Person

Barack Obama

U.S. President Barack Obama's official photograph in the Oval Office on 6 December 2012. (link)
Nationality:

American

Born:

August 4, 1961

Party:

Democratic Party

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Barack Obama is a Democratic politician who served as the 44th President of the United States, as U.S. Senator from Illinois, and as an Illinois state legislator. After graduating from Columbia University, he worked and studied in Chicago, where he built his political career. 1

Obama first won election to the Illinois State Senate and later lost a Democratic primary campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives against Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL). Shortly after, Obama came to national attention with a surprise landslide victory in a 2004 race for U.S. Senate from Illinois. Known for his charisma and public speaking ability, Obama ran for President after only four years as a U.S. Senator. 1

The Obama administration worked to combat the Great Recession and further LBGT interests, especially securing recognition of same-sex marriages. 2 Former President Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act (dubbed “Obamacare”) reduced the number of uninsured Americans, but also was criticized for crossing Constitutional boundaries and increasing healthcare costs for the middle class. 3 4 Obama has been criticized for promising major left-of-center governmental changes during his campaigns but failing to implement them. Despite seeking a more diplomatic approach to foreign affairs, Obama failed to de-escalate conflicts in the Middle East, and he expanded U.S. military operations into legal grey areas. While Obama embraced an expansionist approach to immigration, issuing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) order and promoting the proposed DREAM Act legislation to keep presently illegal immigrants in the United States, 5 his administration deported more migrants than any other presidential administration had to date. 6 Despite promising governmental transparency, the Obama administration had multiple bureaucratic scandals. 7 8

Childhood and Education

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was a Kenyan-born economics undergraduate student at the University of Hawaii when he met Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, an anthropology student of mostly European descent. Obama Sr. was married at the time but divorced his first wife and married Dunham six months before future President Obama’s birth. The couple then lived apart for most of the ensuing three years until Obama Sr. and Dunham divorced. Obama did not see his father again until he was ten, during a visit to Kenya. 1

When Obama was four years old, Dunham married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian graduate student. Two years later, Dunham and Obama moved to Jakarta, Indonesia after Soetoro’s visa expired. Four years later, Obama moved back to Hawaii where he lived with his grandparents for a year and attended Punahou School, a private preparatory school. In 1972, Dunham moved back to Hawaii, and Obama lived with her and his half-sister, Maya Soetoro. Three years later, Dunham and Soetoro returned to Indonesia while Obama stayed in Hawaii with his grandparents for high school. Obama has admitted to using alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his high school years. 1

In 1979, Obama moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College on a full scholarship. In 1981, Obama participated in a protest to call for total divestment from South Africa due to its policy of apartheid. The same year, Obama transferred to Columbia University in New York City. He graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. 1

Law School and Early Career

After briefly working for Business International Corporation and the left-of-center New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Obama moved to Chicago in 1985 to work for the Developing Communities Project as a community organizer. He also worked as a consultant for the Gamaliel Foundation, another local community group founded by left-of-center activist Saul Alinsky. 1

In 1988, Obama began attending Harvard Law School. He became an editor at the Harvard Law Review and later became the journal’s first African-American president. Over summers, he worked at Hopkins and Sutter and Sidley Austin, two Chicago law firms. 1

In 1991, Obama graduated from Harvard magna cum laude. He then accepted a visiting fellowship at the University of Chicago Law School, where he worked as a constitutional law lecturer while writing his first book, Dreams of My Father, which he published in 1995. In 1992, Obama directed Project Vote and registered 150,000 African-American voters in Chicago. 9 In 1993, Obama joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a civil rights litigation firm, and remained a counselor until 2004. He also sat on the boards of the Woods Fund of Chicago and the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. 1

Family

In 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson while both worked at Sidley Austin in Chicago. They married in 1991. They have two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha. Obama has maintained contact with extended family members in Hawaii, Kansas, Kenya, Ireland, and Indonesia. 10

