barack obama

After a two year stint working in corporate research and at the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago, where he took a job as a community organizer with a church based group, the Developing Communities Project. For the next several years, he worked with low income residents in Chicagos Roseland community and the Altgeld Gardens public housing development on the citys largely black South Side. Obama would later call the experience the best education I ever got, better than anything I got at Harvard Law School, the prestigious institution he entered in 1988.

In 1996, Obama officially launched his own political career, winning election to the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat from the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park. Despite tight Republican control during his years in the state senate, Obama was able to build support among both Democrats and Republicans in drafting legislation on ethics and health care reform. He helped create a state earned income tax credit that benefited the working poor, promoted subsidies for early childhood education programs and worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

Re elected in 1998 and again in 2002, Obama also ran unsuccessfully in the 2000 Democratic primary for the U. S. House of Representatives seat held by the popular four term incumbent Bobby Rush. As a state senator, Obama notably went on record as an early opponent of President George W. Bushs push to war with Iraq. During a rally at Chicagos Federal Plaza in October 2002, he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq: I am not opposed to all wars. Im opposed to dumb wars

On February 10, 2007, Obama formally announced his candidacy for president of the United States. A victory in the Iowa primary made him a viable challenger to the early frontrunner, the former first lady and current New York Senator Hillary Clinton, whom he outlasted in a grueling primary campaign to claim the Democratic nomination in early June 2008. Obama chose as his running mate Joseph R. Biden Jr. Biden had been a U.S. senator from Delaware since 1972, was a one time Democratic candidate for president and served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Obamas opponent was long time Arizona Senator John S. McCain, a Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war, who chose Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. If elected, Palin would have been the nations first ever female vice president.As in the primaries, Obamas campaign worked to build support at the grassroots level and used what supporters saw as the candidates natural charisma, unusual life story and inspiring message of hope and change to draw impressive crowds to Obamas public appearances, both in the U.S. and on a campaign trip abroad. They worked to bring new voters many of them young or black, both demographics they believed favored Obama to become involved in the election.

A crushing financial crisis in the months leading up to the election shifted the nations focus to economic issues, and both Obama and McCain worked to show they had the best plan for economic improvement. With several weeks remaining, most polls showed Obama as the frontrunner. Sadly, Obamas maternal grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died after a battle with cancer on November 3, the day before voters went to the polls. She had been a tremendously influential force in her grandsons life and had diligently followed his historic run for office from her home in Honolulu.On November 4, lines at polling stations around the nation heralded a historic turnout and resulted in a Democratic victory, with Obama capturing some Republican strongholds (Virginia, Indiana) and key battleground states (Florida, Ohio) that had been won by Republicans in recent elections. Taking the stage in Chicagos Grant Park with Michelle and their two young daughters, Malia and Sasha, Obama acknowledged the historic nature of his win while reflecting on the serious challenges that lay ahead. The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.

Between Inauguration Day and April 29, 2009, the Obama Administration took to the field on many fronts. Obama coaxed Congress to expand health care insurance for children and provide legal protection for women seeking equal pay. A $787 billion stimulus bill was passed to promote short term economic growth. Housing and credit markets were put on life support, with a market based plan to buy U.S. banks toxic assets. Loans were made to the auto industry, and new regulations were proposed for Wall Street. He also cut taxes for working families, small businesses and first time home buyers. The president also loosened the ban on embryonic stem cell research and moved ahead with a $3.5 trillion budget plan.

Over his first 100 days in office, President Obama also undertook a complete overhaul of Americas foreign policy. He reached out to improve relations with Europe, China and Russia and to open dialogue with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. He lobbied allies to support a global economic stimulus package. He committed an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan and set an August 2010 date for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. In more dramatic incidents, he took on pirates off the coast of Somalia and prepared the nation for a swine flu attack. For his efforts, he was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel Committee in Norway.

On January 27, 2010, President Obama delivered his first State of the Union speech. During his oration, Obama addressed the challenges of the economy, proposing a fee for larger banks, announcing a possible freeze on government spending in 2010 and speaking against the Supreme Courts reversal of a law capping campaign finance spending. He also challenged politicians to stop thinking of re election and start making positive changes, criticizing Republicans for their refusal to support any legislation, and chastizing Democrats for not pushing hard enough to get legislation passed. He also insisted that, despite obstacles, he was determined to help American citizens through the nations current domestic difficulties. We dont quit. I dont quit, he said. Lets seize this moment to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and strengthen our union once more.

In the second part of his term as president, Obama has faced a number of obstacles and scored some victories as well. He signed his health care reform plan, known as the Affordable Care Act, into law in March 2010. Obamas plan is intended to strengthen consumers rights and to provide affordable insurance coverage and greater access to medical care. His opponents, however, claim that Obamacare, as they have called it, added new costs to the countrys overblown budget and may violate the Constitution with its requirement for individuals to obtain insurance.On the economic front, Obama has worked hard to steer the country through difficult financial times. He signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 in effort to rein in government spending and prevent the government from defaulting on its financial obligations. The act also called for the creation of a bipartisan committee to seek solutions to the countrys fiscal issues, but the group failed to reach any agreement on how to solve these problems.

