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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
"Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (pronounced /bəˈɹɑːk oʊˈbɑːmə/;[1] born
August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and
a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S.
presidential election.[2][3]
Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, he spent most of his
early life in Honolulu, Hawaii. From ages six to ten, he lived in
Jakarta, Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. He
married Michelle Robinson in 1992 and has two daughters. A graduate of
Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a
community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer
before running for public office and serving in the Illinois Senate
from 1997 to 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S.
Senate in 2003.
The following year, while still an Illinois state legislator, Obama
delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention.[4] He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with
70% of the vote.[5] As a member of the Democratic minority in the
109th Congress, he cosponsored bipartisan legislation for controlling
conventional weapons and for promoting greater public accountability
in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he
has sponsored legislation on lobbying and electoral fraud, climate
change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military
personnel.
Since announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama has
emphasized ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and
providing universal health care as his top three priorities.[6] He has
written two bestselling books: a memoir of his youth titled Dreams
from My Father, and The Audacity of Hope, a personal commentary on
U.S. politics.[7]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and private career
2 State legislature
3 Senate campaign
4 Senate career
4.1 109th Congress
4.2 110th Congress
5 Presidential campaign
6 Political advocacy
7 Personal life
8 Books
9 Cultural and political image
10 Notes
11 Further reading
12 External links
Early life and private career
Main article: Early life and career of Barack Obama
See also: Dreams from My Father
Obama, known as "Barry" throughout his early years, was born on August
4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. and Ann Dunham.[8][9]
His parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced.
[10] After her divorce, Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, and the family
moved to Soetoro's home country of Indonesia in 1967, where Obama
attended local schools in Jakarta from ages 6 to 10.[8] He then
returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while
attending Punahou School from the fifth grade until his graduation in
1979.[11] Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he
studied at Occidental College for two years.[12] He then transferred
to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political
science with a specialization in international relations.[13]
Obama received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia in 1983, then
worked at Business International Corporation and New York Public
Interest Research Group before moving to Chicago in 1985 to take a job
as a community organizer.[14][15] He entered Harvard Law School in
1988.[16] In 1990, The New York Times reported his election as the
Harvard Law Review's "first black president in its 104-year
history."[17] Obama completed his law degree magna cum laude in 1991,
then returned to Chicago where he headed a voter registration drive
and began writing his first book, Dreams from My Father, published in
1995.[18][19]
As an associate attorney with Miner, Barnhill and Galland from 1993 to
2002, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and
voting rights cases. Following his election to the Illinois Senate in
1996, Obama agreed to work at the firm during the summer, when the
Illinois Senate was not in session.[20] While Obama never took part in
a trial, he worked on teams drawing up briefs, contracts, and other
legal documents.[20] This included being part of teams that
represented Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now in a
successful lawsuit that forced the state of Illinois to implement a
federal law that was designed to make it easier for people to register
to vote, an appeals brief on behalf of a whistleblower that was suing
Cook County Hospital and the Hektoen Institute for Medical Research
for wrongful termination, and on another team forced the city of
Chicago to redraw ward boundaries that the city council drew up
following the 1990 census.[20] Obama also did some work on taxpayer-
supported building rehabilitation loans for Rezmar Corp.,[21] owned by
Tony Rezko and Daniel Mahru. Rezko has raised over $250,000 for
Obama's various political campaigns.[22][23]
Obama also taught constitutional law part-time at the University of
Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in
2004.[24][25][26]
State legislature
Main article: Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 from the 13th
District, which then spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from
Hyde Park-Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[27]
His campaign challenged the irregular nominating petitions of other
Democratic candidates, whose names were eventually struck from the
primary ballot, including incumbent Alice J. Palmer.[28][29]
In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S.
House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate
Bobby Rush.[30] He was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and
2002 (when the 13th District was redrawn to span Chicago lakefront
neighborhoods from the Gold Coast south to South Chicago).[31] In
January 2003, Obama was appointed chairman of the Health and Human
Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority,
regained a majority in the Illinois Senate. The new majority leader
Emil Jones also appointed Obama the sponsor of important legislation,
that had previously been under development, establishing his political
record in that year.[29][32] He resigned from the Illinois Senate in
November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[33] As a
state legislator, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation
reforming ethics and health care laws.[34] He sponsored a law
enhancing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare
reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[35] Obama also
led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide
interrogations, and a law to monitor racial profiling by requiring
police to record the race of drivers they stopped.[35] He was
criticized by rival pro-choice candidates in the Democratic primary
and by his Republican pro-life opponent in the general election for a
series of "present" or "no" votes on late-term abortion and parental
notification issues.[36] His early legislative career was sometimes
marked by an inability to acquire the necessary votes for the passage
of bills.[37]
Senate campaign
See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004
Obama launched a campaign committee at the beginning of July 2002 to
run for the U.S. Senate in 2004[38] and two months later had David
Axelrod lined up to do his campaign media.[39] Obama formally
announced his candidacy on January 21, 2003,[40] four days after
former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun announced she would not seek a
rematch with U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.[41] On April 15, 2003, with
six Democrats already running and three Republicans threatening to run
against him,[42] Fitzgerald announced he would not seek a second term
in 2004,[43] and three weeks later popular Republican former Governor
Jim Edgar declined to run,[44] leading to wide open Democratic and
Republican primary races with 15 candidates, including 7
millionaires[45] (triggering the first application of the
Millionaires' Amendment of the 2002 McCain–Feingold Act).[46]
In opinion polls five months before the primary, Obama trailed Cook
County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes;
one month before the primary, Obama trailed only multimillionaire
securities trader Blair Hull; one week before the primary, Obama had
surged to front-runner status.[47] Hull's popularity declined after
divorce records were unsealed that contained allegations of domestic
abuse.[48] 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.
[49] Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary,
emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival.[50] He also won
the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose
president credited Obama for his active engagement with police
organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[51] His opponent in
the general election was expected to be Republican primary winner Jack
Ryan. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following
public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing sexual
allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.[52] In August 2004,
with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes
accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.
[53] A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal
residency in Illinois with the nomination.[54] Through three televised
debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell
research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers, and tax cuts.[55] In
the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to
Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.[56]
In July 2004, while still serving as a state legislator, he wrote and
delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.[57] After describing his maternal
grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary
of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama spoke about
changing the U.S. government's economic and social priorities. He
questioned the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War and
highlighted America's obligations to its soldiers. Drawing examples
from U.S. history and invoking patriotic texts and symbols, he
challenged media perceptions of sharp partisan divisions and asked
Americans to find unity in diversity, saying: "We are one people, all
of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us
defending the United States of America."[58] Broadcasts of the speech
by major news organizations launched Obama's status as a national
political figure and boosted his campaign for U.S. Senate.[59]
Senate career
Main article: United States Senate career of Barack Obama
Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005.[60] Though a
newcomer to Washington, he recruited a team of established, high-level
advisers devoted to broad themes that exceeded the usual requirements
of an incoming first-term senator.[61] Obama hired Pete Rouse, a 30-
year veteran of national politics and former chief of staff to Senate
Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, as his chief of staff, and economist
Karen Kornbluh, former deputy chief of staff to Secretary of the
Treasury Robert Rubin, as his policy director.[62] His key foreign
policy advisers include Samantha Power, author on human rights and
genocide, and former Clinton administration officials Anthony Lake and
Susan Rice.[63] He holds assignments on the Senate Committees for
Foreign Relations, Health; Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veterans' Affairs, and is a
member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[64]
The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African
American Senator in U.S. history, the third to have been popularly
elected, and the only African American currently serving in the Senate.
[65] CQ Weekly, a nonpartisan publication, has characterized Obama as
a "loyal Democrat" based on Senate votes cast in 2005 through 2007.
[66] During his first three years in the Senate, Obama received
Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College (2005),[67] University of
Massachusetts Boston (2006),[68] Northwestern University (2006),[69]
Xavier University of Louisiana (2006),[70] Southern New Hampshire
University (2007),[71] and Howard University (2007).[72] A Kenyan
school located in his father's hometown, which he visited while on an
congressional trip in August 2006, was renamed the "Senator Barack
Obama Primary School."[73]
109th Congress
Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border
security and immigration reform. In 2005, he cosponsored the "Secure
America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-
AZ).[74] He later added three amendments to the "Comprehensive
Immigration Reform Act", which passed the Senate in May 2006, but
failed to gain majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives.
[75] In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the Secure
Fence Act, authorizing construction of fencing and other security
improvements along the United States–Mexico border.[76] President Bush
signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an
important step toward immigration reform."[77]
Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discuss the Coburn-
Obama Transparency Act.[78]As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa. In August 2005, he traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and
Azerbaijan. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's
supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of
mass destruction as a first defense against potential terrorist
attacks.[79] Following meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq
in January 2006, Obama visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian
territories. At a meeting with Palestinian students two weeks before
Hamas won the legislative election, Obama warned that "the U.S. will
never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces
its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel."[80] He left for his
third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa, Kenya,
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad. In a nationally televised speech at the
University of Nairobi, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic
rivalries and corruption in Kenya.[81] In December 2006, President
Bush signed into law the "Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief,
Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," marking the first federal
legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.[82]
Partnering first with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), and then with Sen. Tom
Coburn (R-OK), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing
his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat
reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired
missiles and anti-personnel mines.[83][84][85] The Lugar-Obama
initiative subsequently received $48 million in funding.[86] The
"Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for the web site
USAspending.gov, managed by the Office of Management and Budget. The
site lists all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward
and provides breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar
amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract.[87] Obama
found less success in his efforts to further regulate the US nuclear
energy industry, sponsoring a bill which generated expected
opposition. A modified version was successful in committee but did not
pass the full chamber as the session ended; Obama would once
mistakenly claim to have fully passed the bill.[88]
110th Congress
In the first month of the newly Democratic-controlled 110th Congress,
Obama worked with Russ Feingold (D–WI) to eliminate gifts of travel on
corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress and require
disclosure of bundled campaign contributions under the "Honest
Leadership and Open Government Act," which was signed into law in
September 2007.[89] He joined Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in sponsoring S.
453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections,
including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in
the 2006 midterm elections.[90] Obama's energy initiatives scored
pluses and minuses with environmentalists, who welcomed his
sponsorship with John McCain (R-AZ) of a climate change bill to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by 2050, but were skeptical of
his support for a bill promoting liquefied coal production.[91] Obama
also introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007," a bill that
had proposed capping troop levels in Iraq, beginning phased
redeployment, and removing all combat brigades from Iraq before April
2008;[92] the measure came under criticism from Senate Republicans,
including fellow presidential contender John McCain (R-AZ).[93]
Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with Kit Bond (R-MO) an amendment to
the 2008 Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality
disorder military discharges, and calling for a review by the
Government Accountability Office following reports that the procedure
had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs.[94] He
sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of
state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry,[95] and joined
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in introducing legislation to reduce risks of
nuclear terrorism.[96] A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was
passed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-
Foreign Operations appropriations bill.[96] Obama also sponsored a
Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members
caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.[97] After passing
both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, SCHIP was vetoed
by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama criticized.[98]
[dead link]
Presidential campaign
This section contains information about one or more candidates in an
upcoming or ongoing election.
Content may change as the election approaches.
Main article: Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Obama on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing
his presidential campaign on February 10, 2007.[99]In February 2007,
standing before the Old State Capitol building in Springfield,
Illinois, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United
States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.[2] Describing his
working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential
campaign to Abraham Lincoln's 1858 House Divided speech, Obama said:
"That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln
once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes
and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my
candidacy for President of the United States of America."[100]
Speaking at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting one week
before the February announcement, Obama called for putting an end to
negative campaigning.[101]
Obama's campaign raised US$58 million during the first half of 2007,
topping all other candidates and exceeding previous records for the
first six months of any year before an election year.[102] Small
donors, those contributing in increments of less than $200, accounted
for $16.4 million of Obama's record-breaking total, more than any
other Democratic candidate.[103] In the first month of 2008, his
campaign brought in $36.8 million, the most ever raised in one month
by a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries.[104] Amid
concerns for his safety as the first black candidate seen as having a
viable chance of being elected president, the U.S. government assigned
Secret Service protection to Obama 18 months before the general
election.[105] He was given the Secret Service codename of Renegade.
[106]
Barack and Michelle Obama at the Iowa caucuses, January 3, 2008.With
two months remaining before the first electoral contests in Iowa and
New Hampshire, and national opinion polls showing him trailing Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama began directly charging his top rival
with failing to clearly state her political positions.[107]
Campaigning in Iowa, he told The Washington Post that as the
Democratic nominee he would draw more support than Clinton from
independent and Republican voters in the general election.[108] Among
the first four DNC-sanctioned state contests, Obama won more delegates
than Clinton in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina while winning an equal
number in New Hampshire; Clinton, however, won the popular vote in
Nevada and New Hampshire.[109] His win in Iowa was boosted by majority
support from a record turnout of voters under 30 years old, most of
them first-time caucus goers, while blacks turned away from Clinton
after perceived attempts by Clinton to label Obama as a racial
candidate.[110][111][112][dead link][113] Trailing Clinton nationally
by 20% heading into the February Super Tuesday, he eliminated that
lead and emerged with another 20 more delegates than Clinton.[114] He
broke fundraising records in the first two months of 2008, raising
more than $90 million for his primary campaign while Clinton raised
$45 million in the same period.[115]
After Super Tuesday, Obama won the eleven remaining February primaries
and caucuses.[116] He then won the Vermont primary and the caucus
portion of Texas primary and caucuses, but lost the Ohio, Rhode
Island, and Texas primary elections to Clinton.[117] As of March 17,
the Associated Press estimated that Obama led the pledged delegate
count 1,404 to 1,249; but both were well short of the 2,024 needed to
secure the nomination.[118] He also began to cut into Clinton's lead
in committed superdelegates, with the AP counting 249 for Clinton and
213 for Obama. Since the Iowa caucuses, Obama had added 53
superdelegates to his total, compared to 12 for Clinton.[119]
In March 2008, a controversy broke out concerning Obama's longterm
relationship with his former pastor and religious mentor, Jeremiah
Wright,[120][121] when ABC News found several racially and politically
charged sermons by Rev. Wright. Following negative media coverage and
during a brief drop in the polls,[122] Obama responded by condemning
Wright's remarks, cutting his relationship to his campaign, and
delivering a speech entitled "A More Perfect Union" at the
Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[123] In the speech,
Obama rejected Wright's offensive comments, but refused to disown the
man himself.[124] Although the speech, which attempted to explain and
contextualize the comments, was generally well-received,[124][125]
some continued to press the question of Obama's long-standing
relationship with Wright.[126][127]
Political advocacy
See also: Political positions of Barack Obama
On the role of government in economic affairs, Obama has written: "We
should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic
free market and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial
innovation and upward mobility [...] we should be guided by what
works."[128] Speaking before the National Press Club in April 2005, he
defended the New Deal social welfare policies of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, associating Republican proposals to establish private
accounts for Social Security with social Darwinism.[129] In the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Obama spoke out against government
indifference to growing economic class divisions, calling on both
political parties to take action to restore the social safety net for
the poor.[130] Shortly before announcing his presidential campaign,
Obama told the health care advocacy group Families USA that he
supports universal healthcare in the United States.[131]
Obama speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina on August 23, 2007.
[132]Campaigning in New Hampshire, Obama announced an $18 billion plan
for investments in early childhood education, math and science
education, and expanded summer learning opportunities.[133] Obama's
campaign distinguished his proposals to reward teachers for
performance from traditional merit pay systems, assuring unions that
changes would be pursued through the collective bargaining process.
[134]
At the Tax Policy Center in September 2007, he blamed special
interests for distorting the U.S. tax code.[135] His plan would
eliminate taxes for senior citizens with incomes of less than $50,000
a year, repeal tax cuts said to favor the wealthy[136], close
corporate tax loopholes and restrict offshore tax havens, and simplify
filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information
already collected by the IRS.[137] Announcing his presidential
campaign's energy plan in October 2007, Obama proposed a cap and trade
auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a ten-year program of
investments in new energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on
imported oil.[138]
Obama was an early opponent of the Bush administration's policies on
Iraq.[139] On October 2, 2002, the day Bush and Congress agreed on the
joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[140] Obama addressed the
first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza,[141]
speaking out against it.[142]
On March 16, 2003, the day President Bush issued his 48-hour ultimatum
to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq before the U.S. invasion of Iraq,[143]
Obama addressed the largest Chicago anti-Iraq War rally to date in
Daley Plaza and told the crowd "It's not too late" to stop the war.
[144]
Obama sought to make his early public opposition to the Iraq War
before it started a major issue in his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign to
distinguish himself from his Democratic primary rivals who supported
the resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[145] and in his 2008 U.S.
Presidential campaign, to distinguish himself from four Democratic
primary rivals who voted for the resolution authorizing the war
(Senators Clinton, Edwards, Biden, and Dodd).[146]
Obama addressed the Save Darfur rally at the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2006.[147]Speaking to the Chicago
Council on Global Affairs in November 2006, Obama called for a "phased
redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic
dialogue with Syria and Iran.[148] In a March 2007 speech to AIPAC, a
pro-Israel lobby, he said that the primary way to prevent Iran from
developing nuclear weapons is through talks and diplomacy, although
not ruling out military action.[149] Detailing his strategy for
fighting global terrorism in August 2007, Obama said "it was a
terrible mistake to fail to act" against a 2005 meeting of al-Qaeda
leaders that U.S. intelligence had confirmed to be taking place in
Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He said that as
president he would not miss a similar opportunity, even without the
support of the Pakistani government.[150]
In a December 2005 Washington Post opinion column, and at the Save
Darfur rally in April 2006, Obama called for more assertive action to
oppose genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.[151] He has divested
$180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged
divestment from companies doing business in Iran.[152] In the July-
August 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Obama called for an outward
looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and the renewal of American
military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying "we
can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into
submission," he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by
example."[153]
Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other
religious people.[154] In December 2006, he joined Sen. Sam Brownback
(R-KS) at the "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church" organized by
church leaders Kay and Rick Warren.[155] Together with Warren and
Brownback, Obama took an HIV test, as he had done in Kenya less than
four months earlier.[156] He encouraged "others in public life to do
the same" and not be ashamed of it.[157] Before the conference, 18 pro-
life groups published an open letter stating, in reference to Obama's
support for legal abortion: "In the strongest possible terms, we
oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear pro-
death stance and invite him to Saddleback Church anyway."[158]
Addressing over 8,000 United Church of Christ members in June 2007,
Obama challenged "so-called leaders of the Christian Right" for being
"all too eager to exploit what divides us."[159]
Personal life
Obama rebounds the ball during a basketball game with U.S. military
from CJTF–HOA during his visit at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, on August
31, 2006[160]Obama met his future wife, Michelle Robinson, in 1988
when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of
Sidley & Austin.[161] Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at
the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined
his initial offers to date.[162] They began dating later that summer,
became engaged in 1991, and were married in October 1992.[163] The
couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born in 1998, followed by a
second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), in 2001.[164] Applying the
proceeds of a $2 million book deal, the family paid off debts in 2005
and moved from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to their current $1.6-
million house in neighboring Kenwood.[165] The land adjacent to their
house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer,
and Obama supporter Tony Rezko, provoking continued media scrutiny but
no official allegations against Obama, even as the political
fundraiser was indicted on unrelated charges.[166][167] In December
2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3
million.[168]
Obama plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his
high school's varsity team.[169] Before announcing his presidential
candidacy, he began a well-publicized effort to quit smoking. "I've
never been a heavy smoker," Obama told the Chicago Tribune. "I've quit
periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand
from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I do not succumb.
