All that applause. All that adoration. The president's state of the union address was considered brilliant by much of the press. So what happened to all the promises? The president's laundry list of goals for his second term have either been defeated or not even brought out for a vote by either House. The sole exception is immigration reform and most of that "comprehensive" measure is going nowhere in the House. The Hill: The White House's problem is perhaps best epitomized by the battle over gun control. The crescendo of February's speech was the president's emotional call for a vote on new regulations, noting the presence of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) -- who was shot by a would-be assassin -- in the audience. But the president's push for new gun controls flamed out in the Senate, where Democrats were unable to corral enough votes even for a background check expansion favored by two-thirds of all Americans. A proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9 per hour...(Read Full Post)