U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he answers a question during his end of the year press conference
IN PHOTO: U.S. President Barack Obama gestures as he answers a question during his end of the year press conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, December 19, 2014. Obama and his family plan to depart Washington later in the day to spend the holidays in Hawaii. Reuters/Stringer

The clash between Republicans and President Obama is a foregone conclusion once the former starts controlling the Senate from January 2015. Yet, many in the GOP or Republican Party still wanted to remind the party that the Senate in 2015 and 2016 must follow an aggressive stand with regard to Obama's agenda.

This is amidst rumours that Republicans are a divided house in their approach to Mr Obama's policies. The latest to appeal the party top brass is Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, who wanted the GOP leadership to get tough with Obama's agenda. He is convinced that the President will not seek any "common ground" or work with Republicans on problems faced by the country.

The congressman's comments were provoked by a recent interview of Mr Obama in which he stated his intention to use his "veto pen" to block passage of GOP legislations in 2015 and 2016, reported Gingpac News. Gohmert told media person Katie Pavlich that the GOP will use its power in the Senate to defund many of Obama's projects which the GOP considers unconstitutional that will also include amnesty for illegal immigrants. The congressman said the GOP will send Mr Obama piles of legislation to sign or veto. If Mr Obama bills are popular with the American people, that will be an expression of disrespect to Americans and the lack of interest in solving problems, he said.

Veto Card

Mr Obama, who seldom used the presidential veto in the past despite frictions with Republicans, is now getting ready to use veto to thwart Republicans from January onwards. This was stated by Mr Obama himself in an NPR interview. "There are going to be some areas where we disagree and, you know, I haven't used the veto pen very often since I've been in office. Now I suspect I've got to pull that pen out," Mr Obama said.

It is expected that the agenda of the incoming Republican majority would invite a series of veto stand-offs. Among the major disputes will be seeking approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline and sanctions on Iran. Though the Iran sanctions have the potential to hurt the delicate negotiations over the nuclear programme, Republican Sen Mark Kirk told Fox News that the Senate will muster a "veto-proof majority." The Keystone Bill is also contentious. In the interview, the president has already hinted that he would frequently use his veto pen to block efforts that may impede the existing laws and regulations pushed by his administration.

GoP Divide

Meanwhile, a new CNN poll revealed a serious divide among Republicans and said it might impact on the coming GOP presidential primary. According to that poll, Jeb Bush is ahead of other hopefuls. It said a majority of Republicans (about 35 percent) say they are less likely to vote for Bush because he supported plans to legalise undocumented immigrants. Another section of Republicans (42 percent) said they will not support him because he declared that undocumented immigrants are driven by an "act of love," which is basically a concern for their families, reported Washington Post. Bush ignited a big debate within Republicans when he suggested that many undocumented immigrants, despite being lawbreakers, are in a morally complex situation and will have something to contribute to the American society.