Obama trying to lower supporters’ expectations on key issues

Although he continued to deliver an optimistic vision of the future, Obama also sought to manage expectations about what is possible over the next two years. …

The suggestion that Americans must take the long view struck a different tone than Obama’s inaugural address in January, when he emphasized that the country’s challenges were urgent.

Obama’s message aimed to temper his supporters’ impatience for action at a time when the president’s gun-control agenda appears stalled in the Senate. During a speech at a Denver police academy, Obama pleaded with people on both sides of the gun-control debate to try to find common ground. Obama’s bid to raise taxes on wealthier Americans to offset budget cuts also has been met with stiff resistance among Republicans.

At the same time, Obama’s notes of caution had another motive: to convince supporters to open their pocketbooks again just five months after he won his final campaign. The White House has joined with congressional Democrats on a strategy to win back control of the House in 2014 and maintain their advantage in the Senate, as an insurance policy against GOP resistance to Obama’s agenda.