President Obama Acting Like A Second Term President
Click here for reuse options!A second term is different. A president ineligible to run for reelection is freer to focus on his policy preferences and his legacy. All presidents since FDR who have had a second term have also been confronted with a Congress where at least one house was controlled by the opposition party. This makes the legislative path for a president much harder. On the domestic front, this leaves administrative actions such as regulation more attractive for second-term presidents. With legislative options harder and administrative ones more attractive, all of our second-term presidents have focused on policy approaches that do not require Congressional action.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Stuart Shapiro
Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.
58 responses to President Obama Acting Like A Second Term President
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tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 13:38
Go for it, show the rwnj just how liberal and strong you are. Executive orders time. Catch up to all those lily white imbeciles called the bush’s. Help America by bypassing the teabaggs in the houses
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 13:40
And do it while whinging about how we need to work together.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 13:45
that is a rwnj meme, whining from them that the twice democratically elected by a large margin President is not obeying them, the white people.
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 13:46
Well, it’s not like white people got him elected or anything…
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 13:47
and?
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 13:51
Well, why would he obey the people who elected him?
Looking at two years of irrelevancy has to be hard on anyone, though.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 13:58
what? He has been fighting the teabaggers alone for all these years, trying to work with the racists. No more, just walk over them and treat them the way they treat him, disrespectfully and with malice
Hirightnow December 2nd, 2014 at 19:12
Respectful malice…
jasperjava December 2nd, 2014 at 19:12
The people elected him. He is working for them by fighting the Congress that was bought lock, stock and barrel by the Koch brothers.
R.J. Carter December 3rd, 2014 at 09:38
I distinctly recall going to the polls this last election. Pretty sure the congress was elected.
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 09:43
“Elected” by billionaires dumping money to dupe gullible slack-jawed conservatives into voting for fanatical right-wing extremists.
The Congressional elections are corrupted to the core. At least the President can hold the crazies in check.
R.J. Carter December 3rd, 2014 at 10:04
Oh, but the people who voted in masses for Democrats in 2012 were educated, informed voters who were on top of the issues?
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 11:09
Who somehow ‘disappeared’ in 2014? Or was it the ‘educated/informed voters’ don’t care enough to participate and then use that as a reason for results?
Elections have consequences, which ever way it goes…
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 10:56
Even billionaires have only 1 vote per.
Aielyn December 2nd, 2014 at 22:11
It’s not his job to obey the people who elected him, it’s his job to act in their best interest. They elected him to make judgements on their behalf, not to be their puppet.
Indeed, this is true across the board when it comes to representative democracy – the role of the representative isn’t to be the voice of the people who elected them, but to represent their interests, as the people aren’t capable, in general, of being across all areas of policy while still living their lives and doing their jobs.
Spirit of America December 2nd, 2014 at 23:51
POTUS, reps, senators are to do the will of the people since the people are the government. It is why those positions from the start were referred to as ‘servants’ of the people; servants do the bidding of their boss, not the other way around.
Take the min wage… if the majority of the people do want it, but he thinks that it is not good for the country, he has 2 options… sway opinion to his side or do what the people want.
Now in extraordinary circumstances(such as if the majority want to nuke china tomorrow, he may want to hold off on that) this doesn’t hold sway.
But for day-to-day topics, he is just a servant holding a position that enacts the peoples’ will.
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 09:23
That’s the recipe for a spineless politician who governs according to opinion polls.
Aielyn is correct. Politicians are hired by the people to make the hard choices on their behalf, not to be a weathervane.
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 11:06
I congenially disagree. We are the government, a pres & others are just citizens as well, hired to do our bidding for a period of time. I don’t vote for someone I don’t think will do as I believe, I vote for someone I believe thinks on issues the same way as I do.
If a pres is as well a real leader as is an office holder/representative of the people, he’ll convince me(the populace) to his way of thinking on an issue and then when the american people believe the same way as he has convinced us to, then make it happen. A rep’s job is to ‘do the will of the people’.
fancypants December 2nd, 2014 at 23:54
your only as good as the congress and senate want you to be or you wouldn’t be seeing ANY executive orders…think about it
Spirit of America December 2nd, 2014 at 23:44
LOL!
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 09:31
You’re one to talk about “working together”. The bloody jackals of the GOP have spent six years nipping at President Obama’s ankles, obstructing his every move.
Now that they’re in a position to help govern, what are we going to see? More sick fanatical talk of impeaching the first Black President.
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 11:20
If a pres does wrong, he should be impeached. If he doesn’t, he shouldn’t. The race of the pres shouldn’t preclude either path.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 14:38
Go for it, show the rwnj just how liberal and strong you are. Executive orders time. Catch up to all those lily white imbeciles called the bush’s. Help America by bypassing the teabaggs in the houses
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 14:40
And do it while whinging about how we need to work together.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 14:45
that is a rwnj meme, whining from them that the twice democratically elected by a large margin President is not obeying them, the white people.
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 14:46
Well, it’s not like white people got him elected or anything…
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 14:47
and?
R.J. Carter December 2nd, 2014 at 14:51
Well, why would he obey the people who elected him?
