Obama to say it will take more than a few years to solve nation’s challenges

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – President Barack Obama is planning to tell voters it will make more than a few years to solve challenges that have built up for decades.

In excerpts of his speech scheduled Thursday night, Obama also says voters face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. He says the choice voters face won’t be just between two candidates but between two different paths for the nation.

He says he wouldn’t pretend the path he is offering is quick or easy, a nod to voters who may have lost patience because of the struggling economy.

Obama will also spell out clear goals, including 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016 and reducing the deficit by more than $4 trillion over the next decade.