RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - The debate over gun control is consuming a lot of President Barack Obama’s time as he wraps up his first term in office and will certainly carry over into his second term. This comes after the devastating shooting at Sandy-Hook Elementary School.
Prior to that moment, the president was aggressively pushing his agenda which includes creating jobs, decreasing the deficit, gay rights and the Dream Act. CBS 6 wanted to know the likelihood of President Obama being able to accomplish those goals early on in his second term. “What we've seen in recent American history is, second terms haven't been good to too many presidents,” says CBS 6 Political Analyst, Dr. Bob Holsworth. He tells us, “Barack Obama is going to have to find a way to avoid the fate of recent presidents.” Former Presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had decent approval ratings going into their second terms, but, Bush's legacy was hit by Hurricane Katrina and the war in Iraq. Clinton’s image was tarnished by Monica Lewinski and impeachment proceedings.
Dr. Bob says President Obama can't let gun control consume his second term like healthcare did his first, because he says all other promises aside, the economy will dictate the president's legacy. “If all of a sudden, the sluggish recovery goes into five, six, seven years, that's going to be a permanent scar on his presidency,” says Dr. Bob.
President Obama has managed to beat the odds, says Dr. Bob. The president managed to pass healthcare, which no democrat had been able to do in 60 years. President Obama was also re-elected with a high unemployment rate, which is not typical.