Early Political Career

Illinois State Senate

In 1995, U.S. Representative Mel Reynolds (D-IL) resigned from office after being convicted of sexual assault and sexual abuse. 11 Then-Illinois State Senator Alice Palmer (D-Chicago), who represented Obama’s district, sought the Democratic nomination to replace Reynolds, but lost it to Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D). 12 Palmer had previously endorsed Obama to replace her in the State Senate; she later attempted to re-file for the State Senate election after losing the special U.S. House election. After a contentious filing period, Obama ran unopposed in the Democratic primary to replace Reynolds. He won the general election with 82% of the vote. Obama was reelected in 1998 and 2002, before resigning to run for U.S. Senate. 1

In the Illinois Senate, Obama supported legislation to increase Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) payments, increase tax credits for families, and require police to keep video recordings of their work in cases at the time eligible for the death penalty. 1

2000 Congressional Run

In 2000, Barack Obama launched a primary challenge in Illinois’s 1st Congressional District against then-U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL). Obama began the election with a name recognition rate of 11% compared to Rush’s 90%. Obama, who lived in the affluent neighborhood of Hyde Park, was viewed as out-of-touch by many low-income residents in the district, and ended up with only 30% of the vote. 13

U.S. Senate

In 2002, Obama began exploring the possibility of running for U.S. Senate with help from Democratic consultant David Axelrod. In 2003, Obama declared his candidacy. He based much of his campaign around his early opposition to the Iraq War. Obama ran in a crowded Democratic primary against seven other candidates and unexpectedly won with 52.8% of the vote. 1

Obama met Democratic presidential nominee and then-U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) at a fundraiser in Illinois. Impressed by his charisma, Kerry chose Obama to give the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, thereby propelling him to national attention. 14

Obama won the general election against Republican candidate and talk show host Alan Keyes with 70% of the vote. Obama’s large margin of victory increased his notability within the Democratic Party and prompted the reprinting of his first book. 1

A 2008 report by the New York Times characterized Obama as running for president even before he began his first Senate term. He entered office as the only Senator in the Congressional Black Caucus. Colleagues considered him ambitious and knowledgeable, but naïve and ostentatious, and noted his frustration at his lack of power as a junior Senator in the minority party. He built support within the party primarily through fundraising efforts for colleagues, rather than legislative initiatives. Obama met with one-third of Senators during his first two years and began to model his Senatorial conduct after then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY). 15

Obama’s voting record placed him further to the left than most Democrats, with the National Journal ranking him as more left-of-center than 82.5% of the Senate. Obama sponsored bills to increase border security, promote government transparency, and provide aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many Democrats were disappointed that Obama’s anti-Iraq War position softened in the Senate, as he refused to vote for the withdrawal of troops from the country. 15

During his term, Obama missed 24.2% of Senate votes, including 89.4% in the fourth quarter of 2007, making Obama one of the most absent members of Congress during his term. The average missed vote rate at the time was 2.2%. 16

Presidential Elections

In February 2007, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President after serving three years in the Senate. Then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) opposed his campaign and gained favor within the Democratic Party for her experience and association with former President Bill Clinton. Obama unexpectedly matched Clinton in fundraising, won the Iowa caucus, and won strong support from among African American voters. In June, Clinton suspended her campaign. In August, Obama chose then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) as his running mate. 17

In the presidential election, Obama ran against then-U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and his running mate, then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R). Obama’s campaign has been praised as one of the most effective of the modern era, 18 running highly impactful ads portraying Obama as a reformer and making use of the internet. 19 Sen. McCain challenged Obama on his lack of political experience and painted him as “the biggest celebrity in the world.” 20 Obama raised almost $745 million, despite refusing federal funding, compared to McCain’s $368 million. 21 34% of Obama’s donations came from donors who spent less than $20. 22 Obama ultimately won the election with 365 electoral votes and 53% of the popular vote. 23

In 2012, Obama ran against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R-UT) and his running mate, then-U.S. Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI). Obama raised $722 million to Romney’s $450 million. 24 Obama’s vote share declined, but he still won the election with 332 electoral votes and 51% of the popular vote. 25

Presidency

Economic Policy

Barack Obama entered the presidency amidst the Great Recession. In February 2009, he signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a $787 billion economic stimulus package. Soon after, Obama authorized economic bailouts for the auto industry. 26 In 2010, Obama signed an extension of some tax cuts implemented by former President George W. Bush. 27

