White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday that President Obama hopes to use his State of the Union message to “outline a hopeful track for our future.”
Appearing on network morning news shows to preview Mr. Obama’s address, Mr. Gibbs said the president will talk about some of the factors that led to Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory over a Democrat in the special Senate election in Massachusetts.
“The president is going to explain why he thinks the American people are angry and frustrated,” his spokesman said.
A member of the House Republican leadership, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, said in a separate interview, “The American people want to hear that the president has listened and that the president has learned about what has gone on here.”
Mr. Gibbs said that “every president makes mistakes, including Barack Obama” and that Mr. Obama has “not been shy” about admitting that. At the same time, his spokesman said that Mr. Obama will “outline the fact that we’ve lived through one of the most challenging years in our country’s history” and that the president is “more hopeful about our future than ever.”
He confirmed that Mr. Obama will embrace new cuts and other breaks for small businesses to spur hiring and ease the country’s double-digit unemployment rate. “Small businesses run our economy,” Mr. Gibbs said. “Let’s help them hire more workers.”
“We need to stop pretending every day in Washington is Election Day,” he added.
Said Mr. Cantor: “What I think we all want to hear is a real commitment to putting this economy back on track, and it starts right here in Washington.”
Mr. Gibbs appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CBS’ “The Early Show” and NBC’s “Today” show. Mr. Cantor also appeared on NBC.
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