(MCT) — WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama brushed off the latest Republican gambit to gain leverage in averting the so-called fiscal cliff, bluntly telling business CEOs in a speech Wednesday: “I’m not going to play that game.”

That flash of swagger reflects growing White House confidence about its position in the year-end showdown over scheduled spending cuts and tax increases. With less than a month to act and the wind of an electoral victory at their back, White House officials think they are boxing in Republicans.