Nuevo Tiempo, Nueva Meta.

A lot of that has to do with rancorous relations with Congress. Obama scored huge legislative victories during his first two years in office, but since Republicans took control of the House in 2010, he's been lucky just to avoid fiscal calamity through last-minute deals.
"We just had an election that gave us the status quo," says Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego. "If you didn't like the last two years, then the next four don't look so attractive."
Not only does Obama face continuing GOP opposition in Congress, but as a second-term president, he necessarily generates less excitement than he did as a newcomer — particularly as someone who made history as the nation's first African-American president.
"The excitement you always get inWashington when there's change is not there," says William Schneider, a senior fellow at Third Way, a centrist think tank. "This was a vote for continuity."
Not Since Watergate
About a week ago, Gallup released a poll asking Americans what they felt was the most important problem facing the country. "Dissatisfaction with government" was the third-most-mentioned problem, at 18 percent, behind theeconomy and the federal budget deficit.
It was the most worried that Americans have been about government since Watergate, according to Gallup.
"The dissatisfaction with Washington is pretty intense right now," says Karlyn Bowman, a polling expert at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. "The mood about the way this city is working is so grim."
In the coming months, Obama faces fresh fightswith Congress about the debt ceiling and spending cuts. Republicans won't be inclined to give him much of what he wants.
"In many ways, polarization is even worse than it was before — and it was bad then," says George Edwards, a visiting political scientist at Oxford University. "Republicans truly hate him, so the idea of getting cooperation is a long shot."
The Power Base
Obama also will seekto break the years-old logjam over immigration policy, and there are some indications that Republicans will want to make a deal on this issue. The GOP, however, is unlikely to embrace the package of gun control measures the president recently outlined.
"People who voted for the House majority have no stake in Obama's success," says Jacobson, the UC San Diego professor. "The guys that got electedto the House don't have to adapt to the changing world."

On The Agenda

President Obama was sketchy about outlining his second-term agenda during the campaign but nonetheless faces a full plate.
Fiscal Issues: Obama and Congress must come to terms about spending cuts, the debt ceiling and funding government operations for the rest of the fiscal year. The upcoming debates may or may not leadto deals to address longer-term debt problems.

Gun Control: The president has made clear his intention to fight hard for restrictions on guns, notably bans on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. He signed 23 executive orders related to guns on Wednesday but faces an uphill climb on his legislative proposals, although further background checks on purchasers has considerablesupport.

Immigration: Obama has reasons for optimism about resolving a thorny issue, with some Republicans more open to compromise on an idea with increased political resonance. A plan outlined recently by GOP Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, in fact, resembles in broad outlines some of Obama's proposals. But reaching agreement on any deal that allows a path to legal status for undocumented immigrantswill be difficult.

Health Care: The bulk of the Affordable Care Act will be implemented over the coming year. The Obama administration has offered more time for states to set up exchanges, which are the main marketplaces for private insurance under the law, in hopes more of them will get onboard.

Foreign Affairs: Obama is winding down the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. His...