Yes I could understand the "big words" Obama read off his teleprompter. I did have trouble understanding him when he was off script though. He is a horrible speaker without his teleprompter. Doesn't think on his feet very well.
"Obama is the nation's orator-in-chief, and he deserves the title and the accolades"
David KusnetAnd when concluding his 2014 State of the Union address, Obama preached perseverance:
"America has never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy, has never been easy. Sometimes, we stumble, we make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged … But if we work together – if we summon what is best in us … with our feet planted firmly in today, but our eyes cast toward tomorrow, I know it is within our reach."