President Obama gives the 2013 State of the Union address on Tuesday night, his first since his resounding victory in last year's presidential election. What will he say?
Like his second inaugural address, in which Obama unabashedly espoused progressive values and policies, the State of the Union is likely to offer little in the way of bipartisan platitudes.
The president is done being gentle with Republicans. Democrats and the president's supporters became increasingly frustrated with Republican obstructionism during Obama's first term, but that quickly turned to frustration with the president, who they didn't feel fought back hard enough.
Now, with no reelection to worry about, Obama is thinking about his legacy, as well as the sweeping changes he has been unable to push through Congress so far.
Post-Sandy Hook, the country is galvanizing around some kind of effort to reduce gun violence, though supporters argue about the specifics. Polls show upwards of 90 percent of Americans support background checks for firearms purchases, so expect Obama to call for them, finally closing the "gunshow loophole."
He will likely also call for the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines. Those proposals will face tough opposition in Congress, but Obama will mention them, forcing Republicans to take a public stand against popular measures.
While Obama's inaugural address last month contained soaring rhetoric about equality, the State of the Union focuses more on specific policy proposals.
Obama has thus far left the push for same-sex marriage to the states, and the Supreme Court is considering the Defense of Marriage Act, which bans same-sex marriage at the federal level, so if Obama mentions same-sex marriage at all, it will likely be an oblique reference.
But expect him to talk about immigration reform. He'll express his support for the efforts of a bipartisan group of senators, but he'll warn that if Congress does not act soon, he will pressure them with his own proposals, including offering a path to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants, deferring deportation for young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and the expediting of applications for family members of current residents, including same-sex couples.
Finally, the president will spend a great deal of time talking about the economy. He will tout recent job growth but acknowledge that many people are still suffering. And he will insist that tax cuts proposed by Republicans won't work.
Obama will also use the stage to warn about Republican plans to force sequestration cuts and refuse to raise the debt ceiling next month. Avoiding economic catastrophe will require compromise on both sides, but the president will seek to place the blame for any fallout on recalcitrant Republicans, a stance that polls show most Americans share.
The gloves are off, and the State of the Union marks the first salvo in Obama's reenergized second term. He won the election, and he believes he has a mandate. Now he intends to use it.
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