President Barack Obama delivers his first State of the Union; Washtenaw County lawmakers weigh in

President Barack Obama said he gets it - he knows America is not happy.

"I campaigned on the promise of change, 'change we can believe in,' the slogan went," he said Wednesday night in his first State of the Union address. "And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change, or at least that I can deliver it."

He knows, Obama bluntly acknowledged, that Americans are frustrated and disappointed, that "change has not come fast enough."

President Barack Obama delivers his first State of the Union address.

The Associated Press

Fighting to recharge his embattled presidency, Obama offered a vow to get jobless millions back to work and stand on the side of Americans angry at Wall Street greed and Washington bickering. Defiant despite stinging setbacks, he said he would fight on for ambitious overhauls of health care, energy and education.

"I don't quit. Let's seize this moment," he told a politician-packed House chamber and a TV audience of millions. "As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, it's time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth."

Reaction to the speech from Democratic lawmakers who represent Washtenaw County was generally positive.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said Obama had the right focus in his address and set the right tone.

"His focus was right where it belongs: on jobs and the economy, and on reforming the financial sector to end the abuses and excesses that put us in the economic hole we’re in," Levin said in a statement. "The president was eloquent in his optimism, and he rightly said that we’re all responsible for working together to tackle the challenges we face. He acknowledged his own mistakes, and he avoided pointing partisan fingers."

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, weighed in on several aspects of Obama's speech, including health care, jobs and education, a discretionary spending freeze, campaign finance and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"After a year in office, we have seen that President Obama is a thoughtful leader on foreign policy matters. Instead of rushing his decisions on Afghanistan, he listened to his team of military and civilian experts and launched a sound plan for a military and civilian surge that will assist Afghanistan in its fight against extremism," Dingell said in a statement. "In the transition of our military from Iraq to Afghanistan, we in Congress must provide our troops and Foreign Service officers with the tools they need to stay safe, assist both nations in building their governments’ capacities, and eventually turn security over to each nations’ security forces.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, said in a statement after the speech that he will push to establish a tax credit for businesses that hire more workers, and support efforts to freeze government spending to reduce the deficit.

"Unfortunately, families all over the state of Michigan are still struggling," he said in the statement. "Businesses can't obtain credit to expand their operations, far too many unemployed workers still can't find a job, and those who do have jobs have seen their wages and benefits cut due to the economic crisis. Michigan can't afford to waste another day on failed policies that reward companies for shipping jobs overseas, or allow Wall Street CEOs to waste our money on taxpayer-funded bonuses."

On the University of Michigan campus Wednesday evening, the U-M College Libertarians held a viewing party to watch Obama's address. They sharply criticized his first State of the Union, saying he did not present new ideas and is working toward increasing government, not reducing it.

“Clearly, the president truly thinks that our problems will be solved by more and more government," sophomore Sam van Kleef said in a statement. "He has a fundamental misunderstanding of our economy and our world.”

Here's a round-up of coverage, analysis and opinions from Obama's first State of the Union: