The nation’s eyes will look toward the United States Capitol Monday as President Barack Obama is sworn in for four more years as president and delivers his inaugural address. Marion County Democratic Party chair Anita Martin says she likes how strong-willed the president has appeared since the election, and she hopes he continues that for the next four years. She explains that, looking to the near future, she hopes he continues his efforts to ban military-style weapons and stands his ground on the fiscal cliff negotiations.

Political Science Professor Andrew Green says that presidents have a much shorter “honeymoon” period in their second term than they do in their first. He says that the President’s primary goals for this term will be gun control, immigration, and fiscal solvency. He doesn’t expect relations between the two parties to improve very much, as Congress eyeballs the midterm elections in 2014, and the Presidential election of 2016. He does think that Democrats and Republicans will be able to reach a compromise on immigration reform, but thinks that gun control may be more difficult.