The Imperial President or Small Ball?

In his State of the Union address, President Obama said he would try to find ways to work around a dysfunctional Congress. Does this make him an imperialist president? Later in the week, he said he might compromise with Republicans on immigration, suggestion he might accept an immigration deal that does not include a pathway to citizenship for those in the country illegally. How will the Republican Party handle the shift? Signally more trade wars for Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he won't consider a fast-track trade bill. In the most-well-read letter to the editor, ever, in the Wall Street Journal, Tom Perkins' questions the politics of class warfare.

Banner image: President Barack Obama shakes hands with House Speaker John Boehner before he delivers the State of the Union address on January 28, 2014. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza