The US contains a multiplicity of interest groups. Around 25% of Americans claim to be liberals and 35% are conservative. Moderates outnumber liberals and conservatives. Therefore, it would be a mistake for the president to promote the liberal policies that he advocated in his inaugural address. He should attempt to devise a more moderate set of policies that will make conservatives and liberals happy. In other words, he should use his second term to make the mistake that he made in his first term. Republicans were not interested in negotiating compromises with the president in his first term. They behaved as if they had won the election. They proposed far right alternatives on every policy issue. They are still doing that today.
The other thing that bothers me about this article, is that its hard to find a far left idea in the agenda that the president outlined in his address. Is addressing climate change; investing in infrastructure, and improving access to higher education in order to promote equality of opportunity a set of far left ideas? Those are the ideas that have enabled us to prosper, and to become a model for much of the world. It is a sad statement of current political situation, if the ideas that were once shared by the majority of Americans are too radical for our president to promote.
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