Obama gets a second chance to make good on his promises

>>> president obama delivered an ambitious state of the union speech . it was loaded with a lot of policy prescriptions that appeal to the middle class . but how much will the president be able to achieve in his second term? joining me now is john podesta . welcome. here to give a little bit of a reality check. i want to put up here, we did a nice little graphic here of all the policy prescription the president laid out last night. tax reform , immigration, gun control , climate change , universal pre-k, college afford ability, minimum wage , manufacturing, insfra structure, cyber security . clinton, balanced budget , welfare reform , national education testinging with head start , health care , climate change , entitlement reform, campaign finance reform , space exploration , gun control , diversity/inclusion. i put it up there because --

>> i think what he's trying to do is lay out a road map , lay out a vision for how the middle class can succeed in this country. i think he put a bunch of specific things on the table. some of which i think he can get legislatively. immigration reform probably tops that list. some of those he's going to have to do using the authorities he has as president of the united states . he was specific about that respect to clean energy and moving -- attacking the problem of climate change . but i think when it comes to raising the minimum wage , universal preschool , the other issues that are really bread and butter issues, kitchen table issues for people, he's building support, he's building momentum. i think he'll put the pressure on the republicans to try to get some of that done.

>> and is that sort of the advice you've been giving -- i know you were a big advocate of the executive action front. you said that's what -- obama didn't do that a lot in the first term.

>> i think he got locked down too much in washington. he got -- i think people watching from the outside, all they saw was him being prime minister sort of too locked into the battles with the congress. and i think he understood that. and i think the campaign kind of reinvigorated him. he came out of it with tremendous confidence. i think he understands that his job as president of the united states is bigger than just dealing with congress. he's talking to the people about the future of the country. he's doing it, i think, with -- as i said, with specificity. what's going to make a difference in people's lives? and he's making the case that if you follow that path, you know, people -- the middle class experience is going to improve. wages can go up. jobs can be created. businesses can be developed and invested in. and so i think it's quite a specific platform, but i think it's one that he'll feel good selling. he's out today in north carolina .

>> all the sales pitch is going to be on two-thirds of the speech we heard last night. the different things. i know you and i were talking abo about, yes, they poll tested. it's relevant to people's lives.

>> what's going to help people.

>> but this speech is not going to be known for any of those proposals. this speech is going to be known for what was at the end and this emotional plea for guns. is that something the white house is oddly going to regret in a couple weeks if they feel like they stepped on their own economic message?

>> i don't think so. i do think it was the highlight of the speech. it's the thing that was emotional. it's the thing people are going to remember. really, i think, it choked you up when that repetition, that line, they deserve a vote, it was really --

>> explain why it was so striking to have that happen in that hall.

>> it's kind of the big cynical bunch of people. they're not used to emotion. you know, you have the bobbing heads, applauding for different things.

>> usually they're not paying attention.

>> they're mostly now tweeting. and to bring that crowd together, and you saw that emotion build, and the looks on the members' faces as they were looking in the eyes of the families of the victims, i thought it was very, very powerful. but to your point about is it going to step on it, look, this is my experience with bill clinton . the state of the union was the road map for -- and it took a long time to develop. he thought over every word. but it was the road map for the white house and the whole administration. every cabinet secretary , every person.

>> the sales job after.

>> it was this is our -- this is our strategic plan . this is our road map . we're going to go sell it and we're going to try to get it done. and i think he accomplished that last night.

>> so we'll find out, what, in six months, nine months whether this was a success?

>> the success will be whether the middle class is doing better and i think they will be.

>> john podesta , former clinton white house chief of staff .

>>> up next, heat on the