With almost no input from Republicans, President Barack Obama has advanced much of his domestic policy agenda in "Blue America," getting liberal-leaning cities and states to take up ideas that can't be adopted nationally because of opposition on Capitol Hill.
The president and his aides have aggressively used the bully pulpit to push cites, states and corporations to adopt proposals that have not caught on with Congress, often with little support or funding from Washington, according to NBC News.
More than 50 cities have set up programs to help young black and Hispanic males as part of Obama's "My Brother's Keeper" initiative, 14 states and a number of large cities like Los Angeles have raised their minimum wage, corporations like McDonald's and Microsoft and cities like Atlanta have expanded paid sick and family leave programs for their workers.
