MSNBC host Chuck Todd told Morning Joe President Obama's speech on the economy and jobs Wednesday offered nothing new, saying the White House felt "stuck a little bit" after the "rough" struggles of his second term:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Chuck, maybe we're being a little tough on the president. Just tell me what new -- what did you hear yesterday that was new? Because, you know, the White House and the websites, everywhere else was, boy, you got to watch this speech, it's going to be big, the president's really going to pivot to the economy. What new did you hear yesterday?
TODD: I didn't hear anything new. I remember asking this very question. I always say, remind people the first three letters of the word "news" is n-e-w, right? And at the end of the day, a news organization is charged with telling you what's new. This seemed more of a tactical speech. It certainly had depth. It certainly covered a wide range. What I found interesting about it, it wasn't just about the economy. He spent a great deal of time about health care, and rightfully so. He's got a big challenge ahead of him. If you're looking for the new, no, there wasn't new in there. They kept saying there wasn't going to be new. They were sort of ratcheting back those expectations. What I get the sense is, you know, this is a White House that seems stuck a little bit. This has been a rough seven months for them. The second term has not gone the way they thought it would. The fever did not break as the president said. I think they felt -- I think the president needed to do this. I think he needed to go in front of crowds. I think he needed to re-energize himself, and I think the White House needs to feel re-energized. They just feel flagging. I don't know how else to describe it.
Obama's speech was widely panned as being unusually lengthy and offering tired, campaign-style rhetoric.