The question is whether, in reacting quickly and forcefully to his provocations, Republicans are playing directly into Obama’s strategic plan.

It’s no secret that President Obama is doing everything he can to run against the unpopularity of the Republican Congress, trying at every turn to lump former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney — who has never served a day in office in Washington, D.C. — in with that lot.

It’s also no secret that the economy is a tremendously complicated political issue for Obama and one without an obvious solution.

By going directly at Congress twice in the space of the last week, Obama not only ensures that House (and, to a lesser extent, Senate) Republicans get the national spotlight shone on them, but also that the national debate (at least for a few days) is focused on things like immigration, which is far better political space for him to fight.