plan, despite House Republicans' objections and the inability of Senate Democrats to round up enough votes.

"Yesterday, the Republican majority leader in Congress, Eric Cantor, said that right now, he won't even let the jobs bill have a vote in the House of Representatives. He won't even give it a vote," Obama plans to say, according to his prepared remarks.

Well I'd like Mr. Cantor to come down here to Dallas and explain what in this jobs bill he doesn't believe in. Does he not believe in rebuilding America's roads and bridges? Does he not believe in tax breaks for small businesses, or efforts to help veterans? Mr. Cantor should come down to Dallas, look Kim Russell in the eye, and tell her why she doesn't deserve to get a paycheck again. Come tell her students why they don't deserve to have their teacher back. Come tell Dallas construction workers why they should be sitting home instead of fixing our bridges and our schools. Come tell the small business owners and workers in this community why you'd rather defend tax breaks for millionaires than tax cuts for the middle-class. And if you won't do that, at least put this jobs bill up for a vote so that the entire country knows exactly where every member of Congress stands.

The personal attack elicited a quick response from Cantor's office:

House Republicans have different ideas on how to grow the economy and create jobs, but that shouldn't prevent us from trying to find areas of common ground with the president," said Brad Dayspring, Cantor's communications director. "That is precisely why Majority Leader Cantor has given his word to the president that the House will pass portions of his jobs bill in the next month. President Obama needs to understand that his 'my way or the highway' approach simply isn't going to work in the House or the Democratic Senate, especially in light of his abysmal record on jobs. Serious problems deserve serious leadership, and the American people have gone without it for far too long. Republicans are trying to work together despite our disagreements - why isn't the president?

While Obama continues to push for the entire package, Republicans advocate combining parts of Obama's plan with elements of their own and compromising. It's a role reversal from the summer, when the president urged compromise on a deficit-reduction plan but Republicans refused to consider any tax increases, even on wealthier taxpayers.

"The policies being promoted by this administration are sending a signal that we are not open for business in America," Cantor, R-Va., said this morning. "That is not what we need right now. We need to all pull together to ensure that we can produce a better environment for growth and job creation.

"If the president would join us in trying to do some things that actually help people, and help create an environment for growth, I think we can all see a way to work together to produce a better future."