CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Barack Obama didn’t present a detailed plan for a second term as he accepted re-nomination here Thursday night, but back in the White House, they’re working on one.

Measuring the drapes is a lot easier when you’re already in the room. But a second Obama term would be defined by a series of questions that can’t yet be answered by the top presidential aides who’ve been quietly meeting and drafting ideas since the summer — including what a lame duck Congress does about the fiscal cliff, which party controls the Senate come January and how close the continued economic recovery tracks to their predictions.