Obama looks to defy 'second-term curse' with bold legislative action

New York: President Barack Obama is looking to defy the “second-term curse” by taking bold legislative action. Obama inaugurating his second term on Monday, set out a vision for tackling Democratic priorities, vowing to fight for the rights of gays and lesbians, equal pay for women, protecting Social Security and Medicare, welcoming immigrants and promoting sustainable energy sources. Second-term US presidencies, since World War II, have been plagued by scandal or mistakes. George W Bush saw his legacy tarnished by the unpopular Iraq war and the botched response to Hurricane Katrina. Ronald Reagan faced the Iran-Contra scandal, Watergate brought down Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton’s presidency was hijacked by the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Obama is hoping to buck the trend by keeping his nose to the grindstone and defending a stream of Democratic priorities. He began his second term on Monday more popular than he has been for most of the past three years. [caption id=“attachment_596992” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] US President Barack Obama takes the oath of office during the 57th Presidential Inauguration ceremonial swearing-in at the US Capitol. AFP[/caption] Obama’s win over Republican rival Mitt Romney in November has proven to be a powerful lever in his negotiations with Republicans so far, contributing to his success in fiscal cliff negotiations and helping to drive his approval numbers into the mid-50s for the first time in years. Defending Democratic priorities Obama’s second inaugural address on Monday was more economical than his first and its message more focused. Obama didn’t discuss specific policy prescriptions in his address from the Capitol steps, though he broadly alluded to issues of war, the economy, gay rights and US support for worldwide democracy. “This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience,” Obama said in his inaugural address which coincided with Martin Luther King Jr Day. “A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands,” said Obama. Most pro-gay rights presidency in history Like America, politicians have evolved on gay rights since the 1990s. Obama on Monday emphasised the liberal economic and social themes that were the hallmarks of his successful electoral effort. He made history in his inaugural address by mentioning the word “gay” and the issue of gay rights for the first time in a speech at the presidential swearing in. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said. During his 19-minute address Obama invoked “Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall,” key moments of the fights for equality for women, African-Americans and gays, respectively. It was the first inaugural address to mention gay rights explicitly. Obama placed the Stonewall Inn riot at a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village in June 1969 on a par with other historical moments in American history, including the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 and the civil rights march in Selma in 1965. “We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall,” said Obama. “Just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall,” he said, “to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.” Obama came into office with expectations he would be a transformational president. On the issue of gay rights, at least, that is what he is becoming. He repealed the Pentagon’s long-standing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy. And, his speech on Monday was an unambiguous argument for the recognition of same-sex marriage across the country. Substantive foreign policy point What did the commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military, have to say about foreign policy? Obama dedicated one paragraph to foreign policy. “We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully — not because we are naive about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear,” said Obama. Analysts interpreted this as a thinly veiled reference to US policy on Iran. Obama has clearly favored a diplomatic approach to ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions, though with the option of a last-resort military strike. Obama will continue to emphasise international cooperation in solving major problems, for example as he did in supporting a United Nations-backed intervention in Libya. Hillary Clinton’s signature initiative as America’s top diplomat is what has become known as the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” and Obama emphasized the US would remain “the anchor of strong alliances.” This was a nod to the strategy of asserting global leadership through diplomacy, for example in Europe, and to balancing against other states, most notably China, by allying with its neighbors. “America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation,” said Obama. Obama begins his second term with some brightened prospects. The economy is no longer in a tailspin. The Iraq war is over, Osama bin Laden has been killed, and the 11-year war in Afghanistan is winding down. Obama has already accomplished signature legislative achievements on health care and financial regulation. Obama now has some big issues he plans to take on over the next four years — a deficit-reduction agreement, a tax revamp, an immigration overhaul, environment and new gun-control measures top his domestic agenda. We are likely to hear more details at the State of the Union address on 12 February. The president’s audience was smaller than the 1.8 million people who turned out four years ago. Still, nearly 700,000 people showed up, far outpacing other past second inaugurals. Many Americans said they were moved to be able to watch the nation’s first black president take the oath on the King memorial holiday