Health Care

President Obama’s signature legislation was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly known as “the ACA” or “Obamacare”). It was the largest overhaul in federal health care law since the passage of Medicaid in 1965. The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility, established state-based insurance exchanges for individual buyers, forced all citizens to buy health insurance through an “individual mandate,” required mid-sized and large companies to provide health insurance to full-time employees, and prohibited companies from denying health insurance to employees who have pre-existing conditions. 28

The ACA has had mixed results since its enactment. The number of uninsured Americans has been cut in half since 2010. The rise in annual average healthcare premiums has slowed, especially for low-tier plans, though the decline had begun before the enactment of the ACA. Nonetheless, the ACA has shifted the costs of health care premiums to the middle class, making health care less affordable for middle-income families. 29 Right-leaning opponents have criticized the ACA for overstepping the boundaries of the Constitution with the individual mandate, raising taxes on the middle class, and interfering with market mechanisms designed to promote competition. Left-leaning opponents have attacked the ACA for preserving a market structure and not pushing the American health system to a single-payer, socialized health care model like “Medicare for all.” 3 4

Budget

President Obama ran larger budget deficits than any of his predecessors during his presidency, accumulating over $1 trillion of debt in each of the first three years. Throughout his eight years in office, Obama and Congress added over $9 trillion to the national debt. 30

Immigration

After failing to pass immigration reform legislation through Congress, President Obama used an executive order in 2010 to prevent the deportation of illegal immigrants who came to United States prior to the age of 16. In 2012, Obama used an executive memorandum to implement the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provided further avenues for residency for illegal immigrants. 5

Despite embracing expansionist immigration policies, President Obama received much criticism from left-of-center sources for deporting more immigrants than any other president, earning him the nickname of “deporter in chief.” From 2009 to 2015, the Obama administration deported 3 million immigrants, 6 compared to fewer than 950,000 immigrants deported under Obama’s successor, President Donald Trump. 31

Foreign Policy

President Obama continued U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq but emphasized a more diplomatic approach to deescalate the conflicts. In October 2009, ten months after taking office, Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize. The decision has been sharply criticized for being based on Obama’s promises rather than his actions, and the Obama administration is considered to not have lived up to its early promise to reduce unrest in the Middle East. 32

Obama has received criticisms from libertarian sources like Reason for his military conduct. Despite rhetoric promoting transparency, Obama relied increasingly on extrajudicial activity and legal grey areas to conduct military operations. Obama intervened in Libya and other conflict zones without explicit authorization from Congress and relied on drones to conduct small-scale warfare and to eliminate terrorists on foreign soil. His administration used national security claims to prevent the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from hearing cases that set to challenge the legal grounding for such strikes. In September 2011, the Obama administration approved the targeted killing of alleged terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen, in Yemen. 33

In May 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL operators acting on President Obama’s orders conducted a raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan that resulted in the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. 34

Obama promised to close the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while running for office. On the first day of his presidency, he ordered a review of the facility and later restricted the interrogation methods used within it, but Obama ultimately did not close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. 35

Obama was strongly criticized for his conduct regarding the Syrian Civil War. In August 2012, Obama announced that if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons, his actions would cross a “red line” that would prompt immediate intervention by the United States. Over the following year, Assad’s regime allegedly used sarin gas to kill up to 1,400 Syrians, including hundreds of civilians. Obama’s response was delayed, and he ultimately signed an agreement with the Russian government to remove and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. The response was widely seen as a show of weakness that signaled the American government’s unwillingness to back up international promises. 36

LGBT Interests

In 2011, Obama signed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a U.S. military policy that barred asking military members about their sexual orientation, and superseded it with a policy permitting openly LGBT people to serve in the military. 37

Obama publicly opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage when he ran for president in 2008, but in 2013, the Obama administration filed briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex marriage. In 2015, Obama endorsed the Supreme Court ruling in Obergfell v. Hodges, which established state recognition of same-sex marriage nationally. 2

Administration Scandals

Operation Fast and Furious

From 2009 through 2011, the Department of Justice illegally purchased more than 2,000 firearms from Mexican sources in a bid to infiltrate Mexican drug cartels. The DOJ then lost track of many of the weapons, and two were used to murder a U.S. Border Patrol agent in 2010. After whistleblowers reported on the gun connection, Congress investigated the DOJ and eventually held then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for failure to turn over relevant documents. 7

