President Obama, officially and publicly sworn into his second term Monday morning, is at the start, once again, of needing to renew our nation from division, economic crisis and equality turmoil.
When he first began his presidency four years ago, he was entering an office that required significant work to be done to stall a variety of possible crisis.
While it seems that, in many ways, President Obama is now starting again at the same place, if not even more behind, the Inaugural day and MLK holiday was one of optimism and prudent belief in future prosperity.
“We made ourselves anew, and we vowed to move forward together,” President Obama said at the beginning of his address. “…when times change, so must powerful.”
According to Beschloss, who based many of his assertions and predictions not only on President Obama’s past four years, but also the histories of his many predecessors, if Obama is able to pass legislation regarding gun control, “it will enable him to [move forward with] some of these other time.”
Whether or not that is true at this time for our country, Beschloss said one of the most important things for the President to build and maintain is a good relationship with the other deciding members of government.
“In this atmosphere, when it’s even harder for presidents to get things from Congress, you’re probably at a little bit of a disadvantage if that is not your forte,” he said, relating it to past presidents’ successes and failures on similar terms.
Following his more left-sided address, the President offered a sort of “olive branch” to Congress during the Inaugural Luncheon, with a unified tone.
“I recognize that democracy is not always easy and there are profound differences in this room, but I want to thank you for your service,” President Obama said to attending members of Congress. “I’m confident that we can act at this moment.”
The reception of Obama’s more “humble” approach during the Luncheon may play out in the coming weeks as discussions and possible decisions are made regarding the debt ceiling, gun control and more.