Obama talks up US recovery and urges Republicans to back higher wages

Obama suggests Republicans are pretending to support the middle class, and teases them by saying: 'If you want to be the party of higher wages, then come on'

Casting his opposition as "shouting" enemies of the average American worker and minimum wage increases, President Obama suggested on Friday that Republicans were faking an interest in the wellbeing of the middle class - and insisted that a recovering economy vindicated his leadership.

"The new plan is to rebrand themselves as the party of the middle class," Obama said of Republicans, to cheers from core party faithful at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting in Washington DC. "I'm not making this up " I think their shift of rhetoric is good if it actually leads them to take different actions. If it doesn't, it's just spin."