Pros And Cons Of Obama's Second Term In Office

As President Obama began his second term as president of the United States, expectations are soaring amongst the American people. Many second term presidents have found that their second term has left them with more of a burden then acceptance from the public. Though there is a chance for peril, some have experienced notable success during their second term in office. Many presidents experience both pros and cons during their second terms, but do Americans remember the cons more than the pros?

Adam Clymer of the New York Times, is the author of the excerpt “Triumphant Obama Faces New Foe in ‘Second-Term curse’ “ notes the positives and the negatives of a second term in office, as President Obama will begin his second term he faces the possibility

He recalls recent presidential terms with former presidents of the 19th and 20th centuries such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, and George Bush, 43rd as he incorporated the “second-term curse” of their respective terms. For Bush, he explains how his opponents made their ways into congress; for Clinton it was his impeachment because of the Lewinsky affair; for Nixon it was resignation due to the major Watergate scandal; and for Reagan it was his involvement with the Iran-Contra affair. He does look at one positive feature that Obama brings to his second term, his youth. President Obama is only in his 50s as he explains that Obama could potentially be an affective political force in the second term. Key issues that Obama should focus on are immigration reform and social security benefits in order to beat the dreaded “second –term curse” (Cannon, Colman & Mayer p235-238). Amar did not mentioned the mid-term elections of 2014, This proved to be an unpopular presidency. Although his term is only halfway completed. The republican people proved that the American public is rather unhappy with a democratic

One great example that he used is that of Eisenhower achieve notable success in his second term and so did Ronald Regan, who had a near complete electoral sweep when he defeated rival Walter Mondale in the 1984 U.S Presidential Election, as he only lost in McGovern’s home state of Minnesota. The reason why I believe that president’s suffer during their second term is because the American people remember failures more easily then achievements (Wayne p. 323-324). With Obamas second term ending in 2017, I am not able to fully analyze his second term. I feel like Clymer had the most rational approach, the American people are as helpful to a president as critical. Campaigns like re-elections promise the American public something better. Americans are naturally fascinated with elections, a re-election provides Obama with a leadership image, I believe that the “second-term curse” could be broken but Obama needs to sound decisive with current mainstream political issues such as immigration, same-sex, and the