President Obama is planning for his State of the Union address next month. He's also hoping to revise immigration laws and reinstate gun control measures.
Obama will likely take a short victory lap during the State of the Union, now that he's won reelection to a historic second term.
He'll also use the opportunity to present proposals directly to the American people, in an end run around obstinate Republican opposition.
While confirmation hearings for Obama's Cabinet picks will still be pending, the president will probably focus on even more contentious matters.
Democrats have hoped for comprehensive immigration reform for years, and the current political climate demands something be done about undocumented immigration. Even many Republicans admit their party has an image problem with Latinos, citing the 71 percent of Hispanics who voted for Obama in last year's election.
Of course, any immigration reform bill will increase the number of legal Latino voters in the country, and those people are likely to vote for the party that made their citizenship possible, so some Republicans view immigration reform as a lost cause for them anyway.
During the campaign, Republican candidate Mitt Romney came out against an Obama program that deferred deportation for young undocumented immigrants brought to the country as minors.
Obama is hoping to pass even more far-reaching initiatives, including a path to citizenship for certain immigrants.
The president's plan will likely require immigrants to pay back taxes and perhaps some fines, create a guest worker program to reduce the attraction of undocumented immigration, and provide more work visas, particularly for immigrants with skills that are in demand.
But any initiative will probably also require employers to be more stringent about checking the immigration status of anyone they hire.
Moderate Republicans say they're willing to work with the president on the issue, and a bipartisan group of Senators hopes to introduce a bill by March and vote by August.
That's an optimistic timeline, but immigration opponents might have their plates full with the debt ceiling, sequestration and Cabinet hearings to contend with in the next two months.
In addition, Vice President Biden is heading a panel on gun violence that will present its findings this week.
Biden is expected to call for a renewal of the assault weapons ban, which expired during the Bush administration, as well as recommend more stringent background checks.
Will Republicans oppose background checks for gun sales but insist on the same kinds of checks for employers looking to hire kitchen staff or gardeners? Bet on it.
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