Senate The 2nd Term of the Obama Administration: Facts, Opinions, and Discussions

President Barack Obama has been re-elected to the White House, with the final tally looking like it will be 51% to 47%. He is in much stronger position politically than expected, even among people who thought he would win the election. The President also seems much more energized, "fired up and ready to go."

How will the Second Term of the Obama Administration go? And, in review (although officially there's still another month), how did the First Term go?



2008:


2012:





Previous threads...
* First Year of the Obama Administration:
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...tion-facts-opinions-and-discussions.30333860/
* Second Year of the Obama Administration:
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...tion-facts-opinions-and-discussions.30705483/
* Third Year of the Obama Administration:
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...tion-facts-opinions-and-discussions.31419313/
* Fourth Year of the Obama Administration:
http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...tion-facts-opinions-and-discussions.32049076/



What do I think is on the Obama administration's policy agenda?
1. Tax/Entitlement Reform & Infrastructure Investment (possibly dealt with as early as this winter)
2. Immigration Reform (possibly dealt with by this summer)
3. General Government Reform
4. Progress on Marriage Equality and Civil Rights, like repealing DOMA and passing ENDA
5. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
6. Action on Syria
7. Preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon
8. Possibly Israeli-Arab peace
9. Possibly state flexibility on marijuana laws
10. Possibly progress on Civil Liberties, like regulations on drones and closing Guantanamo

SOSDD

Some times i wonder to myself..."Isnt there this drug war in mexico that might be of some conscern" but then I get distracted by something shiney.

Well, the 113th Congress begins today, even if Obama's 2nd term technically begins on Inauguration Day on Monday, January 21st in a little over two weeks.

We didn't get a big Tax & Entitlement Reform deal (along with permanent spending cuts, reform of the general government bureaucracy, and infastructure investment) from the Fiscal Cliff, but there's still the possibility of that in a few months (though it will be much harder for Democrats to accept).

Immigration Reform is still a top priority, and Gun Violence Prevention can now be added to the list after the elementary school shooting in Sandy Hook, CT.

Leader Reid is also expected to act and pursue some form of Filibuster Reform.

And there's still several issues and crises in the Middle East to worry about.



How do people predict the 2nd term will go?

Doub it. But at least he is not as close to Bibi as Romney was.

Energy will play an important role in the next four years.

Despite endless idle talk about the U.S. being awash in crude oil again, U.S. gasoline prices hit an all time high annual average in 2012. I will not be surprised if we reach a new annual average peak in 2013. World oil prices would have been much higher were it not for the U.S. energy savings resulting from great recession economic contraction, U.S. energy savings resulting from gradual replacement of the U.S. vehicle fleet with more fuel-efficient models, and ongoing European economic malaise. Global energy supply and demand remain precariously balanced. Iranian oil exports have declined dramatically due to sanctions, but have now been passed by increasing Iraqi production, which is now returned to year 2000 levels with continued growth possible. Saudi oil production seems to have dropped from a recent peak.

Securing coastal energy infrastructure and indeed all infrastructure from the effects of climate change is going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars. People asked after Katrina whether New Orleans was worth saving from being reclaimed by the gulf. No one will question the value of protecting Manhattan. Hardening New York against future flooding is going to eventually have to become one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever.

Also, we're in sight of summers free of arctic sea ice. That means the 13-30% of global undiscovered oil/natural gas reserves located in the arctic may become more and more accessible. The scrambling for control over those resources should be exciting. And of course exploiting those resources will accelerate climate change.

Considering the inhospitability of the artic, and the cost of doing buisness up there, and 1 bad eruption senting the world into another year without a summer at any random time Artic drilling dosent seem cost effective in the grand scheme of things. People rather deal with unstable regions and dictators than deal with environmental instability, and can you name any environment of earth more unstable than the artic?

Not to mention there is no garuntee of any significant reserves for increased modern consuption.

Its a better tactic to use the oil we have avilable building an infrastructure that requires far, far, far les oil than we use today.

HIs State of the Union address in Feburary will be interesting to see and hear.

I'm guessing the GOP learned their lesson and won't be heckling the Prez this time around.

I don't know. They're dense. Is Michelle Bachmann still blaming him for the H1N1 outbreak, encouraging people not to fill out the census, and accusing him of sending children to concentration camps?

*blink blink*

I hadn't heard the concentration camp one. That's rich coming from her, considering she and her husband host "pray the gay away" reeducation camps.

Though, according the the derp thread, she's still calling for the repeal of the ACA.

Didn't she say that she wants Mcarthy style purges within the US Government on Chris Matthews?

