President Obama gives his 2013 State of the Union address tonight at 9:00 p.m. Watch the enhanced live stream below.
This is the president's first State of the Union address since his resounding victory in last year's election. Obama believes he has a mandate and that now is the time to use it. With no reelection to worry about, the gloves are off; tonight the president speaks directly to the American public.
His first term was marked by repeated efforts at bipartisanship that were stymied by recalcitrant opposition. Expect Obama to make a few mentions of compromise before laying out an ambitious progressive agenda for the next four years.
He will present proposals to require background checks for firearms purchases, as well as ban assault weapons and limit high-capacity gun magazines.
He will propose immigration reform measures that provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and their families. While a Senate plan ties reform measures ro increased border security, Obama prefers the two issues to be handled separately.
And he will call for investments in infrastructure, education and healthcare, despite conservative insistence on spending cuts.
Obama will lay looming sequestration cuts at the feet of Republicans and demand that they not hinder his plans with threats of shutting down the government over the debt ceiling.