Obama tells Americans who voted for change in midterm election: ‘I hear you’

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says he has heard the message from voters who put Republicans in power in the U.S. Senate and extended their majority in the House of Representatives.

The president said the Republican victories Tuesday in the midterm elections are a sign they want Washington “to get the job done.”

In a White House news conference, he said both parties must address those concerns. But he acknowledged as president he has a “unique responsibility to try to make this town work.”

He says he’s eager to hear Republican ideas for governing together. And he vowed to work hard during his final two years in office to make progress. He says, “It’s time for us to take care of business.”