Obama: It’s ‘OK’ Some Americans Disagree with Me

OBAMA: "I understand we will not suddenly agree on everything now that the cloud of crisis has passed. Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a lot of issues, and I recognize there are folks on the other side who think that my policies are misguided. That's putting it mildly. That's okay. That's democracy, and that's how it works. We can debate those differences vigorously, passionately, in good faith through the normal democratic process.

"And sometimes we'll be too far apart to forge an agreement, but that should not hold back our efforts in areas where we do agree. We shouldn't fail to act on areas that we do agree or could agree just because we don't think it's good politics. Just because the extremes in our party don't like the word compromise. I will look for willing partners wherever I can to get important work done. And there's no good reason why we can't govern responsibly despite our differences."