Obama has also handled a number of military and security issues during his presidency. In 2011, he helped repeal the military policy known as Dont Ask, Dont Tell, which prevented openly gay troops from serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. He also gave the green light to a 2011 covert operation in Pakistan, which led to the killing of infamous al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs.Obama made headlines again in June 2012, when a mandate included in his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (initiated in 2010) was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, thus allowing other important pieces of the law to stay intact. The law includes free health screenings for certain citizens, restrictions to stringent insurance company policies and permission for citizens under age 26 to be insured under parental plans, among several other provisions. In a 5 4 decision, the Court voted to uphold the mandate under which citizens are required to purchase health insurance or pay a tax a main provision of Obamas health care law stating that while the mandate is unconstitutional, according to the Constitutions commerce clause, it falls within Congress constitutional power to tax.

As he did in 2008, during his campaign for a second presidential term, Obama focused on grassroots initiatives. Celebrities such as Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica Parker aided the presidents campaign by hosting fund raising events.I guarantee you, we will move this country forward, Obama stated in June 2012, at a campaign event in Maryland. We will finish what we started. And well remind the world just why it is the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.

In the 2012 election, Obama faced Republican opponent Mitt Romney and Romneys vice presidential running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan. On the evening of November 6, 2012, Obama was announced the winner of the election, gaining a second four year term as president. Early election results indicated a close race. By midnight on Election Day, however, Obama had received more than 270 electoral votes the number of votes required to win a U.S. presidential election; later results showed that the president had won nearly 60 percent of the electoral vote, as well as the popular vote by more than 1 million ballots.early one month after President Obamas re election, the nation endured one of its most tragic school shootings to date: On December 14, 2012, 20 children and six adult workers were shot to death at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Two days after the attack, Obama delivered a speech at an interfaith vigil for the victims in Newtown, discussing a need for change in order to make schools safer, and alluding to implementing stricter gun control. These tragedies must end, Obama stated. We cant accept events like these as routine. In the coming weeks, Ill use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens, from law enforcement, to mental health professionals, to parents and educators, in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this, because what choice do we have? Are we really prepared to say that were powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?

bama achieved a major legislative victory on January 1, 2013, when the Republican controlled House of Representatives approved a bipartisan agreement on tax increases and spending cuts, in an effort to avoid the looming fiscal cliff crisis (the Senate voted in favor of the bill earlier that day). The agreement marked a productive first step toward the presidents re election promise of reducing the federal defecit by raising taxes on the extremely wealthy individuals earning more than $400,000 per year and couples earning more than $450,000, according to the bill. Prior to the the bills passage, in late 2012, tense negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over spending cuts and tax increases became a bitter political battle. Vice President Joe Biden managed to hammer out a deal with Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Obama pledged to sign the bill into law.arack Obama officially began his second term on January 21, 2013. The inauguration was held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Civil rights activist Myrlie Evers Williams, the widow of Medgar Evers, gave the invocation. James Taylor, Beyonc? Knowles and Kelly Clarkson sang at the ceremony and poet Richard Blanco read his poem One Today. U.S. Supreme Court Chief John Roberts conducted Obamas presidential oath of office. After completing his oath, Obama was congratulated by his wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha.

In his inaugural address, Obama called the nation to action on such issues as climate change, health care and marriage equality. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that todays victories will be only partial and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years and 40 years and 400 years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall, Obama told the crowd gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol building.Celebrations continued that day. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama attended two official inauguration balls, including one held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. There the first couple danced the Al Green classic Lets Stay Together, sung by Jennifer Hudson. Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx also performed.

After the inauguration, Obama led the nation through many challenges. None more difficult perhaps, the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and more than 200 people were injured in this terror attack. Obama traveled to Boston to speak at a memorial service three days after the bombings. To the wounded, he said Your country is with you. We will all be with you as you learn to stand and walk and, yes, run again. Of that I have no doubt. You will run again. And he applaused the citys citizens response to this tragedy. Youve shown us, Boston, that in the face of evil, Americans will lift up whats good. In the face of cruelty, we will choose compassion.By June, Obama had suffered a significant drop in his approval ratings in a CNN ORC International poll. He declined to an approval rating of only 45 percent his lowest rating in more than 18 months. The poll results meant that more than half of Americans disapproved of how Obama was doing as president. Experts attribute the ratings slide to several factors, including the controversy surrounding the NSA surveillance program.

Obama defended the NSAs program, which includes email monitoring and telephone wiretapping, during a visit to Germany that June. We are not rifling through the emails of German citizens or American citizens or French citizens or anyone else, he said, according to the Financial Times.The encroachment on privacy has been strictly limited. Obama stated that the program has helped stop roughly 50 threats.In early July 2013, President Obama made history when he joined former President George W. Bush in Africa to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Osama bin Ladens first U.S. attack. The event marked the first meeting between two U.S. presidents on foreign soil in commemoration of an act of terrorism.

Later that month, Obama spoke out about the Trayvon Martin murder trial and the outrage that followed the jurys verdict. His shooter George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing the African American teen in Florida. In a White House press conference, the president said that when Trayvon Martin was first shot I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago. Obama explained that this particular case was a state matter, but he discussed how the federal government could address some of the legislative and racial issues brought up by this situation.Obama found himself grappling with an international crisis in late August and September 2013. It was discovered that Syrian leader Bashar al Assad had used chemical weapons against civilians. According to the White House website, Obama said that thousands of people, including over 400 children, had been killed in these attacks. Syrias actions present a serious national security threat to the United States and to the region, and as a consequence, Assad and Syria needs to be held accountable. The president then worked to persuade Congress and the international community at large to take action against Syria.

As the positions of the members of Congress revealed that the majority was in favor of refraining from striking Syria, Obama announced an alternative solution. During an address on forthcoming action against Syria made on September 10, 2013, Obama stated that if al Assad agreed with the stipulations outlined in a proposal made by Russia to give up its chemical weapons, then a direct strike against the nation could be avoided. Al Assad acknowledged the possession of chemical weapons and was receptive to the idea of a proposal from Russia, however Obama stated that Its too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments.Later that month, Obama made diplomatic strides with Iran. He spoke with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on the phone, which marked the first time the leaders of the two countries have had direct contact in decades. This groundbreaking move by Obama is seen by many as a sign of thawing in the relationship between the United States and Iran. According to an NBC News report, Obama said that The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an agreement over Irans nuclear program. Obama expressed some optimism that a deal on the issue could be reached.bama found himself struggling on the domestic front in October 2013. There was a 16 day shutdown of the federal government, which was caused by a dispute over the federal budget. Republicans especially wanted to defund or otherwise derail Obamas Affordable Care Act. After a deal had been reached to end the shutdown, Obama used his weekly address to express his frustration over the situation and his desire for political reform. The way business is done in Washington has to change. Now that these clouds of crisis and uncertainty have lifted, we need to focus on what the majority of Americans sent us here to do grow the economy, create good jobs, strengthen the middle class, lay the foundation for broad based prosperity, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul.

The Affordable Care Act continued to come under fire in October after the failed launch of HealthCare.gov, which was meant to help people find health insurance. Extra technical support was brought in to work on the troubled website after users encountered difficulty with it in its early days. The act also seemed to impact the existing insurance policies of many Americans, causing them to lose coverage. According to the Chicago Tribune, Obama insisted that his legislation didnt cause the coverage change, the insurance companies did. He said, Remember, before the Affordable Care Act, these bad apple insurers had free rein every single year to limit the care that you received, or used minor pre existing conditions to jack up your premiums, or bill you into bankruptcy.nder mounting pressure, Obama found himself apologizing regarding some health care changes. He told those who lost their insurance plans that I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me, according to a NBC News report. Obama pledged to find a remedy to this problem. We are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.Obama had to manage more challenges in the area of foreign relations around this time as well. In October 2013, German chancellor Angela Merkel revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency had been listening in to her cell phone calls. Speaking at a summit of European leaders, Merkel said that Spying among friends is never acceptable, according to CNN.com.In the wake of several controversies, Obama saw his approval rating drop to a new low in November 2013. Only 37 percent of Americans polled by CBS News thought he was doing a good job as president. Another 57 percent disapproved of his handling of the nation.

In March 2014, in an effort to provide relief for Ukrainians following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution which began with civil unrest and protests in Kiev and led to the downfall of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovychs administration, and subsequently, work to establish a new government for the country it was announced that Obama had ordered a round of sanctions targeting individuals and businesses considered by the U.S. government to be Ukraine agitators or involved in the Crimean crisis where Russian troops seizure of control led to a referendum to decide whether the region could separate from the Ukraine and join Russia.The proposed referendum on the future of Crimea would violate the Ukrainian constitution and violate international law, Obama stated at the White House. In 2014 we are well beyond the days when borders can be redrawn over the heads of democratic leaders. According to the president, the sanctions give the U.S. the flexibility to adjust our response going forwarder based on Russias actions. We took these steps in close coordination with our European allies.Obama faced more difficulties at home and abroad later that year. In addition to the ongoing troubles in Ukraine, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians erupted into violence during the summer. He also faced a domestic situation regarding the U.S. Mexico border, with tens of thousands of children making the perilous crossing alone. Many Republicans called for the rapid deportation of these illegal immigrants while others considered the situation to a humanitarian crisis. Another of the presidents woes came from the legislative branch. Speaker of the House John Boehner launched an effort to sue Obama for overstepping his executive powers with some of his actions regarding the Affordable Care Act.