President-elect Barack Obama ’s economic stimulus train is leaving the station, and some House Republicans are looking for ways to get their ideas on board.

Others — perhaps most of them — seem ready to oppose his first major initiative.

The minority party faces complicated political math as it tries to figure out its response to the package being pushed by the incoming Democratic president who has made bipartisan dialog a watchword. Complicating the Republicans’ calculation is the economy’s continuing slump and increasing public clamor for major action from Washington.

For House Republicans from competitive districts, opposing Obama in the earliest days of his honeymoon period on legislation that polls show is widely popular could carry risks in the 2010 elections. Other Republicans want to see the whole package’s balance of tax cuts and new spending before deciding if they can support it.

But no matter how the plan shapes up, many Republicans are sure to vote against the plan that Democrats want on Obama’s desk by mid-February.

GOP leaders, even if they eventually decide to oppose the package that is expected to total some $775 billion to $850 billion, have to go easy on criticizing Obama because of his popularity and continuing efforts to lower the heat of the Capitol’s partisan rhetoric. The leaders, who met with Obama two weeks ago, are taking him up on his invitation to offer ideas.

On Thursday, a special House Republican economic policy study group will convene a hearing on GOP policy suggestions from such party stars as 2008 presidential contender Mitt Romney and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a top adviser to Sen. John McCain , the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.

Minority Whip Eric Cantor , R-Va., said the economic group was formed to take up Obama on his call for GOP ideas. “I’m hopeful. I take the president-elect at his word that he wants Washington to start working in different ways,” he said.

Some House GOP members, anticipating that the rule under which the chamber will consider the stimulus bill won’t allow them to offer much in the way of amendments, are already directing fire at what they call the unfairness of Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., rather than tackling Obama.

Tax Cuts Key to GOP Support

The total size of tax cuts in the package could determine how many House GOP votes the stimulus gets when it comes to the floor in the next few weeks, said University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato. Some $300 billion of the package probably will go for tax cuts and incentives and that could provide Republicans a reason to vote for it, he said.

“For those from hard-core districts there is no incentive to vote for it. But those from competitive districts are looking for a reason to give him support so they can say in 2010 that they supported President Obama some of the time,” Sabato said.

Forty House Republicans joined 249 Democrats on Wednesday in voting to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (HR 2), and that probably is roughly the same number of Republicans who might eventually back the Obama stimulus package, he added.