As President Obama and the Democrats are wont to remind us, it is merely Republicans’ desire to prevent him from obtaining a second presidential term that motivates them to consistently thwart his august economic and political agenda — because, of course, the problem certainly couldn’t be that they perhaps take umbrage with any of the actual policies in his agenda, no sir. Republicans are simply being petty and toying with our country’s economic future because they personally just can’t stand the President. Grr, darn those ignoble obstructionists!

In an interview with TIME from this morning, the President Obama reaffirmed his surety that once the specter of his second term becomes a reality, Republicans will become much more acquiescent to his point of view and put aside their oh-so-partisan ways.

So even in a pretty sour political circumstance, we’ve been able to get some things accomplished. And I believe that in a second term, where Mitch McConnell’s imperative of making me a one-term President is no longer relevant, they recognize that what the American people are looking for is for us to get things done. …

So my expectation is that there will be some popping of the blister after this election, because it will have been such a stark choice. Where Republicans refuse to cooperate on things that I know are good for the American people, I will continue to look for ways to do it administratively and work around Congress. And a good example of that is, for example, making sure that homeowners around the country can take advantage of these historically low rates and refinance.

There’s no reason Congress can’t move forward and at almost no cost to the federal government really boost the housing market and our economy. But if Congress won’t do it, we’ll keep on looking for ways to get that done without legislation.

Gee. The bipartisanship is just overwhelming me. The President was careful to acknowledge that there have been a few definite things accomplished between Democrats and Republicans under his venerable leadership, to tout his cooperative credentials, and to reassure us that he’s all-too-willing to compromise when the Republicans come to the table, but always remember, at the end of the day, our problems are beyond his control. Give the dude a break, alright?

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, wasn’t too keen on that explanation when I caught up with him after he gave his speech to the Republican National Convention here in Tampa — we had a quick chat about the likelihood of President Obama having his second-term wish come true, and what Congress will be up to in the event of new leadership at the White-House helm come November. President Obama had a full two years of free reign at the start of his presidency to implement his agenda, including the stimulus and ObamaCare, and “the American people took a look at that and issued a national restraining order,” he told me. Enjoy!