A confident Obama goes for two big legislative wins at once
He's not a lame duck yet
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.
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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.
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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.
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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political websites. He also runs Wonk Wire and the Political Dictionary. Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and COO of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. senator and governor. Goddard is also co-author of You Won — Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Christian Science Monitor. Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
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