'Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Exaggerated,' Says Obama About Failed Second Term Agenda

The ambitious second-term agenda President Barack Obama unveiled this year has hit a few snags, but the nation’s chief executive said he is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

Congressional Republicans allowed 2013 sequester cuts to take effect. A gun control bill failed to pass the Senate two weeks ago. Obama’s delayed 2014 budget blueprint has faced criticism from both sides, and the prospect of a grand bargain are dim. Comprehensive immigration, which still has some momentum, is taking a bit of a beating from conservatives worried about giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.

Responding to a question from ABC’s Jonathan Karl, Obama joked that he should probably pack up and go home.

However, the president was quick to borrow a quote from Mark Twain, saying, “Rumors of my demise have been a little exaggerated at this point.”

The president said he understands that there is a divided Congress and that the current practice of needing 60 votes in the Senate -- to pervent a filibuster -- is contributing to the dysfunction. He remains optimistic, however, about the 2013 immigration reform bill.