What Republicans fear most about Obama presidency

President Barack Obama may have spent two years campaigning to end political partisanship.

He may have even made strides in recent weeks to try to bring Republicans into the fold, to listen to them and address their concerns.

But he still has pushed liberal policies his entire political career, from the state Senate in Springfield to the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C.

And that is what worries Republicans who viewed the celebration of Obama's inauguration with more concern than jubilation.

"I was thinking, 'We got to hope,'" said Jack Roeser, a regular conservative commentator from Barrington and head of the Family Taxpayers Network. "We hope this guy has been just using these people to get himself advanced and then he is going to be a different person than anyone who got him elected wanted him to be."

David Diersen, a Wheaton Republican activist and author of the Internet newsletter www.gopillinois.com, feels the same.

"I'm hoping that President Obama decides not to do what many or some of his liberal supporters want," Diersen said.

Obama had one of the most liberal voting records in the U.S. Senate during his four years representing Illinois.

Here is a look at what many conservatives fear most about Obama's agenda:

Social issues: In his first days in office, Obama may rescind an executive order by former President George Bush that bans international taxpayer grants to organizations that fund or advocate abortion. He could also repeal limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. In his first term, Obama may have the chance to appoint members to the U.S. Supreme Court who would not be inclined to rule against Roe v. Wade. While he is in office and the Democrats control Congress, talk of a constitutional ban on gay marriage will largely cease as gun control measures are expected to advance.

Entitlement programs: Obama campaigned on a plan to push health care coverage financed by taxpayer dollars, though any progress may not be seen until late in his first term. Along with that proposal, Republicans expect a push to increase Medicaid coverage. And now, with the stock market suffering record losses, the longtime Republican goal of creating individual investment accounts in lieu of Social Security seems dead for years to come.

Taxes: Obama is currently proposing sweeping tax credits as part of an economic stimulus plan as he holds off on a push to raise rates for the nation's top earners. However, he still opposes the so-called Bush tax cuts that rolled back rates on the wealthiest and those will expire in the coming years.

Foreign relations: On the campaign trail, Obama was ridiculed by opponents as naive and even a danger to have as the nation's commander and chief. He is expected to take a more diplomatic approach to international relations than outgoing President George Bush and that worries some conservatives.

International trade: In a spiraling economy, the populace can tend to look at international trade as threatening American jobs, particularly in a Midwest littered with rusting manufacturing plants. Obama campaigned on a pledge to take a more critical eye toward international trade, though it remains to be seen how far he will take that stand now that he's in office.