Second Term!

At noon today, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden takes the oath of office for the beginning of their second term. The Democratic president won against the perennial loser Republican Mitt Romney.

At 8:30am, the vice president takes the oath of office at the Naval Observatory. The vice president will have his oath administered by Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor.

At noon, the president takes the oath of office at the White House. The president will have his oath administered by Chief Supreme Court justice John Roberts.

Then President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are officially sworn in.

They will repeat this on Monday.

The national event will happen on January 21, 2013. It's symbolic for this one because President Barack Obama does it on the third Monday of the January. That is marked as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr day (the national day of service).

By decree of the United States Constitution the 20th Amendment represents the beginning and ending of the terms of the elected federal offices. It also deals with scenarios in which there is no President-elect. The Twentieth Amendment was ratified on January 23, 1933.

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Now with this second term, the president will deal with the economic challenges ahead. The debt ceiling debate is once again on the table. Gun control is a highly controversial move. Immigration reform will be another challenge. Tax reform will once again be on the agenda. As well as domestic spending cuts.

The Republicans are bringing more opposition and divisiveness. Already, fresh from their retreat, some of the Republicans will skip the inauguration.  And this is fine? The constant disrespect of the president.

Former Republican presidents, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush will not attend. Bush, Sr. is ailing right now and the former president was recently discharged from a Houston hospital.

Republicans and their conservative allies will be very aggressive this time. But guess what?

So is the president!