I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously."[170] Replying to an
Associated Press survey of 2008 presidential candidates' personal
tastes, he specified "architect" as his alternate career choice and
"chili" as his favorite meal to cook.[171] Asked to name a "hidden
talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good poker player."[172]
In Chapter 6 of Obama's 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes
that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his
mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion,
yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have
ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a Muslim," but
a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian
stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." The
chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with black
churches as a community organizer, came to understand "the power of
the African American religious tradition to spur social change":
It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious
commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage
from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat
from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk
down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be
baptized.[173]
Obama joined Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988.[174] A
megachurch with 8,000 members, Trinity is the largest congregation in
the United Church of Christ.[175]
Books
Main articles: The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father
The Audacity of HopeObama's first book, Dreams from My Father: A Story
of Race and Inheritance, was published before his first run for
political office. In it he recalls his childhood in Honolulu and
Jakarta, college years in Los Angeles and New York City, and his
employment as a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s. The
book's last chapters describe his first visit to Kenya, a journey to
connect with his Luo family and heritage. In the preface to the 2004
revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his
family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have
characterized the American experience."[176] Joe Klein, author of
Primary Colors, a 1990s roman à clef loosely based on Bill Clinton's
1992 U.S. presidential campaign, wrote that Dreams "may be the best-
written memoir ever produced by an American politician."[177] The
audiobook edition earned Obama the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word
Album of 2006.[178]
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the
American Dream, was published in October 2006 and soon rose to the top
of the New York Times Best Seller hardcover list.[179] The Chicago
Tribune credits large crowds that gathered at book signings with
influencing Obama's decision to run for president.[180] Former U.S.
presidential candidate Gary Hart said the book's self-portrayal
presents "a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the
human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing
skills that have flashes of grandeur."[181] Reviewer Michael Tomasky
writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy
prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness,"
but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is
progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider
range of Americans."[182] In February 2008, he won a Grammy award for
the spoken word edition of Audacity.[178] Foreign language editions of
the book have been published in Italian, Spanish, German, French, and
Greek.[183] The Italian edition was published in April 2007 with a
preface by Walter Veltroni, leader of the newly formed Democratic
Party of Italy.[184]
Cultural and political image
Obama supporters at a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, on February 23,
2007.[185]Supporters and critics have likened Obama's popular image to
a cultural Rorschach test, a neutral persona on whom people can
project their personal histories and aspirations.[186] Obama's own
stories about his family origins reinforce what a May 2004 New Yorker
magazine article described as his "everyman" image.[187] In Dreams
from My Father, he ties his maternal family history to possible Native
American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, president
of the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War.[188]
Speaking to Jewish audiences during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate,
he linked the linguistic root of his East African first name Barack to
the Hebrew word baruch, meaning "blessed."[189] In an October 2006
interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Obama highlighted the diversity
of his extended family: "Michelle will tell you that when we get
together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-United
Nations," he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and
I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher. We've got it
all."[190]
With his Kenyan father and American mother, his upbringing in Honolulu
and Jakarta, and his Ivy League education, Obama's early life
experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians
who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the
civil rights movement.[191] During his Democratic primary campaign for
U.S. Congress in 2000, two rival candidates charged that Obama was not
sufficiently rooted in Chicago's black neighborhoods to represent
constituents' concerns.[192] In January 2007, The End of Blackness
author Debra Dickerson warned against drawing favorable cultural
implications from Obama's political rise: "Lumping us all together,"
Dickerson wrote in Salon, "erases the significance of slavery and
continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress."[193] Film
critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times
article, compared the cultural sources of Obama's favorable polling
among whites to those of "magical Negro" roles played by black actors
in Hollywood movies.[194] Expressing puzzlement over questions about
whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the
National Association of Black Journalists that the debate is not about
his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black
voters. Obama said, "we're still locked in this notion that if you
appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[195]
Writing about Obama's political image in a March 2007 Washington Post
opinion column, Eugene Robinson characterized him as "the
personification of both-and," a messenger who rejects "either-or"
political choices, and could "move the nation beyond the culture wars"
of the 1960s.[196] Obama, who defines himself in The Audacity of Hope
as "a Democrat, after all," has been criticized by progressive
commentator David Sirota for demonstrating too much "Senate
clubbiness", and was encouraged to run for the U.S. presidency by
conservative columnist George Will.[197] But in a December 2006 Wall
Street Journal editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," Ronald
Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan advised Will and other
"establishment" commentators to avoid becoming too quickly excited
about Obama's still early political career.[198] Echoing the inaugural
address of John F. Kennedy, Obama acknowledged his youthful image,
saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if,
time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."
"Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (pronounced /bəˈɹɑːk oʊˈbɑːmə/;[1] born
August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and
a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 U.S.
presidential election.[2][3]
Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, he spent most of his
early life in Honolulu, Hawaii. From ages six to ten, he lived in
Jakarta, Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. He
married Michelle Robinson in 1992 and has two daughters. A graduate of
Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a
community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer
before running for public office and serving in the Illinois Senate
from 1997 to 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S.
Senate in 2003.
The following year, while still an Illinois state legislator, Obama
delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention.[4] He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with
70% of the vote.[5] As a member of the Democratic minority in the
109th Congress, he cosponsored bipartisan legislation for controlling
conventional weapons and for promoting greater public accountability
in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern
Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he
has sponsored legislation on lobbying and electoral fraud, climate
change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military
personnel.
Since announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama has
emphasized ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and
providing universal health care as his top three priorities.[6] He has
written two bestselling books: a memoir of his youth titled Dreams
from My Father, and The Audacity of Hope, a personal commentary on
U.S. politics.[7]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life and private career
2 State legislature
3 Senate campaign
4 Senate career
4.1 109th Congress
4.2 110th Congress
5 Presidential campaign
6 Political advocacy
7 Personal life
8 Books
9 Cultural and political image
10 Notes
11 Further reading
12 External links
Early life and private career
Main article: Early life and career of Barack Obama
See also: Dreams from My Father
Obama, known as "Barry" throughout his early years, was born on August
4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. and Ann Dunham.[8][9]
His parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced.
[10] After her divorce, Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, and the family
moved to Soetoro's home country of Indonesia in 1967, where Obama
attended local schools in Jakarta from ages 6 to 10.[8] He then
returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while
attending Punahou School from the fifth grade until his graduation in
1979.[11] Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles, where he
studied at Occidental College for two years.[12] He then transferred
to Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political
science with a specialization in international relations.[13]
Obama received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia in 1983, then
worked at Business International Corporation and New York Public
Interest Research Group before moving to Chicago in 1985 to take a job
as a community organizer.[14][15] He entered Harvard Law School in
1988.[16] In 1990, The New York Times reported his election as the
Harvard Law Review's "first black president in its 104-year
history."[17] Obama completed his law degree magna cum laude in 1991,
then returned to Chicago where he headed a voter registration drive
and began writing his first book, Dreams from My Father, published in
1995.[18][19]
As an associate attorney with Miner, Barnhill and Galland from 1993 to
2002, he represented community organizers, discrimination claims, and
voting rights cases. Following his election to the Illinois Senate in
1996, Obama agreed to work at the firm during the summer, when the
Illinois Senate was not in session.[20] While Obama never took part in
a trial, he worked on teams drawing up briefs, contracts, and other
legal documents.[20] This included being part of teams that
represented Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now in a
successful lawsuit that forced the state of Illinois to implement a
federal law that was designed to make it easier for people to register
to vote, an appeals brief on behalf of a whistleblower that was suing
Cook County Hospital and the Hektoen Institute for Medical Research
for wrongful termination, and on another team forced the city of
Chicago to redraw ward boundaries that the city council drew up
following the 1990 census.[20] Obama also did some work on taxpayer-
supported building rehabilitation loans for Rezmar Corp.,[21] owned by
Tony Rezko and Daniel Mahru. Rezko has raised over $250,000 for
Obama's various political campaigns.[22][23]
Obama also taught constitutional law part-time at the University of
Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in
2004.[24][25][26]
State legislature
Main article: Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 from the 13th
District, which then spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from
Hyde Park-Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[27]
His campaign challenged the irregular nominating petitions of other
Democratic candidates, whose names were eventually struck from the
primary ballot, including incumbent Alice J. Palmer.[28][29]
In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S.
House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate
Bobby Rush.[30] He was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and
2002 (when the 13th District was redrawn to span Chicago lakefront
neighborhoods from the Gold Coast south to South Chicago).[31] In
January 2003, Obama was appointed chairman of the Health and Human
Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority,
regained a majority in the Illinois Senate. The new majority leader
Emil Jones also appointed Obama the sponsor of important legislation,
that had previously been under development, establishing his political
record in that year.[29][32] He resigned from the Illinois Senate in
November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[33] As a
state legislator, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation
reforming ethics and health care laws.[34] He sponsored a law
enhancing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare
reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[35] Obama also
led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide
interrogations, and a law to monitor racial profiling by requiring
police to record the race of drivers they stopped.[35] He was
criticized by rival pro-choice candidates in the Democratic primary
and by his Republican pro-life opponent in the general election for a
series of "present" or "no" votes on late-term abortion and parental
notification issues.[36] His early legislative career was sometimes
marked by an inability to acquire the necessary votes for the passage
of bills.[37]
Senate campaign
See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004
Obama launched a campaign committee at the beginning of July 2002 to
run for the U.S. Senate in 2004[38] and two months later had David
Axelrod lined up to do his campaign media.[39] Obama formally
announced his candidacy on January 21, 2003,[40] four days after
former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun announced she would not seek a
rematch with U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.[41] On April 15, 2003, with
six Democrats already running and three Republicans threatening to run
against him,[42] Fitzgerald announced he would not seek a second term
in 2004,[43] and three weeks later popular Republican former Governor
Jim Edgar declined to run,[44] leading to wide open Democratic and
Republican primary races with 15 candidates, including 7
millionaires[45] (triggering the first application of the
Millionaires' Amendment of the 2002 McCain–Feingold Act).[46]
In opinion polls five months before the primary, Obama trailed Cook
County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Illinois Comptroller Daniel Hynes;
one month before the primary, Obama trailed only multimillionaire
securities trader Blair Hull; one week before the primary, Obama had
surged to front-runner status.[47] Hull's popularity declined after
divorce records were unsealed that contained allegations of domestic
abuse.[48] 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.
[49] Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary,
emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival.[50] He also won
the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose
president credited Obama for his active engagement with police
organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[51] His opponent in
the general election was expected to be Republican primary winner Jack
Ryan. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following
public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing sexual
allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.[52] In August 2004,
with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes
accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.
