President Barak Obama had to deal with PR problems with three distinct groups in the political marketplace Wednesday night. To many conservatives/Republicans, Obama has become a socialist who is out to destroy the economy, ruin healthcare, and nationalize the private sector. To many independents, Obama has become a partisan Democrat who simply wants to increase government spending and is an incompetent who has done nothing to help the economy or change politics as usual. And to many liberals/Democrats, Obama stands for being a Wall Street lapdog, a naïve sap who is deluded into thinking Republicans want to help him, and a rudderless politician who has no core Democratic policy convictions he is willing to fight for.

So how did he communicate with each group?

To conservatives/Republicans, Obama stressed that he has cut taxes on 95% of Americans, that he hasn't raised income taxes on anyone, that he supports a whole host of tax cuts and that he supports a freeze on discretionary spending (17% of the annual budget) starting in 2011. But this same group would also hear Obama give a long laundry list of more government programs he wanted to start or expand. Plus, the social conservatives really picked up on one big issue they find anathema: Obama's pledge to make it easier for gays to serve in the military.

To independents, Obama stressed his continued attempts at working with both sides of the aisle and his desire to transcend typical partisan squabbles. He also did his best, as President Reagan did in 1982, to blame his economic problems on the previous administration and the results of their misguided ideologies. Many independents who listened to Obama were reminded of why they liked him and voted for him in the first place, especially because of his pragmatic approach to wanting to increase jobs and help the economy.

Finally, to the liberals/Democrats, Obama stressed his commitment to one unambiguous liberal goal, ending discrimination against gays in the military. Additionally, he focused on how much he hated bailing out Wall Street and his desire for tougher regulation of the financial sector. Finally, he renewed his efforts to increase jobs through strong government intervention, his pledge to continue with health care reform and his willingness to fight Republican opposition all along the way.

So what will be the impact on each group?

To conservatives/Republicans, Obama scored a few points with all of his talk against taxes and in favor of the spending freeze. But it will have little or no impact on this group. Moreover, the gays in the military issue will generate renewed attacks and vilification.

To independents, Obama did help himself by directly answering charges of financial imprudence and general incompetence. Expect a bump up in short term polls from this group.

And to liberals/Democrats, Obama delivered a mixed bag. While many in this camp loved his defiant message and his recommitment to healthcare and jobs, others are distraught over his embrace of seemingly conservative economic policies such as freezing spending during a recession and his embrace of tax cutting. Most disturbing of all to this group is Obama's continuing attempt to find common ground with Republicans. In the view of liberals and Democrats, this is naiveté that is squandering Obama's leadership and congressional majorities and is turning him into Jimmy Carter 2.0.

Short-term impact will be a slight overall bump up in the polls. Long term, if health care reform passes and the economy turns up dramatically this year, the State of the Union will be seen as a major turning point. But if the economy stays stagnant and health care bills remain stalled, the speech will be written off as an ineffective PR gesture.

TJ Walker is the CEO of Media Training Worldwide and is conducting the Bulldog Reporter's "How Talking Head Social Media Video Can Help You Score High-Quality Online Impressions"