President Barack Obama asked Americans on Thursday for patience in rebuilding the weak economy as he appealed for a new term in office and defiantly rejected Republican Mitt Romney’s proposals for growth as heartless.

Accepting the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Obama gave a more down-to-earth follow-up to his 2008 “hope and change” message. Weighed down by wars, high unemployment and political gridlock, he projected a tone that was more subdued, less exuberant.

Obama told Americans they face starkly different paths in choosing between him and Romney in the November 6 election. He said his way may be hard but will bring economic renewal.

“America, I never said this journey would be easy and I won’t promise that now,” he said. “Yes our path is harder but it leads to a better place. Yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together.”

Locked in the political fight of his life with two months to go until the election, Obama faces the challenge of recapturing the magic of his historic campaign of four years ago and generating enthusiasm among voters who are weary of economic hardship.

The convention was Obama’s best chance to appeal to the nation until the presidential debates start in October.

With tight stagecraft, the Democrats introduced speakers every night of the event in Charlotte to reach out to key parts of their base of support – promoting women’s issues, Obama’s auto bailout, Hispanic voters, gay rights and economic security for the middle class.

Obama’s nationally televised address was more of a steady-as-you-go message that outlined priorities like creating one million new manufacturing jobs but offered few details on how to achieve them. Early media reaction to the speech was not as glowing as it was for an address to the convention by former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday.

Obama argued that his economic measures, like the 2009 bailout of the auto industry, are working and asked Americans to rally around a set of goals: Expanding manufacturing and energy jobs and US exports, improving education and trimming $4 trillion from America’s $16 trillion debt.

Repeatedly contrasting his own priorities with those he said were Romney’s, Obama cast the Republican as uncaring of middle-class Americans, pushing a theme that the former executive is elitist and only interested in helping those like him.

All Romney wants to do, said Obama, is reward the wealthy with tax cuts, deregulate banks and let energy companies write a policy for more oil drilling.

“I don’t believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We’ve been there, we’ve tried that, and we’re not going back,” he said.

He also took a shot at Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s plan to overhaul the Medicare health insurance plan by giving seniors a limited amount of money through vouchers.

“I will never turn Medicare into a voucher. No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies,” said the President.

Romney professed himself not interested in watching the speech and his campaign dismissed the address as making the case for more of the same policies that have not worked for the past four years.

Highlights of his speech

On his record

• “Four years ago I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and we have. We’ve blunted the Taliban’s momentum in Afghanistan and, in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, Al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead.”

On the election

• “You know, in a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven.”

On rival Romney

• “Our friends down in Tampa at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America. But they didn't have much to say about how they’d make it right. They want your vote but they don’t want you to know their plan.”

On a second term

• “We can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years.”

• “We can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.”

• “(We can) recruit a hundred thousand math and science teachers within 10 years.”

•  “I want to reform the tax code so that it’s simple, fair and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000.”

• “My plan would cut our deficit by $4 trillion.”