Does everyone remember this?

"The debt ceiling will come up again, and shutdown and default will be threatened, chilling the economy.”
---Mitt Romney's closing argument

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/11/romney-new-recession-warning.php


Let's hope Romney ends up being wrong about that, too. Kind of like when Mitch McConnell said this:
"One issue I’ve never been conflicted about is taxes. I wasn’t sent to Washington to raise anybody’s taxes to pay for more wasteful spending and this election doesn’t change my principles. This election was a disappointment, without doubt, but let’s be clear about something: the House is still run by Republicans, and Republicans still maintain a robust minority in the Senate. I know some people out there think Tuesday’s results mean Republicans in Washington are now going to roll over and agree to Democrat demands that we hike tax rates before the end of the year. I’m here to tell them there is no truth to that notion whatsoever."

Yeah, I think that was 4 years ago or so, it's what made her famous.

She also more or less implied that Census workers should be killed. A short time later a census worker was found dead (cause of death listed as suicide, but the family doesn't buy it)

So I came right to the bottom-most post and see all these references to this unknown "she", and as I scroll upwards I instantly think "Michelle Bachmann" despite my not having kept track of any of her recent antics. I'm rather pleasantly (or unpleasantly) surprised to see I was right.

How far will Obama be willing to go on Entitlement Reform and Spending Cuts?

Don't type her name! It is "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

nowhere. i mean, he's already managed to separate it out from the revenue deal and i think he'll keep maneuvering to put it off and put it off and put it off. entitlements are the dems' bread and butter, their holy grail, the single biggest argument for the perpetuation of big fat gubmint that they have! they can't mess with it - it'll ruin 'em.

A list of some of Obama's 1st term accomplishments (not complete):
Healthcare Reform
Financial Reform (Dodd-Frank)
Return to Clinton-era tax rates for those making more than $400k
Auto Bailout
DADT repeal
Lily Ledbetter Act
New START Treaty
Withdrawal from Iraq
Killing Osama bin Laden
Credit Card reform
Student Loan reform
"Race to the Top" and NCLB waivers for education
Toughest Iran sanctions ever
Helping Libyan rebels take out Gadhafi
3 free trade agreements
Strengthening ties with countries from Australia to Burma to India to form a barrier around China
2 Supreme Court justices
Patent reform
Expanding AmeriCorps
Securng loose nuclear weapons material around the world
Raising fuel efficiency standards
Ending torture

In summer of 2011, Obama wanted a "Grand Bargain" that reduced the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years, including entitlement reform. Republicans thought he wasn't giving enough, and we ended up with a much smaller deal.

Just recently with the "fiscal cliff" talks, Obama again wanted a "Grand Bargain" that reduced the deficit by trillions of dollars over 10 years, including entitlement reform. Republicans thought he wasn't giving enough, and we ended up with a much smaller deal.

Now, Obama is yet again hoping the next round (in only 2 months or so) will be a "Grand Bargain." Including entitlement reform. Obama has been singling out Medicare Reform in speeches ever since the "fiscal cliff" deal was reached. I think he's serious. And we know the Republicans will demand it. Let's just hope they don't demand too much again, and we're stuck with yet another small deal.





EDIT: I also wonder if anything will be done on campaign finance (DISCLOSE Act) or voting rights (I think AG Holder proposed a modern voter registration system where everyone is automatically registered to vote at 18, and registration automaticall updated when you move... that would be a game-changer). I have a feeling that we'd be talking more about these issues if Obama had lost...

yes i know, i just don't see it happening in any significant way. sorry dude!!!

He said in his speech after the Fiscal Cliff deal was reached that he was willing to talk about Entitlement reform, but that he would not negotiate about the Debt Ceiling.

@Summer Dreamer: Since you brought up Holder, it would be amusingly ironic to me that the one person the Tea Party/GOP wanted out so badly is one of the few from Obama's 1st term that remains at his post.

I'm hoping he refuses to negotiate on the debt ceiling. That hostage situation needs to end; it's one of the most ridiculous, childish, and ignorant acts I've ever seen in politics.

Obama also - at least in his Convention speech - said he'd be willing to sign Simpson-Bowles if Congress passes it. Of course, Ryan wouldn't even vote to let it out of committee because it...raised taxes

Being friendly with enough countries to draw a box around China on a map is an accomplishment?

That seems like a bit of a stretch, to me.

Being friendly with enough countries to draw a box around China on a map is an accomplishment?[/quote]
Well that probably speaks more to China's silly and counter-productive chest-thumping than to anything we did ourselves.