Washington ? In a blunt election prescription for his own skittish party, President Barack Obama on Wednesday implored Democratic leaders to swing big, be honest with an angry public and expose any obstructionism by Republicans.

“We still have to lead,” Obama told Democratic senators in a pep talk that unfolded on live TV.

That line alone revealed how much the political dynamic has changed in just two weeks, as Senate Democrats watched their voting numbers slip from 60 to 59 in a special Massachusetts election that sent shudders through the party. That one vote cost them the muscle to overcome Republican stalling tactics, forcing the Democratic president to adapt in hopes of salvaging this year and his agenda.

His advice: Get results, and this year’s midterm elections will work out fine.

Let policy be our politics, Obama told the senators, and make sure everyone knows about petty acts by the opposition.