US President Barack Obama has delivered his first State of the Union address. During the speech on Wednesday evening, he pledged to NOT give up on overhauling the healthcare system. But the address was mostly dominated by the economy and jobs.

 

The address came at a crucial time. It followed the loss of a pivotal Senate seat in Massachusetts, by Obama's Democratic party.

The Massachusetts defeat has threatened the sweeping legislative agenda Obama put forth, when he took office a year ago. That's because it deprives the Democrats of their "super-majority" of 60 Senate votes, to overcome Republican procedural hurdles.

Public discontent with the White House has been growing. Stemming mainly from the struggling economy and a 10 percent unemployment rate.

Those issues topped the address with Obama stressing the challenges he was confronted with

Barack Obama, US President, said, "One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed."

But he also conceded the the crisis continues.

He emphasized jobs will be the government's number one focus in 2010. It will create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers. Small business will also get more financial help.