U.S. President Barack Obama has made a case for his re-election by setting himself apart from his Republican challengers.

In an interview Sunday on American television (the CBS news show 60 Minutes), the president compared himself to a ship's captain in stormy waters. He said he did not expect the American people to feel satisfied with the state of the U.S. economy.

He said if the voters believe in the Republican agenda of lower taxes for the wealthy and weaker regulations, he will lose the next presidential election next year. But, he said, he does not think “that's where the American people are going to go.”

Instead, he said he is counting on the voters to give him credit for averting a second Great Depression, saving the auto industry and lowering health care costs.

He rejected Republican criticism that his policies amount to class warfare. He said he is trying to restore an America that builds the middle class and requires rich Americans to pay a little more.

Republican contenders for the presidency, including leading contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, have said Mr. Obama is not capable of steering the country out of the economic crisis.