Obama’s Policy Horizons Shrink

President Barack Obama began his presidency with sweeping rhetoric and major policy initiatives in the healthcare, energy, and financial services industries. The rhetoric has survived, but the broad policy horizons haven’t, as Politico reports.

Obama viewed himself as the anti-Bill Clinton, even saying voters didn’t elect him to “do school uniforms,” referring to a law requiring school uniforms signed by Clinton and symbolizing his narrow ambitions with a Republican Congress taking control in 1995.

But now Obama is looking a bit Clinton himself after his bold policy initiatives of 2009-10 led to huge Democratic losses in last year’s elections.

The president’s proposals for job programs are narrow. And he has put time into advocating a new fatherhood pledge, graphic tobacco warnings, updated sunscreen requirements, an anti-bullying summit, and entertainment discounts for fathers to spend more time with their kids.