Benghazi Attack Attribution

In September 2012, U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed during an attack on the American diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. The U.S. Department of State claimed the attack was prompted by an anti-Muslim film, but conservative critics have claimed the attack was prompted by radical Islamist terrorism, which the Obama administration downplayed for political reasons. After numerous Congressional investigations, there is no firm evidence that the attack was conducted by Islamic terrorists or in response to any film. 7

IRS Targeting of Conservatives

In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) revealed that it had targeted conservative nonprofit organizations for special scrutiny. In October 2017, the Trump administration settled a lawsuit levied by several conservative organizations against the IRS. 7 8

Controversies

Association with Jeremiah Wright

In 1987, Obama met pastor Jeremiah Wright when he joined the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Wright officiated Barack and Michelle Obama’s wedding and baptized both of their daughters. 38

During Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, Obama’s association with Wright became a point of controversy when ABC News reported on contentious sermons Wright had delivered, including multiple statements suggesting that the United States deserved the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a lengthy condemnation of the American government that concluded with “God damn America.” 39

Obama simultaneously downplayed and condemned Wright’s statements and eventually released Wright from his role on his campaign’s African American Religious Leadership Committee. 40 Obama also ceased attending Wright’s church after the scandal. 39

In November 2020, Obama defended Wright as a “gifted preacher” after U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) received criticism over a resurfaced 2008 Fox News interview in which he had praised Wright. 41

Birtherism

During Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, he became the target of the “birtherism” conspiracy, which claimed that Obama was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to run for President of the United States. According to a 2011 report in Politico, the conspiracy theory was first circulated by supporters of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign citing an anonymous email claim, but the theory was later picked up by conservative opponents of Obama’s campaign. Politico could not identify the initial generator of the conspiracy theory. 42

Despite then-Senator Obama releasing his birth certificate during the election, the conspiracy maintained a following. 43 Most notably, then-celebrity businessman Donald Trump openly questioned Obama’s birthplace. In 2011, Trump said he was skeptical of Obama’s birthplace during a “Good Morning America” interview. In 2012, Trump offered to donate $5 million to charity if Obama published his passport and college applications. In 2016, Trump admitted that then-President Obama had been born in the United States. 44 45

References

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  2. Neuman, Scott. “Obama: Supreme Court Same-Sex Marriage Ruling ‘A Victory for America’.” NPR. June 26, 2015. Accessed January 31, 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/26/417731614/obama-supreme-court-ruling-on-gay-marriage-a-victory-for-america
  3. “The Pros and Cons in Obamacare.” Healthline. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/consumer-healthcare-guide/pros-and-cons-obamacare#pros.
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  22. The vast majority of the money I got was from small donors all across the country.” Politifact. April 22, 2010. Accessed January 30, 2021. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2010/apr/22/barack-obama/obama-campaign-financed-large-donors-too/.
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  32. Mohammed, Farah. “Did Barack Obama Deserve the Nobel Prize?” JSTOR Daily. June 2, 2018. Accessed January 31, 2021. https://daily.jstor.org/did-barack-obama-deserve-the-nobel-prize/.
  33. Shackford, Scott. “Obama’s Outgoing Attitude on War and Terrorism: Do as He Says, Not as He Did.” Reason. December 7, 2016. Accessed January 31, 2021. https://reason.com/2016/12/07/obamas-outgoing-attitude-on-war-and-terr/.
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  35. Rath, Arun. “Trump Inherits Guantanamo’s Remaining Detainees.” NPR. January 19, 2017. Accessed January 31, 2021. https://www.npr.org/2017/01/19/510448989/trump-inherits-guantanamos-remaining-detainees.
  36. Ward, Alex. “How Obama’s “red line” fiasco led to Trump bombing Syria.” Vox. April 15, 2018. Accessed January. https://www.vox.com/2018/4/15/17238568/syria-bomb-trump-obama-russia.
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  45. Babaro, Michael. “Donald Trump Clung to ‘Birther’ Lie for Years, and Still Isn’t Apologetic.” New York Times. September 16, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/us/politics/donald-trump-obama-birther.html.
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