When GOP lawmakers return, the president and his team are ready to deliver a flurry of attacks, castigating Congress for inaction on jobs, being on the wrong side of taxes and eager to destroy social safety net programs. If Obama and his team have their way, Americans will come to see every Republican as a Tea Party extremist…

Obama will continue with increased pressure on Congress through the fall, focusing on his immediate opponents and convinced that by doing so, Americans will come to see him as the centrist, jobs-focused politician in Washington.

“There’s no doubt that the president and Democrats are back on offense” one Democratic official said. “The Republicans can no longer claim the tax-cut mantle — they will now have to explain away why they are fighting to preserve tax cuts for the wealthiest and tax breaks for large corporations but are opposed to continuing tax cuts for the middle class.”