How would President Obama's second term look different from his first?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Obama wants four more years in the White House, but if he wins a second term - which is still a big "if" at this point - it's unclear what exactly it would look like.
A piece in Politico describes the president's agenda as "blurry" this time around.
Which is a far cry from the 2008 campaign. In addition to "hope," "change" and "Yes we can," then-candidate Obama ran on a long list of issues from health care reform to ending the Iraq war to imposing tighter regulations on Wall Street.
He also promised a new era of bipartisanship in Washington - and we all know how well that turned out. Washington, and the entire country, may be more bitterly divided today than at almost any time in our history.
Here's the thing about a potential second term: Unless Democrats win big in Congress, it's likely the next four years would only bring more division. That's why Mr. Obama's message may be more about stopping the Republicans than about what he can get done.
There are some items left on the president's to-do list, like a long-term budget deal and immigration reform. But don't hold your breath on those political hot potatoes in a divided Washington.
Other than that, the president is expected to campaign on the proper role for government and creating more fairness in society. This is the class warfare stuff we talked about last hour in the Cafferty File.
Meanwhile don't bet on getting too many answers in President Obama's State of the Union tonight.
Past presidents have mostly used the address to defend their first term record - instead of laying out an agenda for a second term.
Here’s my question to you: How would President Obama's second term look different from his first?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How concerned are you about class warfare in this country?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Billionaire investor George Soros warns a class war, including riots in the streets, is coming to the United States.
Soros tells Newsweek the Occupy Wall Street movement will grow and turn violent. He says the response to the unrest could become an "excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order."
If things go far enough, Soros suggests it could bring about a repressive political system.
This may be a stark view of where the United States is headed, but the idea of class conflict is growing these days.
When President Obama pushed for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of his plan to cut the deficit last fall, he insisted the tax hikes were not "class warfare." But not everyone agrees.
And you can bet that same income inequality will be a theme in President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The president is set to talk about a government that should ensure "a fair shake for all."
Obama has said the system is rigged against the nation's middle class and that he wants to work toward an America where "everyone engages in fair play, everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share."
And there's no doubt Americans are feeling this clash between the rich and the poor:
A recent poll shows a large majority of Americans see class warfare, with two-thirds saying they think there are "very strong" or "strong" class conflicts.
But this is the scary part. The clash between rich and poor now ranks as the country's greatest social conflict, topping conflicts between immigrants and native-born Americans or conflicts between blacks and whites.
Here’s my question to you: How concerned are you about class warfare in this country?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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