President Barack Obama officially began his second term in office on Sunday, January 20th, and he now has four more years to face many of the very same issues that were present when he was first elected President in 2008. With the U.S. economy still struggling with the worst "recovery" in the history of the nation and volatile situations abroad, President Obama will probably need the entirety of his second term in office to make any appreciable progress on the many problems that are facing the nation.
The first order of business - as it has been for most of the last four years - is the U.S. economy. After managing to avoid going over the "fiscal cliff", the Obama Administration and Republican Congressional leaders are now engaged in a new battle over the federal debt limit and sequestration-driven spending cuts that are scheduled to begin in March. Given the fact that the President is in his final term in office and he won re-election fairly convincingly, most political observers believe that the White House will play hardball with the GOP in trying to push its mandate.
And with President Obama now starting his final term in office, some are already starting to look ahead to see which candidates will probably emerge from both major parties for a White House run in 2016. It would appear that Hillary Clinton - despite the Benghazi debacle - is the odds-on favorite to represent the Democratic Party in 2016. However, some question whether the U.S. will turn back to an older politician after electing a relatively young Obama for two terms. That same concern may eliminate Vice President Joe Biden as a candidate, although Biden has expressed interest in making a run at the Presidency as well. It’s far less clear who might be in line to make a run for the GOP, although the party will probably require the majority of the next four years to re-invent itself and actually develop a candidate that is capable of competing for the White House.
The first order of business - as it has been for most of the last four years - is the U.S. economy. After managing to avoid going over the "fiscal cliff", the Obama Administration and Republican Congressional leaders are now engaged in a new battle over the federal debt limit and sequestration-driven spending cuts that are scheduled to begin in March. Given the fact that the President is in his final term in office and he won re-election fairly convincingly, most political observers believe that the White House will play hardball with the GOP in trying to push its mandate.
And with President Obama now starting his final term in office, some are already starting to look ahead to see which candidates will probably emerge from both major parties for a White House run in 2016. It would appear that Hillary Clinton - despite the Benghazi debacle - is the odds-on favorite to represent the Democratic Party in 2016. However, some question whether the U.S. will turn back to an older politician after electing a relatively young Obama for two terms. That same concern may eliminate Vice President Joe Biden as a candidate, although Biden has expressed interest in making a run at the Presidency as well. It’s far less clear who might be in line to make a run for the GOP, although the party will probably require the majority of the next four years to re-invent itself and actually develop a candidate that is capable of competing for the White House.
