Barack Obama

Barack Obama
File:Barack Obama portrait 2005.jpg
Junior Senator, Illinois
In office 2005–present
Preceded by	Peter Fitzgerald
Succeeded by	Incumbent (2011)
Personal details
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Michelle Obama

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is known primarily due to widespread media coverage for his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, delivered while he was still an Illinois State Senator. In November 2004, he won election to the United States Senate in a landslide in a year of Republican gains. He has been heavily featured in such magazines as Newsweek and Time. With the October 2006 publication of his book titled The Audacity of Hope, Obama became the focus of intense speculation on his potential to become a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Early life and career

See also: Dreams from My Father

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. of Nyangoma-Kogelo, Kenya, and Ann Dunham of Wichita, Kansas. His parents met while both were attending the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student. In his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, Obama writes that in 1960, the year his "black as pitch" African father married his "white as milk" American mother, "miscegenation still described a felony in over half the states in the Union."

When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His mother then married an Indonesian foreign student, moving to Jakarta with Obama when he was six years old. Four years later, Obama returned to Hawaii under the care of his maternal grandparents. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, where he graduated from high school in 1979.

Of his years in Hawaii, Obama has written, "The irony is that my decision to work in politics, and to pursue such a career in a big Mainland city, in some sense grows out of my Hawaiian upbringing, and the ideal that Hawaii still represents in my mind."

After high school, Obama studied for two years at Occidental College, before transferring to Columbia College at Columbia University. There he majored in political science, with a specialization in international relations. Upon graduation, Obama worked for one year at Business International Corporation before moving to Chicago and taking a job with a non-profit organization helping local churches organize job training programs for residents of poor neighborhoods.

Obama then left Chicago for three years to study law at Harvard University. He was the first African-American to be elected president of the Harvard Law Review. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1991, while graduating magna cum laude. Following law school Obama returned to Chicago, first supporting a voter registration drive, then working for the civil rights law firm Miner, Barnhill and Galland, and teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

State legislature

In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate from the south side neighborhood of Hyde Park, in Chicago. He served as chairman of the Public Health and Welfare Committee when the Democrats regained control of the chamber.

Obama helped to author an Earned Income Tax Credit for the state that provided benefits to the working poor. He also worked for legislation that would cover residents who could not afford health insurance, and helped pass bills to increase funding for AIDS prevention and care programs.

In 1999, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush. Rush, a former Black Panther and community activist, charged that Obama hadn't "been around the first congressional district long enough to really see what's going on". Rush received 61% of the vote, while Obama received 30%.

After the loss, Obama rededicated his efforts to the state Senate. He authored a death penalty reform law under the guidance of former U.S. Senator Paul Simon. He also pushed through legislation that would force insurance companies to cover routine mammograms.

Reviewing Obama's career in the Illinois State Senate, commentators noted his ability to work effectively with both Democrats and Republicans, and to build coalitions. In his subsequent campaign for the U.S. Senate, Obama won the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose officials cited his "longtime support of gun control measures and his willingness to negotiate compromises", this despite his support for some bills that the police union had opposed.

Keynote address

See also: 2004 Democratic National Convention

Midway through his campaign for U.S. Senator, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.

After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and GI Bill programs, Obama said:

"No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice."

Questioning the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War, Obama spoke of an enlisted Marine, Corporal Seamus Ahern from East Moline, Illinois, asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he was serving us?" He continued:

"When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world."

Finally he spoke for national unity:

"The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

This speech catapulted Obama into the national spotlight, creating a media and popular sensation virtually overnight.

Senate campaign

File:Barack Obama campaign logo.JPG

A campaign banner used by Obama supporters during his 2004 bid for the Senate.

Main article: Illinois United States Senate election, 2004

In 2004, Obama ran for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Peter Fitzgerald. In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic primary, Obama trailed multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. However, Hull's popularity declined following allegations of domestic abuse. Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon; the support of Simon's daughter; and political endorsements by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. From a crowded field of seven candidates, Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 16, 2004 primary, emerging well ahead of his Democratic rivals.

Obama was then matched in the general election against Republican primary winner, Jack Ryan. However, Ryan withdrew from the race on June 25, 2004 following public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing embarrassing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife. On August 8, 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination. Through three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers, and tax cuts. During one of the debates Obama's self-identification as an African American was questioned by his opponent Alan Keyes, who argued that the identification was incorrect because Obama's African ancestors were not brought to the United States as slaves.In the general election held November 2, 2004, Obama received 70% of the popular vote to Keyes' 27%.

Senate career

Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005. He then ranked 99th out of 100 Senators in terms of official seniority, ranking ahead of only new fellow freshman Democrat Ken Salazar of Colorado. During his first months in office Obama drew praise for his perceived attempts to avoid the limelight and focus on being a senator when the Washington Post article reported an anecdote of Obama refusing an upgrade to first-class on a flight home.

Obama's public profile continued to climb throughout 2005. TIME magazine named Obama one of "the world's most influential people," listing him among twenty "Leaders and Revolutionaries" for his high-profile entrance to federal politics and his popularity within the Democratic Party. An October 2005 article in the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world."

Sponsored legislation

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President George W. Bush signing the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act as bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL) look on.

Education

In April 2005, Obama sponsored his first Senate bill, the "Higher Education Opportunity through Pell Grant Expansion Act", S. 697. Entered in fulfillment of a campaign promise to help needy students pay their college tuitions, the bill proposed increasing the maximum amount of Pell Grant awards to $5,100. Provision for Pell Grant awards was later incorporated into the "Deficit Reduction Act", S. 1932, signed by President George W. Bush on February 8, 2006.

Immigration

Obama was a co-sponsor of the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act", S. 1033, introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on May 12, 2005. Obama also supported a later revision, the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act", S. 2611, passed by the Senate on May 25, 2006. He offered three amendments that were included in the bill passed by the Senate: (1) to protect American workers against unfair job competition from guest workers; (2) require employer verification of their employees' legal immigration status through improved verification systems; and (3) fund improvements in FBI background checks of immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship.

In December 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives had passed a parallel bill, H.R. 4437, which provides for enhanced border security measures, but does not address the broader immigration reform proposals contained in the Senate's bill. Congressional inaction on this legislation has become a heated issue in the lead-up to the 2006 midterm elections, with representatives of both major parties holding the other party responsible for the stalemate.

Transparency

Obama joined with Senators Coburn (R-OK), Carper (D-DE), and McCain (R-AZ) in sponsoring the "Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act", S. 2590, to provide citizens with a website, managed by the Office of Management and Budget, listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract. President George W. Bush signed the bill, also referred to as the "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act", into law on September 26, 2006.

Other legislative action

• Voted "No" on an amendment that proposed shifting funds from the Gravina Island Bridge to the Interstate 10 bridge across Lake Pontchartrain which was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. Vote counts: Yes (15), No (82), Not voting (3).

Congressional delegations

Russia and Eastern Europe

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Committee member Barack Obama at a Russian base where mobile launch missiles are being destroyed by the Nunn-Lugar program.

During the August recess of 2005, Obama traveled with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan. The latest in Lugar's series of Nunn-Lugar visits to the region, the trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction as a strategic first defense against the threat of future terrorist attacks.

Lugar and Obama inspected a Nunn-Lugar program supported nuclear warhead destruction facility at Saratov, in southern European Russia. In a diplomatic incident the Moscow Times reported as reminiscent of the Cold War, the delegation's departure from an airport in the city of Perm, at the foot of the Ural Mountains, was delayed for three hours when Russian border guards sought unsuccessfully to search their plane. In Ukraine, Lugar and Obama toured a disease control and prevention facility and witnessed the signing of a bilateral pact to secure biological pathogens and combat risks of infectious disease outbreaks from natural causes or bioterrorism.

Middle East

In January 2006 Obama joined Senators Bayh (D-IN), Bond (R-MO), and Congressman Ford (D-TN) for meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq. After the visits, Obama split off from the others for more meetings in Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. While in Israel, Obama met with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. A planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had been cancelled due to his recent stroke.

Obama also met with a group of Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election. ABC News 7 (Chicago) reported Obama telling the students that "the US will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel", and that he had conveyed the same message in his meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas. After the election, Obama said: "My hope is that as a consequence of now being responsible for electricity and picking up garbage and basic services to the Palestinian people, that they recognize it's time to moderate their stance." Referring to Obama's comment, editorial columnist George F. Will coined the phrase "Garbage Collection Theory of History."

Africa

In August 2006, Obama left for his third official trip, traveling as a Congressional delegation of one to South Africa and Kenya, and making stops in Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Chad.

The trip's Kenya segment merged policy and personal elements. Obama flew his wife and two daughters from Chicago to join him in a visit to his father's birthplace, the village of Nyangoma-Kogelo, Siaya District, located near Kisumu in Kenya's rural west. Newspapers reported enthusiastic crowds at Obama's public appearances. In a public gesture aimed to capitalize on the celebrity and encourage more Kenyans to undergo voluntary HIV testing, Obama and his wife took HIV tests at a Kenyan clinic.

In a nationally televised speech to students and faculty at the University of Nairobi, Obama spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries in Kenyan politics: "Ethnic-based politics has to stop. It is rooted in the bankrupt ideology that the goal of politics is to pile as much as possible to one's family, tribe or friends. It fractures the fabric of society", Obama stated. The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions.

He underlined the importance of Africa. "Unfortunately, our foreign policy seems to be focused on yesterday's crises rather than anticipating the crises of the future," Obama said. "Africa is not perceived as a direct threat to U.S. security at the moment, so the foreign policy apparatus tends to believe that it can be safely neglected. I think that's a mistake...It's critically important to capture a sense of hopefulness," Obama said, "to give people in Africa and people outside Africa a sense that for all the strife and hardship that the continent has been through, the spirit of the people remains resilient."

Political advocacy

Speaking before the National Press Club in April 2005, Obama defended the New Deal social welfare policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt, associating Republican proposals to establish private accounts for Social Security with Social Darwinist thinking.

Also in 2005, in a move more typically taken after several years of holding high political office, Obama established his own leadership political action committee devoted to channeling financial support for Democratic candidates. He has become an effective Democratic fundraiser and much sought after ally. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, Obama participated in 38 fundraising events in 2005, helping to pull in $6.55 million for political issues and candidates he supports.

Obama is among the first national politicians to actively engage the public through new Internet communication tools. In late 2005, he began podcasting from his U.S. Senate official web site. It has been reported that Obama responds to and has personally participated in online discussions hosted on politically-oriented blogosphere sites.

In May 2006, Obama campaigned to maintain a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol. Obama justified the tariff by joining Senator Durbin in stating that "ethanol imports are neither necessary nor a practical response to current gasoline prices," arguing instead that domestic ethanol production is sufficient and expanding.

In June 2006, Obama campaigned against making recent, temporary estate tax cuts permanent, calling the cuts a "Paris Hilton" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses".

Also in June 2006, Obama worked to broaden his party's political base, encouraging Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other church-going people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at – to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own – we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse."

Presidential ambitions

File:TIME Magazine 23 October 2006 Barack Obama.jpg

TIME magazine cover story, October 23, 2006

Speculation on a 2008 presidential run intensified after his decisive U.S. Senate election win in November 2004, prompting Obama to tell reporters: "I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years". Asked again in a January 2006 television appearance on Meet the Press, Obama repeated his intention to finish his Senate term. However, when he appeared on Meet the Press on October 22, 2006 he stated that he has considered running and that his previous mindset might not apply.

Illinois senior U.S. Senator Dick Durbin has consistently urged Obama to consider running. A December 2005 article published in The New Republic reasoned that, with no incumbent president or vice president in the race, 2008 offers Obama his best chance at winning the presidency.

In September 2006, Obama's Senate primary opponent Daniel Hynes, in an open letter published in the Chicago Sun-Times, urged Democrats to draft Obama for the 2008 Presidential race. Also in September, Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, a political event favored by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus. An October 2, 2006 article published in New York Magazine quoted Obama as saying, "People have asked me if I’m running in ’08, and I’ve said no. And if I change my mind, I’ll let you guys know". Most recently, TIME magazine ran a cover story containing renewed speculation on the possibility of a 2008 presidential bid.

On October 18, 2006, Obama appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and told Winfrey that if he ever decided to run for President, he would announce it on her show. She has previously said of Obama as a candidate: "I know I don't just speak for myself. There are a lot of people who would want you to run for the presidency of the United States."

On October 22, 2006, Obama appeared on Meet the Press on NBC and acknowleged that he was "considering" a run for the Presidency.

Criticism

• Obama drew criticism from columnist David Sirota for his vote in favor of confirming Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State.

• Opponent Alan Keyes for the 2004 election stated that the usage of African-American was inaccurate for Obama, since his ancestors didn't come to America as slaves (his father is from Kenya).

Works

Obama's autobiography Dreams from My Father was published in 1995 and re-released in 2004 with a few new features. The audio book edition earned Obama a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

In December 2004, Obama made a $1.9 million deal for three books. The first, The Audacity of Hope, was published on October 17, 2006, and discusses Obama's political convictions. The second is a children's book to be co-written with his wife Michelle and their two young daughters, with profits going to charity. The content of the third book has not been announced.

