PU professor breaks down Obama's speech

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - President Barack Obama took the oath of office for his second and last term Monday morning, standing in front of hundreds of thousands at the nation's Capitol.

"I didn't campaign for Obama but I know he is our president and deserves the respect of all persons in this country," Lafayette resident Deb Seders said.

"I just hope Obama does what we need," Lafayette resident Jeanette Hurst said.

Standing before a crowd on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, he placed his hand on two bibles. One of them belonged to Abraham Lincoln, the other to Dr. Martin Luther King.

The president spoke about the ongoing American struggle for equality and justice, and the hurdles he said are preventing positive change for America.

"He mentioned people who are gay, he mentioned women, he mentioned immigrants," Purdue University Political Science professor Jay McCann said. "It was a great deal of recognition of different groups and American society, and sort of the long march towards equality of opportunity and inclusion for these different groups."

While the president's 19-minute speech touched on a range of issues including gun control and taxes, he also urged cooperation in Washington.

However, McCann said he wasn't surprised by Obama's short, "to the point" approach during his inaugural speech Monday morning.

"This is really meant to be more of a symbolic coming together and recognition that a new term is beginning," McCann explained. "Presidents in general speak a lot less than they would at say a State of the Union address and they don't really name specific policies."

McCann said during the next four years, expect to see the president doing more work abroad than he did during his first term.

"I would expect him to take on greater prominence in the world stage," McCann said. "Maybe take on bigger, lengthier and weightier issues that might follow him into the post-presidency stage of his life."

Vice President Joe Biden was also sworn in for his second term. The day concluded with a one and a half mile parade to the White House.