Sunday shows: White House road ahead

A handful of key political figures will spend the day after Christmas
recapping the tumultuous but productive first two years of the Obama
administration and preview what’s ahead next year when Congress changes
shape.

President Obama appeared before the press prior to leaving for
vacation in Hawaii on Wednesday to tout the accomplishments of the
lame-duck Congress, calling it “the most productive post-election
period in decades.” He also expressed hope that several bipartisan
agreements struck during the lame-duck could provide a model for
cooperation heading into next year.

{mosads}But some are not as optimistic as the president. With Republicans
taking control of the House with a large slate of new members who
received support from conservative Tea Party groups, as well as fewer centrist
to conservative Democrats present in the chamber, many observers and lawmakers have predicted
that gridlock could grind Congress to a virtual standstill.

That political environment could set up contentious fights on
issues such as immigration reform, tax reform, government spending and
the national debt, all of which the president has said he would like to
tackle moving forward. 

Two top presidential advisers will go on the Sunday talk shows to
give the administration’s point of view. White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union,” and NBC’s “Meet
the Press” will host senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Expect Jarrett and Gibbs to face questions about a major
impending reorganization of White House staff that is supposed to
commence next month. Senior adviser David Axelrod is planning to move
back to Chicago to work on President Obama’s reelection campaign, and
top 2008 campaign adviser David Plouffe is expected to begin as a top
White House adviser.

Other staff changes could also be on the horizon.

Republican Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.) will give the GOP’s point of view on “Fox News Sunday.”

Democrats
have hailed the past two years as Congress’s most productive since the
Great Depression, citing the federal stimulus law, the healthcare
overhaul, the financial regulatory reform package, the tax compromise
with Republicans, the repeal of the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
policy, and the ratification of a nuclear arms reduction treaty with
Russia as evidence.

But Republicans have been opposed to nearly every major Democratic
initiative over the past 24 months, saying that Obama has too rapidly
expanded the size of government and escalated spending while failing to
create jobs to resuscitate the ailing economy.

Coburn has often been at the center of what Democrats have said is
Republican obstructionism in the Senate. The lawmaker known as “Dr. No”
put holds on several pieces of legislation, such as a food-safety bill
and a 9/11 health benefits bill, both which eventually passed.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will also appear on “State of the Union.”

Napolitano has found herself in the middle of the immigration debate and
has played a key role in several thwarted terror plots against the U.S.
over the past two years. On Christmas Day last year, FBI agents stopped
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from allegedly setting off an explosive on a commercial
flight in Detroit. The administration remains on high alert for
potential threats during this holiday season.

Army Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli will appear on ABC’s “This
Week” to go into depth on the repeal of the military’s ban on openly
gay service members. He will likely provide insight into how and when
the armed forced will implement repeal, a process the administration
says could be completed within months.

CBS’s “Face the Nation” will have a panel of correspondents reviewing the past year and plans for the year ahead.