President Obama's inauguration speech today definitely delighted many liberals for his inclusion of several references to a more progressive agenda, beginning with his full-throated endorsement of the signature domestic entitlement programs that deficit hawks say need to be cut and cut now, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Obama invoked those programs (initiated by FDR and LBJ) while also taking a shot at Mitt Romney, Bill O'Reilly and others who say that the he won the 2012 election because he was found to be more appealing to "takers" — you know, that whole 47 percent thing.
"The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security — these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great. "
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2013.