During his speech, the President touched on the economy and jobs, but focused primarily on rising tuition costs and college affordability. His proposed initiatives had the crowd very enthusiastic. To see his speech and the out line of his new initiatives click here.

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The president will discuss proposals from Tuesday’s address in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Phoenix on Wednesday and in Las Vegas and Denver on Thursday. On Friday, Obama will make speak in Detroit.

The White House has not outlined policy proposals that the president intends to make in the address. With the nation trying to move forward from a deep economic recession, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday the speech would carry economic themes similar to those the president has been discussing in other forums.

“He is fiercely focused on economic growth and job creation and … using every tool available to him to assist him in that project,” Carney said. He said the president would “travel around the country to talk about the issues that are important to Americans in every state, including most importantly, economic growth and job creation.”

Republicans said Obama‘s travels were politically motivated, accusing the president of being focused entirely on his re-election campaign.

“It’s clear President Obama has abandoned governing and is in complete campaign mode,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski.

The five states are expected to be heavily contested by both Obama and his Republican challenger this year.

Obama won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, sending him on a path to the White House, but the state looks like a toss-up this year. Colorado, Nevada and Arizona are three Western states the president’s campaign covets while Michigan is expected to get ample attention from Republicans after the economic recession hurt the state’s manufacturing base.

Obama carried all of the states except Arizona in 2008.

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Obama says Daley will be replaced by Budget Director Jack Lew, whom Obama called the “clear choice” for one of the toughest jobs in Washington.

Although Daley’s tenure was rocky and he’s leaving earlier than expected, Obama praised him warmly in comments in the State Dining Room on Monday. Obama said Daley had performed “extraordinary work” in an “extraordinary year.”

Both Daley and Lew stood at Obama’s side as the president delivered brief remarks, but neither man spoke.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

William Daley is resigning as President Barack Obama’s chief of staff just one year into the one of the most pivotal jobs in politics, senior administration officials said Monday.

Daley’s job as day-to-day manager of the White House operation had already been changing – if not diminishing – as senior Obama aide Pete Rouse took over more of those duties in November. Yet Daley was not expected to leave the job and return to Chicago, where his family has long held a political dynasty, until after the November presidential election.

Officials confirmed the news on condition of anonymity because the president had not yet announced it. The president planned to do so later Monday afternoon.

Obama will now have the third chief of his staff of his presidency in the midst of a re-election year.

Daley is to be replaced by Jacob Lew, now the White House budget director. The change will be effective at the end of the month.

Obama chose Daley to be his White House chief of staff in January 2011, but the former banker and veteran political fighter Daley has had a somewhat rocky tenure.

In the least, the job has not seemed like the best fit.

Daley had been brought in to improve relations with the business community, Republican lawmakers and others with whom he had built ties over the years. He replaced Rahm Emanuel, who is now Chicago’s mayor.

Daley served as commerce secretary under President Bill Clinton and ran Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. He’s the brother of recently retired Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and the youngest son of legendary Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Daley’s resignation was first reported by the Chicago Tribune/Los Angeles Times.

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In August, CBC members like Rep. Maxine Waters of California and John Conyers of Michigan were declaring that they White House needed to do more to address high unemployment in the black community. Waters specifically called for “targeted” programs that would directly help struggling black families. There was an air of combativeness in the tone of comments coming out of the CBC’s multi-city “for the people” jobs tour.

Now, the tone has changed.

Last Thursday, the Congressional Black Caucus sent out an email blasting Senate Republicans for blocking the confirmation of President Barack Obama’s choice to head the new consumer protection agency created under the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. It was among several recent emails from the CBC, most signed by its chairman, Emanuel Cleaver (D-Ohio), attacking congressional Republicans for blocking the president’s priorities. The email came within days of a White House press call in which senior administration officials pitched a report by the National Economic Council that outlining how a failure to confirm Richard Cordray would tie the hands of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); and a Wednesday conference call with reporters in which Cleaver and Richmond, Virginia mayor Dwight Jones rallied behind Cordray’s nomination and pitched the “importance of Cordray’s confirmation to protect African American consumers.”

