Washington ? President Barack Obama says America is at a defining moment — deciding whether it will settle for being a nation where many people barely get by or one where everybody gets a fair shot at success.

In excerpts of his State of the Union address, Obama says the country must reclaim its place as a land of opportunities for people who do their fair share and follow the same rules.

He says those “are not Democratic values or Republican values but American values.”

The White House released excerpts ahead of Obama’s speech at 8 p.m. CST. His address will center on his ideas for a sound economic recovery.

Obama will pledge to work with Republican lawmakers, but he will also warn he intends to “fight obstruction with action.”