Personal life

While working at a corporate law firm in the summer of 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson, then an associate attorney at the firm; they married in 1992. Michelle Obama is Vice President for Community and External Affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals. The couple have two daughters, Malia (born 1999) and Sasha (born 2001). The Obamas are members of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Of his faith, Obama has said: "I have an ongoing conversation with God... I'm constantly asking myself questions about what I'm doing, why I am doing it."

Trivia

• Obama writes in Dreams from My Father that one of his mother's Kentucky ancestors "was rumored to have been a second cousin of Jefferson Davis". This statement, itself neither proven nor disproven by genealogical investigation, has been incorrectly interpreted as Ms. Dunham being a descendant of the Confederate President. Claims of an ancestral connection between Obama and Davis have continued to appear in the print media, including a September 2006 Men's Vogue cover story.

• Obama has been mentioned in songs by Neil Young and the rapper Common who, in the remix of the Jadakiss hit "Why", asked "Why is Bush acting like he trying to get Osama? Why don’t we impeach him and elect Obama?"

• The other two popularly-elected African American senators were Edward Brooke and Illinois' Carol Moseley Braun, although senators were not popularly elected until after 1913.

• Holds Honorary Doctor of Laws from:
  • Knox College (2005)
  • University of Massachusetts Boston (2006)
  • Northwestern University (2006)
  • Xavier University of Louisiana (2006)
• Obama's brother-in-law is Brown University head basketball coach, Craig Robinson.
• Obama states that "Barack" means "blessed" in Swahili.

Further reading

• Cose, Ellis (September 11, 2006). "Walking the World Stage". Newsweek International Edition.
• Enda, Jodi (February 5, 2006). "Great Expectations". The American Prospect.
• Finnegan, William (24 May 2004). "The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman". New Yorker.
• Klein, Joe (October 23, 2006). "The Fresh Face". TIME magazine.
• Lizza, Ryan (September 2004). "The Natural: Why is Barack Obama Generating more Excitement among Democrats than John Kerry?". Atlantic Monthly.
• Obama, Barack, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Crown, 2006 (release date October 17, 2006). ISBN 0307237699. Audio CD: ISBN 0739334085. excerpt (PDF) excerpts from TIME excerpts from the Chicago Sun-Times excerpts from the Belleville News-Democrat
• Obama, Barack, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, New York: Times Books, 1995. 2004 reprint: ISBN 1400082773. Audio CD: ISBN 0739321005.
• Senior, Jennifer (October 2, 2006). "Dreaming of Obama". New York Magazine.
• Sirota, David (June 26, 2006). "Mr. Obama Goes to Washington". The Nation.
• Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (November 2004). "The Great Black Hope: What's Riding on Barack Obama?". Washington Monthly.
• Weisberg, Jacob (September–October 2006). "The Path to Power". Men's Vogue.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

External links

Official sites

• Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office
  • Podcasts
  • Speeches
• Barack Obama campaign website
  • Video
• Hopefund—Senator Barack Obama, Chair; PAC
• United States Congress. "Barack Obama (id: O000167)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Library of Congress, Thomas
  • Senate bills sponsored by Barack Obama
  • Senate bills co-sponsored by Barack Obama

Unofficial sites

• Draft Obama, at draftobama.org
• Barack Obama's speech at Boston College's First Year Academic Convocation for the Class of 2009 , from BC Front Row
• Five Minutes With: Sen. Barack Obama, at Campus Progress
• Barack Obama made smashing national debut, at progressive.org
• Campaign finance report, at OpenSecrets.org, a project of the Center for Public Integrity
• In-depth look at Obama; Rising Star: Senate Candidate Barack Obama Delivers Rousing Keynote at DNC at Democracy Now!
• Obama's Game, Alexander Cockburn at CounterPunch
• Deep Inside the Obama Effect, at vermontdailybriefing.com
• Power Ranking the Presidential Candidates: The Big Board, at dems4pres.com
• Barack Obama, at Congresspedia
• On The Issues: Barack Obama, at ontheissues.org
• U.S. Congress Votes Database: Members of Congress / Barack Obama, at washingtonpost.com
• Oprah's Cut with Barack Obama, at oprah.com, The Oprah Winfrey Show
• Barack Obama in Africa at Chicago Sun-Times
• Times Topics: Obama, Barack at New York Times

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