[53] A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal
residency in Illinois with the nomination.[54] Through three televised
debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell
research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers, and tax cuts.[55] In
the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to
Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.[56]
In July 2004, while still serving as a state legislator, he wrote and
delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National
Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.[57] After describing his maternal
grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary
of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama spoke about
changing the U.S. government's economic and social priorities. He
questioned the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War and
highlighted America's obligations to its soldiers. Drawing examples
from U.S. history and invoking patriotic texts and symbols, he
challenged media perceptions of sharp partisan divisions and asked
Americans to find unity in diversity, saying: "We are one people, all
of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us
defending the United States of America."[58] Broadcasts of the speech
by major news organizations launched Obama's status as a national
political figure and boosted his campaign for U.S. Senate.[59]
Senate career
Main article: United States Senate career of Barack Obama
Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005.[60] Though a
newcomer to Washington, he recruited a team of established, high-level
advisers devoted to broad themes that exceeded the usual requirements
of an incoming first-term senator.[61] Obama hired Pete Rouse, a 30-
year veteran of national politics and former chief of staff to Senate
Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, as his chief of staff, and economist
Karen Kornbluh, former deputy chief of staff to Secretary of the
Treasury Robert Rubin, as his policy director.[62] His key foreign
policy advisers include Samantha Power, author on human rights and
genocide, and former Clinton administration officials Anthony Lake and
Susan Rice.[63] He holds assignments on the Senate Committees for
Foreign Relations, Health; Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veterans' Affairs, and is a
member of the Congressional Black Caucus.[64]
The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African
American Senator in U.S. history, the third to have been popularly
elected, and the only African American currently serving in the Senate.
[65] CQ Weekly, a nonpartisan publication, has characterized Obama as
a "loyal Democrat" based on Senate votes cast in 2005 through 2007.
[66] During his first three years in the Senate, Obama received
Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College (2005),[67] University of
Massachusetts Boston (2006),[68] Northwestern University (2006),[69]
Xavier University of Louisiana (2006),[70] Southern New Hampshire
University (2007),[71] and Howard University (2007).[72] A Kenyan
school located in his father's hometown, which he visited while on an
congressional trip in August 2006, was renamed the "Senator Barack
Obama Primary School."[73]
109th Congress
Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border
security and immigration reform. In 2005, he cosponsored the "Secure
America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-
AZ).[74] He later added three amendments to the "Comprehensive
Immigration Reform Act", which passed the Senate in May 2006, but
failed to gain majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives.
[75] In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the Secure
Fence Act, authorizing construction of fencing and other security
improvements along the United States–Mexico border.[76] President Bush
signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an
important step toward immigration reform."[77]
Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discuss the Coburn-
Obama Transparency Act.[78]As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle
East, and Africa. In August 2005, he traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and
Azerbaijan. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's
supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of
mass destruction as a first defense against potential terrorist
attacks.[79] Following meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq
in January 2006, Obama visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian
territories. At a meeting with Palestinian students two weeks before
Hamas won the legislative election, Obama warned that "the U.S. will
never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces
its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel."[80] He left for his
third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa, Kenya,
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad. In a nationally televised speech at the
University of Nairobi, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic
rivalries and corruption in Kenya.[81] In December 2006, President
Bush signed into law the "Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief,
Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," marking the first federal
legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.[82]
Partnering first with Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), and then with Sen. Tom
Coburn (R-OK), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing
his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat
reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired
missiles and anti-personnel mines.[83][84][85] The Lugar-Obama
initiative subsequently received $48 million in funding.[86] The
"Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for the web site
USAspending.gov, managed by the Office of Management and Budget. The
site lists all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward
and provides breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar
amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract.[87] Obama
found less success in his efforts to further regulate the US nuclear
energy industry, sponsoring a bill which generated expected
opposition. A modified version was successful in committee but did not
pass the full chamber as the session ended; Obama would once
mistakenly claim to have fully passed the bill.[88]
110th Congress
In the first month of the newly Democratic-controlled 110th Congress,
Obama worked with Russ Feingold (D–WI) to eliminate gifts of travel on
corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress and require
disclosure of bundled campaign contributions under the "Honest
Leadership and Open Government Act," which was signed into law in
September 2007.[89] He joined Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in sponsoring S.
453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections,
including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in
the 2006 midterm elections.[90] Obama's energy initiatives scored
pluses and minuses with environmentalists, who welcomed his
sponsorship with John McCain (R-AZ) of a climate change bill to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by 2050, but were skeptical of
his support for a bill promoting liquefied coal production.[91] Obama
also introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007," a bill that
had proposed capping troop levels in Iraq, beginning phased
redeployment, and removing all combat brigades from Iraq before April
2008;[92] the measure came under criticism from Senate Republicans,
including fellow presidential contender John McCain (R-AZ).[93]
Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with Kit Bond (R-MO) an amendment to
the 2008 Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality
disorder military discharges, and calling for a review by the
Government Accountability Office following reports that the procedure
had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs.[94] He
sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of
state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry,[95] and joined
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) in introducing legislation to reduce risks of
nuclear terrorism.[96] A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was
passed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-
Foreign Operations appropriations bill.[96] Obama also sponsored a
Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members
caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.[97] After passing
both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, SCHIP was vetoed
by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama criticized.[98]
[dead link]
Presidential campaign
This section contains information about one or more candidates in an
upcoming or ongoing election.
Content may change as the election approaches.
Main article: Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Obama on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing
his presidential campaign on February 10, 2007.[99]In February 2007,
standing before the Old State Capitol building in Springfield,
Illinois, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United
States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.[2] Describing his
working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential
campaign to Abraham Lincoln's 1858 House Divided speech, Obama said:
"That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln
once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes
and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my
candidacy for President of the United States of America."[100]
Speaking at a Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting one week
before the February announcement, Obama called for putting an end to
negative campaigning.[101]
Obama's campaign raised US$58 million during the first half of 2007,
topping all other candidates and exceeding previous records for the
first six months of any year before an election year.[102] Small
donors, those contributing in increments of less than $200, accounted
for $16.4 million of Obama's record-breaking total, more than any
other Democratic candidate.[103] In the first month of 2008, his
campaign brought in $36.8 million, the most ever raised in one month
by a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries.[104] Amid
concerns for his safety as the first black candidate seen as having a
viable chance of being elected president, the U.S. government assigned
Secret Service protection to Obama 18 months before the general
election.[105] He was given the Secret Service codename of Renegade.
