President Barack Obama is set to give his opponents on Capitol Hill notice tonight that he has every intention of getting what he wants over the course of his second term and delivering on his promises to increase growth and to take on the controversial issues such as immigration, climate change and gun control.
The annual State of the Union address is an opportunity for Obama to lay out markers for the whole of his four-year second term in the Oval Office, with emphasis expected to be given to adding to the sluggish economic recovery with brand new spending initiatives on the likes of clean energy, education and infrastructure.
While Obama is likely to pay lip service to the notion of bipartisanship, there is little doubt that he intends to build on the aggressively progressive and partisan tone that he took in his inauguration address several weeks ago. Obama continues to face difficulties with the House of Representatives controlled by Republicans, but while the Republican Party is likely to oppose more gun control laws and taxes on the rich while seeking social spending cuts the Democrats are equally likely to reject, the feeling in the White House is that the Obama agenda has widespread public support.
On the topic of US immigration reform, Obama wants it to happen as soon as possible, and many are expecting the rebuttal from the Republican Party that will follow Obama’s address tonight to signal that the party is ready to compromise on the issue.