Schieffer: Obama Success Rests with Public

"Not much will change until we get the reaction of the people who watched this on television," Schieffer said on CBS' "The Early Show".

Mr. Obama, whose approval rating has fallen to around 50 percent amid anger over government bailouts and a double-digit unemployment rate, spent the majority of the speech discussing jobs and the economy. "Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010," he said, calling for a new employment bill.

The president's main goal was "to connect himself" with the anger and frustration felt across the country, Schieffer said.

In an instant poll conducted by CBS News and Knowledge Networks immediately following the address, 83 percent of those who watched the speech said they approve of the president's proposals.

Special Report: Obama's 2010 State of the Union

"This was a president responding to polls," Schieffer said.

Seventy percent of speech watchers think the president shares the same priorities for the country as they do. Fifty-seven percent thought so before the speech. And 59 percent think the president has a clear plan for creating jobs, up from 40 percent before the speech.

Full Video of Obama's State of the Union
Katie Couric's Webcast: Analysis and Interviews
Full Text of Obama's Speech
Photos: The State of the Union
Poll Questions: You Vote on Obama's Plans