Obama in weekly address: Tax cuts. Take two. For reals.

When it comes to taxes, for example, there are two pathways available.

One says, if Congress fails to act by the end of the year, then everybody's taxes automatically go up ' including the 98% of Americans who make less than $250,000 a year. Our economy can't afford that right now. You can't afford that right now. And nobody wants that to happen.

The other path is for Congress to pass a law right away to prevent a tax hike on the first $250,000 of anyone's income. That means all Americans ' including the wealthiest Americans ' get a tax cut. And 98% of Americans, and 97% of all small business owners, won't see their income taxes go up a single dime.

For the second week in a row, President Obama tackled middle class tax cuts, laying out in the simplest language yet (see above) exactly the choice ahead for Congress. Last week, if you may remember, his first Saturday morning address last week was a a rumble and a grumble as he basked in electoral victory.

This is a man who sounds like he's not ready to back down, willing to name who's holding things up:

The Senate has already passed a bill like this. Democrats in the House are ready to pass one, too. All we need is for Republicans in the House to come on board.

And eager to propose a timely solution:

We shouldn't hold the middle class hostage while Congress debates tax cuts for the wealthy. Let's begin our work by actually doing what we all agree on. Let's keep taxes low for the middle class. And let's get it done soon ' so we can give families and businesses some good news going into the holiday season.

He had what he called a "constructive meeting" with Congressional leaders Friday, he told listeners, and then laid down a slap of electoral mandate whoop-ass:

Everyone agreed that while we may have our differences, we need to come together, find solutions and take action as soon as possible.

Because if anything, that's the message I heard loud and clear in the election.

Work as hard as you can to make our lives better. And do it together.

Don't worry about the politics. Just get the job done.

He closed with praise for the resilience and grit for the American people he met and heard from during his campaign (you know, that campaign we just went through that he won and which we sincerely can hope he'll remind Republicans of at every turn).

To read the transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.