Obama’s aggressive second term plans

Although President Barack Obama opened with a quote from John F. Kennedy and repeatedly referenced the need for bipartisanship, the president was not hesitant to push for the bold second term agenda he suggested in his inaugural speech.

Obama proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 from $7.25, bringing the inflation-adjusted rate back to the level it was in 1981.

As he has in the past, he called for the end of tax breaks that encourage outsourcing and for an overhaul of the corporate tax code.

He also recognized the need to improve our education system as a long-term investment in our economy, with new expansions in preschool and STEM courses and a focus on college affordability.

The address likely pleased many who hailed his discussion of climate change in his second inaugural and felt he downplayed the issue in his first term. Obama vowed to double the use of renewable electricity generation, increase the efficiency of cars and create an Energy Security Trust to fund research on efficient energy technologies.

Obama also announced plans to withdraw 34,000 troops from Afghanistan.

He also subtly alluded to heavily debated military drone programs, calling attention to his foreign policy victories and stating that the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers is no longer required when facing international threats.

As was widely expected, he also discussed the need for immigration and gun policy reform.

He applauded bipartisan groups already working on immigration bills in Congress while pleading with them for increased urgency.

With recent victims of gun violence watching with First Lady Michelle Obama in her box, Obama pushed again for universal background checks and the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban, both of which have some measure of bipartisan support.

He largely saved gun policy reform for the end of his address, finishing on a strong note of pathos as he repeated the legislative need to consider victims like Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz, and the families of Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo. 

Obama recognized fears about continued government spending, but said that his proposals would remain below caps the two parties agreed to in 2011.

The State of the Union indicates this will be a fierce legislative year.

With every passing month, the president will lose power to move forward on his goals and face the threat of an increasingly lame duck second round in the White House.

Americans should expect Obama to aggressively move forward on policy goals while there is still momentum to take advantage of in the second term.

­— gwinslow@indiana.edu