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Vision for America

Barack Obama has adopted an inclusive approach at the twilight of his second-term.

In his State of the Union address, the United States president — who excels in his rhetoric skills — said that it’s time to focus more on values than policies. Proudly declaring that recession is an issue of yesteryears, Obama promised policies that will benefit the American across the board, to what he termed ‘middle-class economics’. Apparently acting in the footprints of his predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Obama wants to usher in a New Deal wherein families can help plan for the foreseeable future, as their concerns on social welfare are taken care of by the state.

Urging Americans to turn a new page after the worst recession since the Depression of 1933-38, he said it’s time to commit to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone. Obama’s outlook will closely be judged in the light of his performance in terms of healthcare, immigration and taxing the rich. The salient features of his vision were: to raise minimum wages, help millions of students pay for college fee, stringent consumer protection laws and last but not the least to shut down the notorious prison in Guantanamo. Iran, Cuba and involving in the Middle East are other issues that are likely to widen the gap between the White House and the Congress.

The million-dollar question, however, is will the Republican-dominated Congress allow him to tread the path of opportunities for all or obstruct his executive decisions by legislating to the contrary? Some veterans on the Capitol Hill have already dismissed Obama’s landmark speech on America’s future as one based on class warfare! The president has to walk the talk to leave behind a legacy that is futuristic in essence.