Obama takes retooled agenda on road after speech

TAMPA, Fla., (Reuters) – President Barack Obama  vowed yesterday he would not rest until U.S. businesses were  hiring again, as he took his retooled agenda on the road and  sought to dig out of his deepest political rut since taking  office.  

The day after a State of the Union address in which he tried  to reconnect with the public with a hard focus on the economy,  Obama held a townhall-style meeting in Florida where he unveiled  $8 billion in grants for high-speed rail projects the White House  says will create employment and transform U.S. train  travel.  

With his poll numbers down and his presidency faltering after  his first year, Obama tried to show a primetime television  audience on Wednesday night that he understood their economic pain  and would now make job creation his top priority.  

Revisiting that theme in front of a friendly audience at  the University of Tampa, Obama pledged: “We’re not going to  rest until we’ve rebuilt an economy in which …businesses are  hiring again.”  

While a tepid economic recovery has begun, U.S. unemployment  has remained at 10 percent. Failure to make progress on jobs could  damage prospects for Obama’s Democratic party in November mid-term  congressional election.  

Obama also pledged on Wednesday night he would not abandon  his struggling healthcare overhaul and other key priorities,  despite his Democratic party’s stunning loss of a pivotal  Senate seat last week that imperiled his legislative agenda.