[106]
Barack and Michelle Obama at the Iowa caucuses, January 3, 2008.With
two months remaining before the first electoral contests in Iowa and
New Hampshire, and national opinion polls showing him trailing Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama began directly charging his top rival
with failing to clearly state her political positions.[107]
Campaigning in Iowa, he told The Washington Post that as the
Democratic nominee he would draw more support than Clinton from
independent and Republican voters in the general election.[108] Among
the first four DNC-sanctioned state contests, Obama won more delegates
than Clinton in Iowa, Nevada and South Carolina while winning an equal
number in New Hampshire; Clinton, however, won the popular vote in
Nevada and New Hampshire.[109] His win in Iowa was boosted by majority
support from a record turnout of voters under 30 years old, most of
them first-time caucus goers, while blacks turned away from Clinton
after perceived attempts by Clinton to label Obama as a racial
candidate.[110][111][112][dead link][113] Trailing Clinton nationally
by 20% heading into the February Super Tuesday, he eliminated that
lead and emerged with another 20 more delegates than Clinton.[114] He
broke fundraising records in the first two months of 2008, raising
more than $90 million for his primary campaign while Clinton raised
$45 million in the same period.[115]
After Super Tuesday, Obama won the eleven remaining February primaries
and caucuses.[116] He then won the Vermont primary and the caucus
portion of Texas primary and caucuses, but lost the Ohio, Rhode
Island, and Texas primary elections to Clinton.[117] As of March 17,
the Associated Press estimated that Obama led the pledged delegate
count 1,404 to 1,249; but both were well short of the 2,024 needed to
secure the nomination.[118] He also began to cut into Clinton's lead
in committed superdelegates, with the AP counting 249 for Clinton and
213 for Obama. Since the Iowa caucuses, Obama had added 53
superdelegates to his total, compared to 12 for Clinton.[119]
In March 2008, a controversy broke out concerning Obama's longterm
relationship with his former pastor and religious mentor, Jeremiah
Wright,[120][121] when ABC News found several racially and politically
charged sermons by Rev. Wright. Following negative media coverage and
during a brief drop in the polls,[122] Obama responded by condemning
Wright's remarks, cutting his relationship to his campaign, and
delivering a speech entitled "A More Perfect Union" at the
Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[123] In the speech,
Obama rejected Wright's offensive comments, but refused to disown the
man himself.[124] Although the speech, which attempted to explain and
contextualize the comments, was generally well-received,[124][125]
some continued to press the question of Obama's long-standing
relationship with Wright.[126][127]
Political advocacy
See also: Political positions of Barack Obama
On the role of government in economic affairs, Obama has written: "We
should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic
free market and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial
innovation and upward mobility [...] we should be guided by what
works."[128] Speaking before the National Press Club in April 2005, he
defended the New Deal social welfare policies of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, associating Republican proposals to establish private
accounts for Social Security with social Darwinism.[129] In the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Obama spoke out against government
indifference to growing economic class divisions, calling on both
political parties to take action to restore the social safety net for
the poor.[130] Shortly before announcing his presidential campaign,
Obama told the health care advocacy group Families USA that he
supports universal healthcare in the United States.[131]
Obama speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina on August 23, 2007.
[132]Campaigning in New Hampshire, Obama announced an $18 billion plan
for investments in early childhood education, math and science
education, and expanded summer learning opportunities.[133] Obama's
campaign distinguished his proposals to reward teachers for
performance from traditional merit pay systems, assuring unions that
changes would be pursued through the collective bargaining process.
[134]
At the Tax Policy Center in September 2007, he blamed special
interests for distorting the U.S. tax code.[135] His plan would
eliminate taxes for senior citizens with incomes of less than $50,000
a year, repeal tax cuts said to favor the wealthy[136], close
corporate tax loopholes and restrict offshore tax havens, and simplify
filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information
already collected by the IRS.[137] Announcing his presidential
campaign's energy plan in October 2007, Obama proposed a cap and trade
auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a ten-year program of
investments in new energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on
imported oil.[138]
Obama was an early opponent of the Bush administration's policies on
Iraq.[139] On October 2, 2002, the day Bush and Congress agreed on the
joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[140] Obama addressed the
first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza,[141]
speaking out against it.[142]
On March 16, 2003, the day President Bush issued his 48-hour ultimatum
to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq before the U.S. invasion of Iraq,[143]
Obama addressed the largest Chicago anti-Iraq War rally to date in
Daley Plaza and told the crowd "It's not too late" to stop the war.
[144]
Obama sought to make his early public opposition to the Iraq War
before it started a major issue in his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign to
distinguish himself from his Democratic primary rivals who supported
the resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[145] and in his 2008 U.S.