The symmetry of messaging between the White House and the CBC is just one sign of a warmer relationship. Early in the Obama administration, some black caucus members grumbled about a lack of access to the White House; ironic in the wake of the election of the country’s first black president.

The White House downplays any talk of difficult relations with the CBC.

“We have always had a good working relationship with members of the CBC,” Senior Adviser to the President Valerie Jarrett told theGrio. “We had a terrific relationship with [Rep.] Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) when she was the chair, and we have a terrific relationship with Chairman Cleaver.”

But Jarrett acknowledged that there have been tense moments between the White House and some members of the CBC in the past. “I think that’s fair to say,” Jarrett said. But she said those tensions grew out of the frustrations the members were hearing from their constituents about the economy. “They were hearing questions in the community about what is the administration was doing” with regard to jobs, Jarrett said. “We needed to give them a more robust briefing, and that has happened now.”

“I think that there are several of the members who were feeling like they weren’t completely up to speed on everything the president is doing to help the African-American community,” Jarrett said. “But I think their comfort level has increased.”

Cleaver called the stories of tension “both perception and reality,” but agreed that the cause was the economy.

“There was no personal animosity between anyone in the CBC and the president,” Cleaver said.

“What you heard and saw [this summer] was some members in the CBC pressing the frustration of their constituents,” Cleaver said. “People point to the tumultuous meeting we had in [at a CBC town hall in] Detroit, during which Congressman Conyers and Congresswoman Waters were very very clear about their desire to have the president give attention to black unemployment, because of its high intolerable level. And we were in Detroit, where unemployment is at 40 percent. So it was required that people speak in emotional tones because the people were angry, and probably still are.”

Cleaver said he believes the White House “heard the message” from Detroit. And he pointed to what he calls a shift in policy after the summer as indication that, “I think they understand.”

“We didn’t do the jobs initiative to put the president in a bad light,” said a CBC official who spoke to theGrio on condition of anonymity. “We were shining a light on an issue that was being ignored by everybody, from the congress on. There was no strategy to be harsh or confrontational, but unfortunately, when you’re dealing with double-digit unemployment since the recession, the members felt the pain and the passion from the community, and that sparked a couple of moments that will go down in history.”
The official said the outcome of the jobs tour drama has been good, in that it produced a national conversation on jobs, and that while the American Jobs Act being debated in Congress lacks the direct targeting of African-Americans that Waters and other CBC members wanted, members’ ideas made it into the proposal.

“A lot of the policies that would be put in place if congress would consider [the Jobs Act] would greatly affect the African-American community and low income Americans,” the official said. “So the tour accomplished what it set out to do, which is shine a light on these issues and bring them to a table.”

Cleaver agreed, saying that by summer’s end, the dynamics between the White House and the CBC changed.

“After the summer, the president focused like a laser on jobs and I think that excited the CBC, the [House Hispanic caucus], organized labor and other components of the Democratic base.” Referring to the American Jobs Act, Cleaver said, “this is what we want, this is what we need.”

“I don’t want to say that the CBC pushed the White House into doing that, but the CBC certainly made it a national discussion piece.”

Cleaver acknowledged that election year politics, and Republican intransigence, also played a role.

“Make no mistake, when we moved into the fall, and began to listen to the tone of things [from the GOP,] we clearly made it known that we were going to be with the president. In fact, I went to a meeting and said to the president, ‘Mr. President, 42 of the 43 members of the CBC are irreversibly committed to your re-election,” the 43rd being Republican Congressman Allen West of Florida.

Jarrett dismissed politics as a consideration in the White House’s stepped up outreach to the CBC and to black media and activists — including a releasing a report on how its policies have benefited black communities, and a conference at the White House to brief black community leaders last month.

Instead, Jarrett said the administration is simply making a third-year shift, from problem solving and focusing on the immediate crises that faced the president upon taking office, to touting the administration’s policy successes.

