Obama admits :

Some policies unpopular

US: US President Barack Obama Wednesday admitted some of his policies were unpopular and had not revived the economy quickly enough, but sought to rekindle his frayed bond with American voters.

“It’s still fear versus hope, the past versus the future,” Obama said in economically bereft Ohio, pleading with voters to chose “moving forward” with him, rather than “sliding backward” with Republicans.

Obama, seeking to reframe the political debate ahead of November elections in which Democrats fear thumping losses, slammed his foes for pitching the economy into a historic crisis, and “moralizing” about the ballooning deficit. But he also sought to portray humility, steadfastness, and renewed inspiration, apparently reaching out to independent voters who have deserted him, even offering praise for conservative hero, ex-president Ronald Reagan. “Making up for eight million lost jobs caused by this recession won’t happen overnight,” Obama said, bemoaning the “painfully slow” recovery and acknowledging people are “angry and anxious about the future.”

“Not everything we’ve done over the last two years has worked as quickly as we had hoped, and I am keenly aware that not all our policies have been popular,” Obama said.

But he added: “you did not elect me to avoid big problems. You elected me to do what’s right.” Obama detailed a series of tax breaks and new government spending programs some of which Republicans have supported in the past, to tackle the jobs crisis, daring his foes to oppose them, and risk being accused of hypocrisy.

Cleveland, Thursday, AFP