The President, through administrative action -- the DHS, in terms of its enforcement priorities -- was able to address a component of this.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,

The final sign of a turnaround, which I call "long-term value creation, " occurs if and when the country's leaders seriously address long-term competitiveness issues: quality of products, value-added component of exports, acquisition of state-of-the-art technology and educational reforms.

CNN: Emotional Indicators

Conservatives, already unhappy with tax increases, are likely to be further displeased that the Senate agreement fails to actually deal with spending something Minority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged yesterday when asking GOP Senators to vote for the bill despite its failure to address spending cuts, noting that the tax portion of the fiscal cliff was the most important component of the deal.

FORBES: Here's The Deal On The Fiscal Cliff Deal