Just over a week since he was inaugurated for a second term, President Obama is off to a fast start pushing comprehensive legislation on two issues that have stalled in Congress for years: gun control and immigration reform.
Rush Limbaugh expressed exasperation on his radio show at the president's fast pace: "Yesterday we had to get rid of our guns. Today we gotta grant amnesty... They're running the no-huddle offense on us. We don't even have time to catch our breath. They're running play after play after play."
Meanwhile, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll suggests Obama is gaining momentum. His approval rate of 60 percent is a high-water mark for nearly four years and up 10 points since last summer, during the heat of the presidential campaign.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
And a majority of Americans say they supported the president's inaugural address, which many commentators suggested was that of a much more liberal president than Obama was during his first term.
Though some Republicans have accused Obama of pushing these two issues as a political wedge to divide his opposition, there's little doubt Obama wants to sign two major pieces of legislation.
As First Read put it, "Sure, the president is using campaign tactics to pressure Congress, but he wants the legislative 'win'; he already got the political 'win' in 2012."
A confident President Obama even told Univision tonight that he has "no doubt" that Congress will be able to pass legislation on gun control and immigration this year.
Second terms tend to fizzle out quickly, but Obama is trying to keep the flame of his re-election campaign burning bright. He's hitting the road to sell his proposals in campaign-style events and even turned his campaign into an advocacy group to support his agenda.
If he's successful, he might even reverse the six-year itch.
