You're watching...

Obama counting on a Pelosi Congress in 2014?

Details

  • Description

    President lays out activist second term agenda

  • Duration 6:50
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

Editor's Picks

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

That was President Obama Tuesday night -- his State of the Union Address and despite acknowledging that government can't stop.

All of our problems he called for its vast expansion laying out a second term agenda.

That includes more spending on public works say cap and trade program for carbon emissions.

A minimum wage increase and a federal nursery school entitlement.

So does the president think he get any of this past stories he counting.

On a Pelosi congress in 2014.

Like task Wall Street Journal columnist and deputy editor Dan anger assistant.

Editorial page editor James Freeman and Washington columnist Kim.

Straus also -- How much does the president really think he can pass or is this.

Is that what this is about.

-- he knows he can't passes agenda very little of this would make it through the Republican House.

That is in fact exactly the point.

The goal here which is a repeat of what he's done for the last two years is to put out all of these measures which are somewhat poll driven they sound.

Generally good to the public he pitches them as helping the economy.

And then when the Republicans don't pass them or take them up he will call them.

Obstructionist.

He hopes that they'll have a few fights over a couple of them like the minimum wage that would make them look.

And united.

And an ineffectual and then he will use that to try to show that they cannot lead and and take back the house and when he fourteenth.

And James what struck me was how on apologetic.

-- Endorsement of activist government wasn't mrs.

-- away from the era of big government is over from -- Bill Clinton presidency.

This really is an on apologetic look at say look.

Government will do the following things for you suggest to me that he thinks he has a -- liberal majority in the country.

Yes and -- right.

Not having to run again for -- reelection having just one it did.

Pretense is falling -- way that he cares a lot about that and deficit reduction a lot of new programs.

Lot of new spending and I think here as we said 2014 we find out if the congress is going to be able to stop those programs and was two years of his term.

I think there's more going on here as well -- and just president sort of need to.

Figuring out how to fight India political trenches he regards himself as an historic figure.

I mean he has referred to himself in the same -- the reverse Reagan.

The reverse Reagan and he's sort of like he's referred to himself -- in the same league as LBJ.

And even FDR and -- or by hot when Gandhi.

So he's looking towards the future and he does -- -- that he has a liberal.

George K but if this doesn't pass how does he go down in history had Islam none of this -- -- say it's all block.

How does he go down as a historic figure or is that already baked in the is in the first terms achievement.

-- -- -- terms achievements on the idea that he's committed himself to these goals that he regards as universally good like.

Carbon free world and he thinks history in the future will look back on him and see that even if they didn't achieve all of these things.

His aspirations made him a great man which the problem with this ball is it just connects him from the system.

Another -- from congress from congress he is not negotiating with congress he.

The -- -- he did this speech he went down to North Carolina and was talking to put people hate congress.

So maybe he's think thinking OK in all -- batter them beat them over the head.

And if I don't get what I want -- a break on one or two things in the next two years the Republicans if they don't.

So what I'll get a congress that's led by Nancy Pelosi again in 2014 and then it's.

Katie bar the door.

You know will there be no question and I think he's just appealing to the public will he's using that campaign organization and yet they're still in place -- emails to people it's a very unusual presidents -- the thing that was most striking to me was the return of cap and trade.

Which democratic a democratic senate couldn't pass in 2010 and remember that.

And also on another tax increase on natural gas and oil.

Drilling or production which he wants to use to find some of his renewable energy priorities.

Why what's his thinking there -- couldn't -- two years ago.

Two things going on here on the cap and trade program he knows.

But he can't pass congress -- not gonna pass congress this is his excuse.

Cities putting out there to do what is now becoming much more common in the Obama administration which is a -- -- to use of executive power.

So we said what it was was a challenge she said either pass this bill.

Or I am going to do this unilaterally through regulatory action now he notes -- that's what he's gonna do anyway but this was -- excuse.

On the cat ran hard on -- gas this is a new way for him to continue funding his green energy projects.

We've got a big natural gas and oil boom.

And I think that the administration has made the decision that rather than necessarily fight that since it's a big job creator.

You try to siphon some of the money off it and you used it for your own ambitions like more -- -- -- and more wind and solar power it sent.

This could also be a play for the second two years of his second term not the first two but minimum wage.

Republicans are saying -- to nine dollars an hour from 725.

All the polls show people like it because I think naturally people say why we want everybody.

To attempt to make more money and the damage from it in terms of jobs that are never created for the low skilled you can't see it's not tangible.

Nobody picked economists even on the left see it and that's why this is maybe the most appalling despicable of the proposals because.

Even liberal economists know that when you raise the minimum wage you get less employment people will lose their jobs that's not really debated and and of course if nine dollars is great why not raise -- the money you're fifty dollar dollar power in what the black teenage unemployment rate is better 170 point 8% which is unbelievable.

It's gonna hit them very hard but this is.

This is relevant because politically obviously but the claim is that this is gonna speak to our moral values through the moral values to let people work.

-- the other thing that I may be.

At play here -- the red state Democrats how in The Who we're gonna run for reelection and 2014 and end.

For the house and senate.

They may not have that same liberal majority in their districts how are they going to be cross pressured by this agenda.

Well this is -- what Republicans need to do because as Dan said.

-- great strength has been disconnecting himself from this congress and Republicans and let him do it that they they have allowed themselves -- is the only.

A force in town when in fact it is the president who runs the White House and the senate.

So if he's gonna put this agenda forward the object should be to make the senate to go first on us.

And you'll see just how many of the the presidents -- members of his own party actually agree with some of these proposals OK Kim thank you when we.