Reshaping America? Policy choices and policy dilemmas in the second Obama term

This essay explores the political discourse and the institutional context at the start of President Obama’s second term. Given the current institutional fragmentation and highly divisive political discourse the question is: will President Obama be more successful in implementing reforms in his second term than he was in his first term in office? With the economy slowly recovering, the political space for policy choices in the second Obama term is widening, but, as the following analysis shows, choices are complex and—against the backdrop of a highly fragmented political system—at times paradoxical. Policy fields examined include economic policies and the fiscal cliff, immigration reform, climate change policy and the discourse on civil rights. The deep rift between Republicans and Democrats makes compromising more difficult, if not unlikely.