Looking at two years of irrelevancy has to be hard on anyone, though.
tracey marie December 2nd, 2014 at 14:58
what? He has been fighting the teabaggers alone for all these years, trying to work with the racists. No more, just walk over them and treat them the way they treat him, disrespectfully and with malice
Hirightnow December 2nd, 2014 at 20:12
Respectful malice…
jasperjava December 2nd, 2014 at 20:12
The people elected him. He is working for them by fighting the Congress that was bought lock, stock and barrel by the Koch brothers.
R.J. Carter December 3rd, 2014 at 10:38
I distinctly recall going to the polls this last election. Pretty sure the congress was elected.
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 10:43
“Elected” by billionaires dumping money to dupe gullible slack-jawed conservatives into voting for fanatical right-wing extremists.
The Congressional elections are corrupted to the core. At least the President can hold the crazies in check.
R.J. Carter December 3rd, 2014 at 11:04
Oh, but the people who voted in masses for Democrats in 2012 were educated, informed voters who were on top of the issues?
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 12:09
Who somehow ‘disappeared’ in 2014? Or was it the ‘educated/informed voters’ don’t care enough to participate and then use that as a reason for results?
Elections have consequences, which ever way it goes…
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 11:56
Even billionaires have only 1 vote per.
Aielyn December 2nd, 2014 at 23:11
It’s not his job to obey the people who elected him, it’s his job to act in their best interest. They elected him to make judgements on their behalf, not to be their puppet.
Indeed, this is true across the board when it comes to representative democracy – the role of the representative isn’t to be the voice of the people who elected them, but to represent their interests, as the people aren’t capable, in general, of being across all areas of policy while still living their lives and doing their jobs.
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 00:51
POTUS, reps, senators are to do the will of the people since the people are the government. It is why those positions from the start were referred to as ‘servants’ of the people; servants do the bidding of their boss, not the other way around.
Take the min wage… if the majority of the people do want it, but he thinks that it is not good for the country, he has 2 options… sway opinion to his side or do what the people want.
Now in extraordinary circumstances(such as if the majority want to nuke china tomorrow, he may want to hold off on that) this doesn’t hold sway.
But for day-to-day topics, he is just a servant holding a position that enacts the peoples’ will.
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 10:23
That’s the recipe for a spineless politician who governs according to opinion polls.
Aielyn is correct. Politicians are hired by the people to make the hard choices on their behalf, not to be a weathervane.
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 12:06
I congenially disagree. We are the government, a pres & others are just citizens as well, hired to do our bidding for a period of time. I don’t vote for someone I don’t think will do as I believe, I vote for someone I believe thinks on issues the same way as I do.
If a pres is as well a real leader as is an office holder/representative of the people, he’ll convince me(the populace) to his way of thinking on an issue and then when the american people believe the same way as he has convinced us to, then make it happen. A rep’s job is to ‘do the will of the people’.
fancypants December 3rd, 2014 at 00:54
your only as good as the congress and senate want you to be or you wouldn’t be seeing ANY executive orders…think about it
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 00:44
LOL!
jasperjava December 3rd, 2014 at 10:31
You’re one to talk about “working together”. The bloody jackals of the GOP have spent six years nipping at President Obama’s ankles, obstructing his every move.
Now that they’re in a position to help govern, what are we going to see? More sick fanatical talk of impeaching the first Black President.
Spirit of America December 3rd, 2014 at 12:20
If a pres does wrong, he should be impeached. If he doesn’t, he shouldn’t. The race of the pres shouldn’t preclude either path.
StoneyCurtisll December 2nd, 2014 at 14:03
Who the hell does this man, (Obama) think he is??
A twice elected President of the United States?..
Carla Akins December 2nd, 2014 at 14:20
Completely off topic – did you see the news reports about gas falling below $2 on the MO side?
StoneyCurtisll December 2nd, 2014 at 14:33
I just put 20 gallons in the tank this morning..
I didn’t even notice the price..(not paying attention anymore is a good sign)…:)
fancypants December 2nd, 2014 at 23:50
the trick will be Can those prices stay at $2.00 ?
*2016 election question to remember
Carla Akins December 3rd, 2014 at 04:18
No way. I saw this morning on the news that sales of SUV’s was already picking up. FFS, our memories are about his long….oh look, shiny.
StoneyCurtisll December 2nd, 2014 at 15:03
Who the hell does this man, (Obama) think he is??
A twice elected President of the United States?..
The audacity..
Carla Akins December 2nd, 2014 at 15:20
Completely off topic – did you see the news reports about gas falling below $2 on the MO side?
StoneyCurtisll December 2nd, 2014 at 15:33
I just put 20 gallons in the tank this morning..
I didn’t even notice the price..(not paying attention anymore is a good sign)…:)
fancypants December 3rd, 2014 at 00:50
the trick will be Can those prices stay at $2.00 ?
*2016 election question to remember
Carla Akins December 3rd, 2014 at 05:18
No way. I saw this morning on the news that sales of SUV’s was already picking up. FFS, our memories are about his long….oh look, shiny.
tiredoftea December 2nd, 2014 at 14:21
With his middling foreign policy results, he has more need for domestic accomplishments to burnish his record.
How close are we to an Obama library commission for him?
tiredoftea December 2nd, 2014 at 15:21
With his middling foreign policy results, he has more need for domestic accomplishments to burnish his record.
How close are we to an Obama library commission for him?
crc3 December 2nd, 2014 at 15:30
You go Mr President!! Fight for what’s right!!
crc3 December 2nd, 2014 at 16:30
You go Mr President!! Fight for what’s right!!