Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words on Mitt Romney's part. Flush with victory after his win in the Florida primary, Mitt Romney appeared on CNN yesterday morning and said this: "I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair I'll fix it."

Politicians from both sides of the aisle took to the airwaves to attack or defend president Obama's remarks last night, setting the tone for the rest of his first term in office. But perhaps more importantly, the State of the Union informally kicked off the president's reelection campaign. This morning, The Takeaway takes a look at how his words resonated with three voters from across the country.

Americans struggling with the ongoing recession and unemployment has been one of the defining narratives of 2011. Alexandra Jarrin, a regular guest and listener, lost her corporate job and home in 2008 and remained unemployed for nearly three years. She now works as a door-to-door salesperson for commission, but hopes to find a better job soon. Jarrin is 50-years-old and lives in Vermont. She has been on the program before, and gives an update of how her life has changed since The Takeaway last spoke to her.

Later this evening, President Obama will deliver a speech detailing a jobs program that could cost as much as $300 billion. Obama will give the speech before a joint sessions of Congress, and it will also be broadcast to millions of Americans who are facing record unemployment rates. For their insight, we're speaking with three Takeaway listeners who are uniquely affected by the president’s plan.

Friday produced another round of ugly job numbers as the country's unemployment rate inched up to 9.2 percent. Yet in Washington, the conversation remains fixed squarely on a compromise to raise the country's debt ceiling. Have lawmakers forgotten about the country's unemployed? And what about the "99'ers," the individuals who have exhausted their 99 weeks of unemployment benefits and are left with no government assistance? Where do they fit into the picture?