Reeling under mid-term poll debacle for the Democrats, US President on Wednesday took direct responsibility for the slow pace of economic recovery over which American voters were frustrated.

“As President I take responsibility” for the failure to restore job growth more quickly, Obama said at a press conference, shortly after the angry US voters delivered a stunning defeat to his Democratic Party handing control of the House of Representatives to opposition Republicans and also cut deeply into the Democratic majority in the Senate.

Reaching out to the Republicans, a reflective Obama said he was eager to sit down with the leaders of that party as also the Democrats “and figure out how we can move forward together.”

The President, however, hastened to had that this was not an easy task since both parties differ profoundly in some key areas.

Obama said there were “tough choices” before him but expressed his willingness to compromise on a whole range of issues like energy.

The President said he will have to work harder to build consensus in Washington.

Obama voiced his disappointment over the poll result that saw Republicans capturing 60 seats to take control of the House of Representatives.

The Democrats clung on to the Senate despite losing seats.

Obama said he will listen to Republican ideas to improve health care system but would not scrap the law.

Republican leaders have already vowed to reverse Obama’s health care reforms and to cut spending.

Noting that he had inherited a big deficit when he assumed office in January last year, Obama said the economy had begun a recovery since then but Americans became wary when they saw government bailouts of failing banks and two of the Big Three US automakers.

“I think people started looking at all this, and it felt as if government was getting much more intrusive into people’s lives than they were accustomed to,” he conceded.