AXELROD: Well, listen, I don't think the question is moving left, right or center. The question is whether we can work together to move this economy forward, Chris, and that's what the president wants to do.
I think it's very clear the American people elected us and elected this Congress to try and work together on the problems of this country. I was dismayed when Senator McConnell said that the most important thing that he has in front of him in the next two years as the leader of the caucus is to defeat the president.
There'll be plenty of time for elections later. This ought to be a season for cooperation in terms of pushing our economy forward, job creation, steadying the middle class, and laying the groundwork for a better future. And that's what we want to work on with Republicans and Democrats.
WALLACE: Well, you know, there is this debate about what voters were actually saying on election day. As I understand it, the president's explanation is that the voters were saying two things -- one, that the economy didn't turn around fast enough, and two, that he and all of you didn't do a good enough job explaining his policies.
But that's not what the exit polls said, and I want to put a couple of them up on the screen.
Fifty-two percent said Mr. Obama's policies will hurt the country. Forty-three percent said they will help.
And 56 percent said government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals. Thirty-eight percent said government should do more.
Mr. Axelrod, this was not a failure of communication. This was a repudiation of the president's policies.
AXELROD: Chris, there is a volume of research, and I can make a variety of points off of exit poll and other research. But the bottom line is this. The American people have gone through a very difficult time.
We walked into the greatest recession since the Great Depression. People have taken a terrible beating out there. There are millions of people still looking for work. And even though we stopped the free fall and we've had 10 straight months of positive job growth, and even though our economy is growing, we need to accelerate that growth. And I think that is fundamentally what the American people want us to work on.
WALLACE: You don't think they were saying that there's been too many...
AXELROD: And they want us -- and they want to us work together to do it.
WALLACE: If I may -- if I may, David, you don't think that they're -- the country was saying -- voters were saying there's been too much big government, too many 2,000-page bills, too much spending, too much intrusion?
AXELROD: Well, I have no doubt that people are concerned about spending. But they're fundamentally concerned about their jobs, Chris, and they want to see robust job creation, and they want to see this country strengthen its economy and grow. And that's what we want as well.
So I think that's fundamentally the message, and that's what the president is going to be focused on.
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David Axelrod on 'Fox News Sunday' - FOXNews.com
