Barack Obama

(CC) Photo: Roger H. Goun
Barack Obama at a campaign event, Nashua, NH.

Barack Obama (Bah-RAHK, Oh-BAH-Mah) (born Barack Hussein Obama on August 4, 1961) is one of the leading contenders for the 2008 presidential nomination of the Democratic Party—the first African-American candidate to do so well in either party. His leading opponent is Senator Hillary Clinton. Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Previously he served in the Illinois state senate (1996-2004) and taught law at the University of Chicago.

Early life

Obama, born in Honolulu, Hawaii, was the son of Barack Obama, Sr., a Kenyan citizen, and Ann Dunham, an American. His parents separated when Obama was 2 years old and later divorced; his father returned to Kenya. Obama, Sr. died in a car accident in 1982, while his mother died in 1995 of complications related to ovarian cancer. Obama's experience growing up as a multiracial American, as well as the absence of his father was described in his 1995 biography Dreams of My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. In 1967, his mother married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian foreign student, with whom she had one daughter, Maya. From his father's side, Obama has two half-sisters and five surviving half-brothers.

He lived his early life in Hawaii and Indonesia. He returned to live with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii to attend the elite private Punahou School, graduating in 1979. Obama states that he used alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years, to "push questions of who I was out of my mind." In his book, Dreams of my Father, Obama reports that, "For my grandparents, my admission into Punahou Academy heralded the start of something grand, an elevation in the family status that they took great pains to let everyone know."

Early career

Obama attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, 1979-81, then transferred to Columbia University in New York and was awarded a BA in political science in 1983. He worked as a community organizer in Chicago (1985-8). He earned a J.D. Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School in 1991, where he was the editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. After moving to Chicago, his wife's hometown, in 1991 he managed a voter education registration drive for the city Democrats. In 1993 joined the law firm Miner, Barhill and Galland P.C as an associate and became a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School, where he taught a course on constitutional law. As an associate he litigated voting rights and employment cases and also argued appeals in the US Court of Appeals. He never made partner but in 1996 he was appointed "Of Counsel" with Miner, Barhill and Galland, an appointment he still holds.

Illinois state legislature

Obama was elected unopposed to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 representing the 13th District, comprising the university neighborhood of Hyde Park in south Chicago. Obama now claims his major accomplishments included, "creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit", "an expansion of early childhood education"; and "legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases." However at the time Obama had a reputation as an ineffectual legislator. Some colleagues saw him as a self-righteous goo-goo who thought he was too cool for the chamber and who disdained the hard work of digging up votes. "Barack is a very intelligent man," newsman Rich Miller said in 2000. "He hasn't had a lot of success here [in the state senate], and it could be because he places himself above everybody. He likes people to know he went to Harvard." He resigned in 2004 to become the state's junior United States Senator.

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. Rush was endorsed by President Bill Clinton and portrayed Obama as an elitist Ivy Leaguer who was "not black enough." Obama responded, "When Congressman Rush and his allies attack me for going to Harvard and teaching at the University of Chicago, they're sending a signal to black kids that if you're well-educated, somehow you're not 'keeping it real.'" Rush won easily 61%-30%, and Obama changed his campaign style.

During his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police initially endorsed Daniel Hynes but, after Hynes lost in the primary, later endorsed Hynes opponent, Obama. Given his support of police restrictions in interrogating suspects and requiring police to collect racial information, his police support was mixed as evidenced by a chilly reception he received at a speech to police.

Keynote address at 2004 Democratic National Convention

Obama received national attention when he delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still serving as a state senator. The speech was hailed for its powerful oratory, and its call to unify both sides of the political spectrum in America.

United States Senator

In 2003, Obama began his run for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Peter Fitzgerald.

His opponent in the general election was expected to be Republican Party primary winner Jack Ryan. However, Ryan withdrew from the race following public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan. In August 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes, a prominent diplomat under Ronald Reagan and a conservative activist, accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination. Keyes faced charges of "carpetbagging" and was ridiculed for his rigidly conservative positions, which many found out of the mainstream. At one point, Obama's lead in the polls was so secure, that he allowed staffers to work on other Democratic campaigns. Keyes lost the election to Obama with only 27% of the vote.

Senate career

Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005. Three months into his Senate career, and again in 2007, Time magazine named Obama one of the world's most influential people.

As Senator, Obama co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Republican Senator John McCain.

During the first month of the 110th Congress, Obama introduced the Iraq War De-Escalation Act, a bill that caps troop levels in Iraq at January 10, 2007 levels, begins phased redeployment on May 1, 2007, and removes all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31 2008. This bill was not successful. Obama has long stressed his anti-war position.

Rezko controversy

In November 2007, Obama was subject to controversy over his home purchase with indicted Illinois businessman, Antoin Rezko. A homeowner sold Obama a house at a discount and simultaneously an adjacent vacant lot at the full asking price to Rezko's wife. Obama said the arrangement was "boneheaded" but not illegal. Obama has not been charged with any crime.

Presidential campaign

In February 2007, Obama announced at the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, that he was a candidate for U.S. President. He and Clinton are the leading candidates as far as campaign funds raised.

Making "change" his central campaign theme and downplaying race, Obama, a charismatic speaker, says "We can't afford to settle for the same old politics." He repeatedly attacked Clinton for her 2002 vote supporting war against Iraq, and for her ties to lobbies and old-fashioned politics. Clinton responded by emphasizing Obama's inexperience and charged he substituted rhetoric for action. Bill Clinton, noting that Obama and his wife have similar voting records in the Senate, stated that Obama was engaging in a "fairy tale" regarding Iraq, a point of ridicule that bothered Black leaders.

Obama and Clinton both broke an old fund-raising record in 2007, each raising over $100 million. Obama's popularity is strongest among younger and better educated voters. He is currently splitting the African American vote with Clinton, whose husband is highly popular in the black community.

In early January 2008, Clinton enjoyed a big lead nationally, but Obama had a victory on January 3, in the Iowa caucuses, defeating Clinton and John Edwards by 8 points. With Obama seizing the momentum and attracting youthful voters, he appeared to be heading for a win in the New Hampshire, the first primary state, but Clinton won the primary 39% to 37% for Obama and 17% for Edwards. Obama did best among men, younger voters, independents, and college graduates, while Clinton won by wide margins among women, poorer voters, union members, registered Democrats and older voters--that is, her voter profile resembled the historic New Deal Coalition. With John Edwards trailing badly and Bill Richardson dropping out, the Democratic contest focused on Obama and Clinton, who match up against each other in the Nevada caucus (on Jan. 19) and the South Carolina primary on Jan. 26, 2008.

For daily updates on the polls see [8]

See 2008 United States presidential election

Family life

He married lawyer Michelle LaVaughn Robinson on October 18, 1992. They have two daughters, Malia (born 1999) and Natasha or "Sasha" (born 2001).

Bibliography

• Barone, Michael, and Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics; 2008 (2007)
• Frank, David A. and Mark Lawrence McPhail. "Barack Obama's Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention: Trauma, Compromise, Consilience, and the (Im)possibility of Racial Reconciliation." Rhetoric & Public Affairs 2005 8(4): 571-593. Issn: 1094-8392 in Project Muse

Primary sources

• Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Times Books, 1995. Reprint edition, 2004; ISBN 1-4000-8277-3. The spoken version of the book won Obama a Grammy Award.
• Obama, Barack.The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Crown, 2006. ISBN 0-307-23769-9.

Online sources

• recent newspaper and magazine articles