Charlotte , North Carolina ( CNN ) -- When President Obama took the stage Thursday night , he was n't just competing with the ghosts of conventions present , but with Mitt Romney 's performance last week , Bill Clinton 's Wednesday , and the first lady 's on Tuesday . He had to take on the ghosts of conventions past : comparisons with his stadium acceptance speech four years ago , and the 2004 speech that launched him into the national spotlight . Those would be tough performances to match in any year -- near-impossible under current circumstances . So he did n't even try : A good deal of the speech came across a bit like a State of the Union address with fewer Republicans and better lighting . But there were a few marks he had to hit -- and did . • He had to acknowledge that things are n't rosy : `` The first time I addressed this convention in 2004 , I was a younger man ; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope -- not blind optimism or wishful thinking , but hope in the face of difficulty ; hope in the face of uncertainty ; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward , even when the odds are great ; even when the road is long ... '' Four years later : Are you better off ? If you 're keeping score , that 's at least four references to struggle -- difficulty , uncertainty , great odds , a long road -- in a single sentence . `` Eight years later , that hope has been tested -- by the cost of war ; by one of the worst economic crises in history ; and by political gridlock that 's left us wondering whether it 's still possible to tackle the challenges of our time . `` ... I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention . The times have changed -- and so have I . '' Opinion : How did President Obama do ? • But he had to paint a plausible picture of rosier times down the road -- offer a concrete path forward , and give skeptical voters the feeling that the next four years could be different than the first : . `` But know this , America : Our problems can be solved . Our challenges can be met . The path we offer may be harder , but it leads to a better place . And I 'm asking you to choose that future . ... '' `` ( A ) s I stand here tonight , I have never been more hopeful about America ... . '' `` I 'm hopeful because of you . '' And there were roughly a dozen more references to hope scattered through the speech . • Hitting the right notes : He had to hit the bipartisan notes that the incredibly vanishing swing voters still tell pollsters they 're looking for . Opinion : We 're in for a heck of a ride . `` Last summer , I worked with Republicans in Congress to cut $ 1 trillion in spending . `` Now , I 'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission . No party has a monopoly on wisdom . No democracy works without compromise . '' Absent were direct references to the stimulus or Obama 's health care plan -- both partisan flashpoints that still get mixed reviews from voters in most opinion polls . • Drawing contrasts : But he had to draw a sharp contrast with Republicans on issues where he 's got public opinion on his side , like tax cuts for the wealthy . Opinion : Obama speaks to Americans as adults . `` But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy -- well , you do the math . I refuse to go along with that . And as long as I 'm President , I never will . '' Of course , there may be a pretty short shelf life on the political impact of anything he had to say Thursday . When President Obama spoke , he was probably the only person in the arena who knew what the job numbers coming out first thing the next morning would be : A healthy showing that could turbo-charge any convention bounce - or a disappointing showing that could short-circuit it . `` America , I never said this journey would be easy , and I wo n't promise that now , '' he said , at the tail end of a speech that put a spotlight on struggle . `` Yes , our path is harder -- but it leads to a better place . '' Obama urges voters to secure the change he started .
President Obama had a high bar after recent dramatic speeches . Convention speech acknowledges things are n't rosy in the country . He points to better times ahead and suggests a path to get there .