Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Citing a `` deficit of trust '' in government by the American people , President Obama 's first State of the Union address urged Congress to erode the influence of special interests and work together to confront the nation 's most pressing problems . In the nationally televised speech Wednesday night to a joint session of Congress , Obama sought to reassure Americans angry and nervous about the pace of economic recovery that his government understands the challenges and would act boldly to meet them . Obama called for a new political climate of `` common sense '' approaches that invest in the American people without building `` a mountain of debt . '' Highlights of the speech `` We have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now . We face a deficit of trust -- deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years , '' Obama said . Key areas where Obama wants to build that trust include : the economy , education , energy , health care and national security . Democrats applauded the remarks of their party 's leader . `` He outlined a road map that , if followed with bipartisan support in Congress , can reduce our deficit , rebuild our economy and create a new foundation of prosperity for American families and businesses , '' said Sen. Tom Harkin , D-Iowa . `` It was a serious speech -- reached out to Republicans , '' said Rep. Steny Hoyer , D-Maryland , the House majority leader . iReport : Share your views on the speech Republicans , however , were skeptical of Obama 's ability to change the partisan atmosphere in Washington . `` Real bipartisanship requires more than just lip service ; it demands both sides coming together in a real and meaningful way . It 's time for the administration to abandon this big-government agenda and start working in a meaningful way with Republicans to find common-sense solutions to move the country forward , '' said Sen. Orrin Hatch , R-Utah . `` I would have liked to have seen him emphasize reaching out to the other side of the aisle and bringing us together , '' said Sen. George Voinovich , R-Ohio . Read more reaction to address Analysts , too , were mixed in their reactions to what Obama had to say Wednesday night . CNN political contributor John Avlon said Obama was targeting independents with his remarks , but questioned his success . `` They still hear The Who 's ` Wo n't Get Fooled Again ' in the back of their minds , '' Avlon said . Democratic strategist James Carville said Obama made progress . `` He picked up a first down tonight , '' Carville said . And a post-speech opinion poll shows a divided public . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp . survey indicated that 48 percent of speech watchers had a very positive reaction , with three in 10 saying they had a somewhat positive response and 21 percent with a negative response . See full results of poll The 48 percent who indicated they had a very positive response is down 20 points from the 68 percent of speech watchers who felt the same way a year ago about the president 's February 24 primetime address to a joint session of Congress . `` Wednesday night 's State of the Union audience is more Democratic than the nation as a whole , but speech-watchers were less Democratic this year than they were last year , '' said Keating Holland , CNN polling director . `` That may be one reason why the number who gave his speech a ` very positive ' rating is lower this year . But part of the reason also may be that speech-watchers did n't necessarily hear a new agenda and are n't confident that the president can improve health care or lower the deficit . ''