“The president is stepping up telling the story of our accomplishments,” Jarrett said. “In that sense you see a shift just by nature of the fact that we have three years under our belt. In the beginning, we were developing our story by rolling up our sleeves,” on such things as accelerated payments to small businesses doing business with the federal government, education reform, the Pigford settlement with black farmers, and healthcare reform, which Jarrett said would result in 8 million more African-Americans having access to health insurance.

Jarrett called the White House report “a good opportunity for us to do what the CBC had been telling us to do; which was tell our story, so they could go home and tell our story as well. I think in first two years we didn’t do as good a job as we could have at that, since we were busy doing the work. But it’s a good story of progress.”

Jarrett pointed to increased contact between the two sides, saying Cleaver will bring a group of black business leaders to the White House this week to meet with the president and “talk about what we can do to grow the economy,” and touted past and future meetings between caucus members and herself, Attorney General Eric holder, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan as further evidence that the two sides enjoy an open line of communication.

Cleaver, too, touted meetings he has held with Jarrett, and with Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DNC Executive Directorr Patrick Gaspard, the former White House political director, and White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley.

“Those discussions were aimed at making sure there is no light between the president and the CBC because our issues surrounding jobs have nothing do to with whether we support the president. We do.”

“I do think there were members of the CBC who were looking to have a closer working relationship with the White House and I think that’s something that we welcome, and have reached out accordingly,” Jarrett said.

“We’ve come a long way,” the CBC official said. “We’ve seen lots of things now. We’ve
seen action. I think the members feel more included. We [and the White House are] on the same page. And at the end of the day, we’re headed into 2012, and we all know who would be the best person for the job.”

Jarrett, however, insisted the president is focused on the economy and jobs, not the 2012 election.

“What the president thinks about every morning is what are we gonna do to improve the economy and make sure when families sit around the dinner table, they can benefit from an economy that works for them. That’s why we’re focused on extending the payroll tax cut. We’re ot thinking 12 months down the road, we’re thinking about the vantage point of right now, when people are struggling. Jobs are the single most important issue for African-Americans and throughout the country.”

“The African-American population is vitally important to the overall economy and the president often talks about American dream needs to be possible for everybody. That’s what the president is here fighting.”

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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is hammering President Barack Obama for playing golf and planning his usual family Christmas in Hawaii. Obama should spend more time fixing the economy, says Romney, who is using the issue to raise money.

For some Democrats and Republicans, it’s a tired tactic. Every president spends time away from Washington and engages in weekend recreation or relaxation, they note. Former aides to Obama’s predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, say all presidents have a right to such pastimes.

“Presidencies wear people out,” Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said earlier this year. “And they just simply deserve a break, especially a president with a couple little kids.”

Another former Bush aide, Tony Fratto, defended Obama in 2009, the president’s first year in office.

“There should be no criticism of presidents making occasional personal travel,” Fratto said. Presidents are also “husbands and fathers, and the pace and pressure of the job are incredible.”

Fleischer and Fratto are familiar with the subject. Bush spent 490 days as president at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and 487 days at Camp David – one-third of his eight-year presidency, according to record-keeper Mark Knoller of CBS News. Like Obama and other presidents, Bush noted that he worked during much of the time he spent outside the White House.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, said in an Iowa telephone conference call this week that in some respects, Obama’s “idea of a `hands-on’ approach to the economy is getting a grip on his golf club.”

“He’s going off for 17 days in Hawaii. He’ll be playing a lot of golf,” Romney said.

Romney used similar language in a new fundraising letter that asks for $18 – one for each hole on a golf course.

Obama recently announced plans to spend Christmas in his native Hawaii, a family tradition. It soon appeared likely the trip would be shortened because of Congress’s struggle to pass important tax and spending legislation.

“We are going to stay here as long as it takes to make sure that the American people’s taxes don’t go up on January 1st,” Obama told reporters Thursday. If Congress fails to meet its deadline, he said, “maybe we’ll have a white Christmas here in Washington.”

