President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he takes full responsibility for the “shellacking” Democrats suffered at the polls.

The president opened his post-election news conference by saying the sluggish pace of economic recovery drove voters into the open arms of the GOP. But Obama refused to concede that his policies were to blame.

Obama is sad but not sorry about the election results.

"I think that there is no doubt that people's number one concern is the economy," he said. "And what they were expressing great frustration about is the fact that we haven't made enough progress on the economy."

The president said he was looking forward to working with Republicans to find areas of common concern. He said he was open to good ideas but warned, "None of the challenges we face lend themselves to simple solutions or bumper-sticker slogans.”

Can Obama reach common ground without selling out black base?

The president brushed off Republican threats to dismantle his health care reforms. He said the American people would learn to love the reforms once they understood the benefits.

Read more of what the president said at TheRoot.com.
 

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