Presidential campaign, to distinguish himself from four Democratic
primary rivals who voted for the resolution authorizing the war
(Senators Clinton, Edwards, Biden, and Dodd).[146]
Obama addressed the Save Darfur rally at the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2006.[147]Speaking to the Chicago
Council on Global Affairs in November 2006, Obama called for a "phased
redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic
dialogue with Syria and Iran.[148] In a March 2007 speech to AIPAC, a
pro-Israel lobby, he said that the primary way to prevent Iran from
developing nuclear weapons is through talks and diplomacy, although
not ruling out military action.[149] Detailing his strategy for
fighting global terrorism in August 2007, Obama said "it was a
terrible mistake to fail to act" against a 2005 meeting of al-Qaeda
leaders that U.S. intelligence had confirmed to be taking place in
Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He said that as
president he would not miss a similar opportunity, even without the
support of the Pakistani government.[150]
In a December 2005 Washington Post opinion column, and at the Save
Darfur rally in April 2006, Obama called for more assertive action to
oppose genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.[151] He has divested
$180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged
divestment from companies doing business in Iran.[152] In the July-
August 2007 issue of Foreign Affairs, Obama called for an outward
looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and the renewal of American
military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying "we
can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into
submission," he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by
example."[153]
Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other
religious people.[154] In December 2006, he joined Sen. Sam Brownback
(R-KS) at the "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church" organized by
church leaders Kay and Rick Warren.[155] Together with Warren and
Brownback, Obama took an HIV test, as he had done in Kenya less than
four months earlier.[156] He encouraged "others in public life to do
the same" and not be ashamed of it.[157] Before the conference, 18 pro-
life groups published an open letter stating, in reference to Obama's
support for legal abortion: "In the strongest possible terms, we
oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear pro-
death stance and invite him to Saddleback Church anyway."[158]
Addressing over 8,000 United Church of Christ members in June 2007,
Obama challenged "so-called leaders of the Christian Right" for being
"all too eager to exploit what divides us."[159]
Personal life
Obama rebounds the ball during a basketball game with U.S. military
from CJTF–HOA during his visit at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, on August
31, 2006[160]Obama met his future wife, Michelle Robinson, in 1988
when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of
Sidley & Austin.[161] Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at
the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined
his initial offers to date.[162] They began dating later that summer,
became engaged in 1991, and were married in October 1992.[163] The
couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born in 1998, followed by a
second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), in 2001.[164] Applying the
proceeds of a $2 million book deal, the family paid off debts in 2005
and moved from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to their current $1.6-
million house in neighboring Kenwood.[165] The land adjacent to their
house was simultaneously sold to the wife of well-connected developer,
and Obama supporter Tony Rezko, provoking continued media scrutiny but
no official allegations against Obama, even as the political
fundraiser was indicted on unrelated charges.[166][167] In December
2007, Money magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3
million.[168]
Obama plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his
high school's varsity team.[169] Before announcing his presidential
candidacy, he began a well-publicized effort to quit smoking. "I've
never been a heavy smoker," Obama told the Chicago Tribune. "I've quit
periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand
from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I do not succumb.
I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously."[170] Replying to an
Associated Press survey of 2008 presidential candidates' personal
tastes, he specified "architect" as his alternate career choice and
"chili" as his favorite meal to cook.[171] Asked to name a "hidden
talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good poker player."[172]
In Chapter 6 of Obama's 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama writes
that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his
mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion,
yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have
ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a Muslim," but
a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian
stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." The
chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with black
churches as a community organizer, came to understand "the power of
the African American religious tradition to spur social change":
It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious
commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage
from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat
from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk
down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be
baptized.[173]
Obama joined Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988.[174] A
megachurch with 8,000 members, Trinity is the largest congregation in
the United Church of Christ.[175]
Books
Main articles: The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father
The Audacity of HopeObama's first book, Dreams from My Father: A Story
of Race and Inheritance, was published before his first run for
political office. In it he recalls his childhood in Honolulu and
Jakarta, college years in Los Angeles and New York City, and his
employment as a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s. The
book's last chapters describe his first visit to Kenya, a journey to
connect with his Luo family and heritage. In the preface to the 2004
revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his
family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have
characterized the American experience."[176] Joe Klein, author of
Primary Colors, a 1990s roman à clef loosely based on Bill Clinton's
1992 U.S. presidential campaign, wrote that Dreams "may be the best-
written memoir ever produced by an American politician."[177] The
audiobook edition earned Obama the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word
Album of 2006.[178]
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the
American Dream, was published in October 2006 and soon rose to the top
of the New York Times Best Seller hardcover list.[179] The Chicago
Tribune credits large crowds that gathered at book signings with
influencing Obama's decision to run for president.[180] Former U.S.
presidential candidate Gary Hart said the book's self-portrayal
presents "a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the
human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing
skills that have flashes of grandeur."[181] Reviewer Michael Tomasky
writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy
prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness,"
but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is
progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider
range of Americans."[182] In February 2008, he won a Grammy award for
the spoken word edition of Audacity.[178] Foreign language editions of
the book have been published in Italian, Spanish, German, French, and
Greek.[183] The Italian edition was published in April 2007 with a
preface by Walter Veltroni, leader of the newly formed Democratic
Party of Italy.[184]
Cultural and political image
Obama supporters at a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, on February 23,
2007.[185]Supporters and critics have likened Obama's popular image to
a cultural Rorschach test, a neutral persona on whom people can
project their personal histories and aspirations.[186] Obama's own
stories about his family origins reinforce what a May 2004 New Yorker
magazine article described as his "everyman" image.[187] In Dreams
from My Father, he ties his maternal family history to possible Native
American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, president
of the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War.[188]
Speaking to Jewish audiences during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate,
he linked the linguistic root of his East African first name Barack to
the Hebrew word baruch, meaning "blessed."[189] In an October 2006
interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Obama highlighted the diversity
of his extended family: "Michelle will tell you that when we get
together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-United
Nations," he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and
I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher. We've got it
all."[190]
With his Kenyan father and American mother, his upbringing in Honolulu
and Jakarta, and his Ivy League education, Obama's early life
experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians
who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the
civil rights movement.[191] During his Democratic primary campaign for
U.S. Congress in 2000, two rival candidates charged that Obama was not
sufficiently rooted in Chicago's black neighborhoods to represent
constituents' concerns.[192] In January 2007, The End of Blackness
author Debra Dickerson warned against drawing favorable cultural
implications from Obama's political rise: "Lumping us all together,"
Dickerson wrote in Salon, "erases the significance of slavery and
continuing racism while giving the appearance of progress."[193] Film
critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times
article, compared the cultural sources of Obama's favorable polling
among whites to those of "magical Negro" roles played by black actors
in Hollywood movies.[194] Expressing puzzlement over questions about
whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the
National Association of Black Journalists that the debate is not about
his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black
voters. Obama said, "we're still locked in this notion that if you
appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."[195]
Writing about Obama's political image in a March 2007 Washington Post
opinion column, Eugene Robinson characterized him as "the
personification of both-and," a messenger who rejects "either-or"
political choices, and could "move the nation beyond the culture wars"
of the 1960s.[196] Obama, who defines himself in The Audacity of Hope
as "a Democrat, after all," has been criticized by progressive
commentator David Sirota for demonstrating too much "Senate
clubbiness", and was encouraged to run for the U.S. presidency by
conservative columnist George Will.[197] But in a December 2006 Wall
Street Journal editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," Ronald
Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan advised Will and other
"establishment" commentators to avoid becoming too quickly excited
about Obama's still early political career.[198] Echoing the inaugural
address of John F. Kennedy, Obama acknowledged his youthful image,
saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if,
time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."