Obama spokesman Jay Carney told reporters, “I don’t remember Gov. Romney having a hard time or complaining about this president’s predecessor taking his family on vacation – spending, I believe, far more time on vacation than this president.”

Other presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower, were sometimes accused of devoting too much time to golf. Bush had at least one controversial moment involving the sport.

Speaking to journalists from a golf course in August 2002, Bush sternly condemned world terrorism. Then, in a transition that seemed jarring, he said, “watch this drive,” and hit his tee shot.

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Roland Martin and the Washington Watch roundtable discuss Herman Cain’s Libya flub and President Obama saying that Americans have become lazy.

A lot of Blacks working in corporate or other professional fields do too.

It’s not a complaint… I’m just stating my reality. But there’s something that happens when you deal with a lot of non-Blacks and then jump back into Black surroundings. I make references that I know other Negroes will have a much higher chance of understanding. I speak in terms of “we” and speak of a shared ancestral struggle that brings on occasion a familiarity and sense of camaraderie that doesn’t automatically come when dealing with non-Blacks. It’s something I almost didn’t take notice of until I recently saw President Obama speak at the CBCF Gala in Washington, DC.

The 44th President of the United States is nothing if not a gifted orator. He takes queues from all the great performers; from presidents to preachers to stand up comedians. The President understands timing and the milking of a moment for maximum effect. But for all his amazing skill it seems to only amplify when he is surrounded by an audience of Black folk.

Not African-Americans. Black folk

The President has a way about him when dealing with other Black folks in various situations. (Remember when Obama saw Queen Latifah a few years ago and greeted her with a “What Up, Queen?” in a Chicago style drawl?) His speech at the Congressional Black Caucus Gala was no exception. From facial expressions to heavy preacher rhetoric and pacing — Obama dropped a hot 16 for the Caucus Gala attendees (a friend asked when he finished his speech “Did he just drop the mic?) and they responded with cheers and applause.

For a President who is supposedly losing his “Black base” he sure seemed to have them eating out of the palm of his hand on Saturday night.

More coverage of the CBC Convention here.

President Obama, who has been traveling  the country on his “Pass This Bill” tour hit all his major talking points at the Gala. He mocked the GOP for being “pro” many of the things in the Jobs Bill right up until he suggested it. “Y’all used to like building roads.” Obama delivered with attitude and a rare sense of authentic annoyance that seemed less rehearsed and more unleashed. He continued his supposed “class warfare” by pointing out the rich should pay their fair share. But Obama hinted at the troubling time that he’s been having with the CBC. “I listen to some of y’all…” he said with a defiant look in his eye.

Obama walked in the room with what seemed to be a frustration at the questioning he’s received about his policies when it comes to Black Americans — which as of late has been coming directly from the CBC. His method of dealing? Spelling out what he’s already done but SAYING “African-American” when he did it.  This came with applause and screams of “That’s right.” He pointed out the 17% unemployment rate amongst Blacks and that this Jobs Bill would help Black Americans and all Americans — but he needed help to get it passed. This was a direct response to some of the Black caucus members, like Rep. Maxine Waters, who specifically stated at the conference that it wouldn’t/couldn’t pass

“I expect all of you to march with me and press on. Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We’ve got work to do, CBC.”

That wasn’t aimed at Black People as the Associated Press claimed. That was for the CBC itself. If the members weren’t happy about his commentary they probably didn’t want to say it to the audience that was screaming with glee as he delivered those parting words. Obama spoke to the audience not simply as a President to the nation–but with the comfort of one speaking to family. When he said “we” it wasn’t as in “We, Americans…” it was “We, Black Folks…” bringing a sense of camaraderie that not only did the audience need, but Obama probably needed himself.

Elon James White co-hosts the widely popular podcast Blacking It Up! which airs live Mon-Thurs 1:30pm ET. Follow Elon James White on Twitter  @elonjames

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