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As congressional Republicans find themselves tangled over their newly introduced spending plans, President Obama tried Wednesday to seize the moment to talk about government spending on his terms, namely a focus on opportunities for the middle class.

Noting that Republican House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio often asks, "Where are the jobs?," Obama told a crowd in Cleveland he was there to "not only answer that question" but also to renew a central debate over the two major parties' economic visions.

Obama said that his administration's policies, such as investing in manufacturing and the landmark Affordable Care Act, have helped the nation emerge from a deep recession but that the Republican budget would "double down" on the theory that wealth trickles down from the rich to the rest.

"Reality has rendered its judgment," Obama said in a speech to the City Club of Cleveland. "Trickle-down economics doesn't work and middle-class economics does," he said, using the White House's umbrella term for its fiscal policies.

Meanwhile, Republicans who have the majority in both chambers of Congress are bogged down in trying to make their budgets workable as well as palatable to the party's competing factions.

More than two months into the new Congress, they are grasping for legislative victories and looking to the House and Senate budgets unveiled this week as chances for a win in Washington. The chambers are expected to approve the budgets next week.

"Hopefully that will be an opportunity for us to show some success," said GOP Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee.

Republicans are trying to present a unified front in their budget proposals, as internal debates have spilled out publicly between defense hawks, who want to bolster military coffers, and deficit-minded conservatives, who prefer to hold the line on new spending.

Although both of the party's budgets largely boost military spending at the expense of domestic social programs, House and Senate Republicans are at odds over how to accomplish that goal while still adhering to strict budget caps agreed to in a 2011 deal with the White House.

Senate Republicans made clear Wednesday that they view the House approach as essentially a gimmick. It calls for hiking defense spending by increasing money for an account used for wars that was not subject to the so-called sequester limits established in the 2011 deal. Senate Republicans prefer establishing a separate, new defense account funded with unspecified savings elsewhere, but it also would not be held to the 2011 caps.

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Obama touts economic policies as Republicans fight internally over budget

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Taking credit for a revved-up economy, an emboldened President Barack Obama on Wednesday criticized the House Republicans' spending plan as one that offers a "path to prosperity for those who've already prospered" and no path to help hard-working, middle-class people get ahead.

A day after the House GOP unveiled its $3.8 trillion spending blueprint, Obama traveled to the presidential battleground state of Ohio to draw a sharp contrast between his approach to the economy and federal spending and that of Republicans.

Obama accused Republicans of being stuck in the past, wedded to the concept of "trickle-down economics" and proposing tax breaks for the wealthy "like a broken record" while cutting Medicare and other social programs that help less well-off people get by.

He recalled past dire predictions by Republicans that his policies would ruin the economy and stunt job growth, and noted with a hint of glee the steady decline in unemployment from double digits when he took office to 5.5 percent, with 12 million jobs created in the past five years and growth in other areas.

"When we, the public, evaluate who's got a better argument here, we've got to look at the facts," Obama told members of the City Club of Cleveland, a civic group that's become a regular audience for presidents. "Reality has rendered its judgment. Trickle-down economics doesn't work. Middle-class economics does."

"That's what we should keep in mind when we go forward," he said.

The House Republican plan favors defense spending, partially privatizes Medicare and cuts other social programs to help eliminate deficits in 10 years.

Obama's budget proposal, a $4 trillion plan he sent to Congress last month, would target corporate profits overseas, raise taxes on the rich, spend billions on roads and bridges and reverse automatic budget cuts on defense and domestic spending. He also would spend billions of dollars to cover the cost of community college for eligible students and boost tax credits for families and the working poor.

Cory Fritz, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, countered that Republicans offered a responsible, balanced-budget plan, in contrast to what Obama sent to Capitol Hill.

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Obama Slams Republican Spending as Hurtful to Middle Class

President Barack Obama didn't exactly go out on a limb with his college-basketball picks this year.

Like most people, he picked Kentucky to run the table, go 40-0, and win the NCAA Tournament. He also picked three No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 to make it to the Final Four.

University of Kentucky basketball players celebrate their Southeastern Conference tournament championship victory earlier this month. Steve Helber/AP hide caption

University of Kentucky basketball players celebrate their Southeastern Conference tournament championship victory earlier this month.

"I don't think you can play a perfect basketball game anymore than you can do anything perfectly," the president said of Kentucky, "but these guys are coming pretty close."

The president did mix in a little politics.

ESPN's Andy Katz asked what seed he would have been, if politics had a bracket.

"Oh, I was definitely a third or fourth seed, but I was scrappy," Obama said, alluding to his first run for the White House against Hillary Clinton.

Clinton was the overwhelming favorite for the Democratic nomination in 2008. She's running again, and is an even bigger favorite.

"It's nice being just a little bit of the underdog because you have less pressure on you," Obama said. "On the other hand, there's a reason they're the favorite," he said of Kentucky, "because they're a really good team."

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Obama Picks Kentucky To Win NCAA Tournament, Mixes In Politics

Obama's bracket has No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 seed Arizona, No. 1 seed Villanova and No. 1 seed Duke in his Final Four. He has Kentucky defeating Villanova in the national championship game, which would complete a 40-0 season and would make the Wildcats the first undefeated men's champion since Indiana did it in 1976.

"There's a reason they're the favorite," Obama told ESPN's Andy Katz. "They're a really good team."

Though he agrees with the general public and Vegas oddsmakers on Kentucky, Obama does have some early-round upsets, including No. 10 seed Davidson taking out seventh-seeded Iowa and No. 2 seed Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16 in the South region. He also has two 12 seeds advancing out of the round of 64: Buffalo defeating No. 5 West Virginia in the Midwest region and Wyoming beating No. 5 Northern Iowa in the East region.

Mostly, however, the President has chalk, typically picking the better seeds to advance.

The last time he correctly picked a national champion was 2009, which was North Carolina.

When asked what kind of seed he was, Obama said, "I was definitely a third or fourth seed, but I was scrappy."

A complete look at the President's picks is on the White House's twitter page.

Face off against your favorite anchors in the CNN March Madness bracket challenge

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Obama's 2015 bracket breakdown: Kentucky to win it all

President Barack Obama Speaks With VICE News
VICE founder Shane Smith interviews President Barack Obama, discussing a host of issues important to Americans, from foreign policy and marijuana legalization to global warming and political...

By: VICE News

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President Barack Obama Speaks With VICE News - Video