He can do whatever he wants. Sweet.

[JFN1]

If you think about it, the second term of a President's tenure is, in it's entirety, a "lame duck" term - for there is nothing left to win, and nothing left to lose. This fact allows a President to transform his administration into something much more effective, and much more powerful, than was possible during the first term. Add to that the self-confidence winning a second term must certainly bring to the President - and also add not just winning a second term but receiving a literal mandate from the People - and you've got a seriously heavy hitter in the Big Chair.

Mr. Obama appears to know this; his current performance on the "fiscal cliff" is a thing of beauty. I believe we will begin to see something I feared was only campaign bluster - a truly progressive President of devastating intelligence - who also just happens to possess titanically massive balls of steel.

I get now that Mr. Obama could not push back with all of his strength during his first term - he had the foresight to see ahead to this time, when he would be able to use his full strength without the concern that doing so would simply be turned against him by the GOP and their owners.

I am truly excited to watch this transformation develop...and love the added fun of seeing Republican heads explode!

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. I cannot hope enough that your analysis is corrent.

but..
already we are hearing news of oil leases, of Monsanto cronies being appointed to ..FDA..I think it was.

I continue to watch, to SEE what he does. Talk is cheap.

[TheMadMonk]

2. If, when they start clanging.

So far the vast majority of the evidence says that Obama is first and foremost a political pragmatist.

Not to say that he isn't enormously better than the alternative, but that is more a function of the absolute unsuitability of that alternative, not any great ringing endorsement of a corporate friendly president who bears very little resemblance to the VERY people friendly Senator who originally ran for the position.