(NATIONALJOURNAL) — With a poet’s pacing, President Obama assured anxious Americans that “our problems can be solved” with his gauzy agenda for more jobs, lower deficits, and leadership they can trust. It was a great speech – and yet, it fell short.
Obama still has work to do with the vision thing. Convincing voters that he has a credible, practical plan to turn the nation around is a process, not a speech.
Humbled by four tough years in office, the president asked for more time as he braced the country for more pain. “I won’t pretend the path I’m offering is quick or easy,” he said in a speech that drew sharp contrasts to the GOP agenda. “The path we offer may be harder but it leads to a better place.”
“The times have changed,” he declared, “and so have I.”