PRESIDENT OBAMA: No, no, no. I'm being judged against the ideal. And, you know, [Vice President] Joe Biden has a good expression. He says, "Don't judge me against the Almighty, judge me against the alternative."
The president tried to frame what he predicted will be a "great debate" next year, when he's up for re-election, as a "stark" choice between "a system in which the people who have benefited the most (should) do a little bit more, or they (should) not."
"Do they think that cutting taxes further -- including on the wealthy (and) cutting taxes on corporations -- gutting regulations: Do we think that is going to be more successful?" Obama asked rhetorically. "If the American people think that's going to be the recipe for success ... then I am going to lose."
The president lamented what he described as a lack of "honest conversation about the greatest income inequality since the 1920s" or who and what was responsible for "the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression."
He dismissed Republican criticisms he has been engaging in class warfare or promoting socialism. Focusing on making life easier, fairer and more prosperous for middle class citizens should be a shared goal, the president said.
"What's happened to the bargain, what's happened to the American deal that says we're focused on building a strong middle class?" Obama said.
Recent polls suggest that the president's approach is not resoundingly resonating among the American public. His disapproval ratings in two polls taken last week -- from Gallup and Rasmussen -- were at 50% or higher, for instance.
Obama said that such sentiments are to be expected, given that economy is not "moving in a way that benefits everybody, as opposed to just a few." And he also said that it would take many years, and perhaps multiple presidents, to turn around the economy and change the culture in Washington.
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