Obama Vows to Fight for Jobs in Retooled Message

"I'm not going to win every round," Obama told a town hall audience. But, striking a populist tone on a campaign-style swing, Obama pledged, "I can promise you there will be more fights in the days ahead."

He used the word "fight" or some variation over a dozen times as he tried out a revamped message focused mainly on the economy, part of a stepped up effort to persuade Americans he's doing all he can to create jobs.

"This isn't about me. This is about you," he said.

And while he has recently voiced a willingness to find common ground in the divisive health care debate, he insisted he was not ready to abandon the cause or to drop his environmental and energy agenda even with the strengthened GOP hand in the Senate.

"There are things that have to be done," he said. "And that means marching forward, not standing still." He acknowledged "we had a little bit of a buzz saw" on health care overhaul.