Tuesday, 25 June 2013
About obama
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About Aarak Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama II (
i/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States, the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii,
Obama is a graduate of Columbia
University and Harvard
Law School, where he was president of the Harvard
Law Review. He was a community
organizer in Chicago before
earning his law degree. He
worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional
law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, running unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 2000.
i/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States, the first African American to hold the office. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii,
Obama is a graduate of Columbia
University and Harvard
Law School, where he was president of the Harvard
Law Review. He was a community
organizer in Chicago before
earning his law degree. He
worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional
law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, running unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 2000.
In 2004, Obama received national attention during his campaign to represent Illinois in theUnited
States Senate with his victory in the
March Democratic Party primary, his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July, and his voting to the Senate in
November. He began his presidential movement in 2007, and in 2008, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won sufficient delegates
in the Democratic Party primaries to receive the presidential nomination. He then
defeated Republicannominee John
McCain in the general election, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, Obama
was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prizelaureate. He was re-elected president in November 2012, defeating Republican nomineeMitt Romney, and was sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2013.[2]
near the beginning in his first term in office, Obama signed into
law economic
stimulus legislation in response
to the Great Recession in the form of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Tax Relief, Unemployment
Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. Other major
domestic initiatives in his presidency include the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,
often referred to as "Obamacare"; the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform
and Consumer Protection Act; the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010; the Budget Control Act of 2011; and the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. In May
2012, he became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage and in 2013 his administration filed briefs
which urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex couples in two high-profile cases. In
foreign policy, Obama ended U.S. military involvement in the Iraq War, increased
troop levels in Afghanistan, signed theNew START arms control treaty with Russia,
ordered U.S. military involvement in Libya, and
ordered the military operation that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.
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Contents
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7 Notes
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Early life and career
Obama was born on August 4, 1961,[3] at Kapiʻolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital (now Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women
and Children) in Honolulu, Hawaii,[4][5][6] and is the first President to have been born in
Hawaii.[7] His mother, Stanley
Ann Dunham, was born in Wichita,
Kansas, and was of mostly English ancestry.[8] His father, Barack
Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang’oma
Kogelo, Kenya. Obama's parents met in 1960 in a Russian class at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where his father was
a foreign student on learning.[9][10] The couple wedded in Wailuku on Maui on February 2, 1961,[11][12] and separated when Obama's mother moved with
their newborn son to Seattle, Washington,
in late August 1961, to attend the University of Washington for one year. In the meantime, Obama, Sr.
completed his undergraduate economics degree in Hawaii in June 1962, then left to
attend graduate school atHarvard
University on a scholarship.
Obama's parents divorced in March 1964.[13] Obama Sr. returned to Kenya in 1964 where he
remarried; he visited Barack in Hawaii only once, in 1971.[14] He died in an automobile accident in 1982.[15]
In 1963, Dunham met Lolo
Soetoro, an Indonesian East–West
Center graduate student in
geography at the University of Hawaii, and the couple were married on Molokai on March 15, 1965.[16] After two one-year extensions of his J-1 visa,
Lolo returned to Indonesia in 1966, followed sixteen months later by his
wife and stepson in 1967, with the family initially living in a Menteng Dalam
neighborhood in the Tebet subdistrict of south Jakarta,
then beginning 1970 in a wealthier neighborhood in the Menteng subdistrict of central Jakarta.[17] From ages six to ten, Obama attended local
Indonesian-language schools: St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School for two
years and Besuki Public School for one and a half years, supplemented by
English-language Calvert School homeschooling by his mother.[18]
Obama with his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng,
mother Ann
Dunham and grandfatherStanley Dunham, in Honolulu, Hawaii
In 1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal
grandparents, Madelyn andStanley Dunham, and with the aid of a scholarship attended Punahou School, a
privatecollege preparatory school, from fifth grade until
his graduation from high school in 1979.[19]Obama
lived with his mother and sister in Hawaii for three years from 1972 to 1975
while his mother was a graduate student in anthropology at the University of Hawaii.[20] Obama chose to stay in Hawaii with his grandparents
for high school at Punahou when his mother and sister returned to Indonesia in
1975 to begin anthropology field work.[21] His mother spent most of the next two decades in
Indonesia, divorcing Lolo in 1980 and earning a PhD in 1992, before dying in
1995 in Hawaii following dealing for ovarian
cancer and uterine cancer.[22]
Of his early childhood, Obama recalled, "That my father
looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother
white as milk—barely registered in my mind."[10] He described his struggles as a young adult to
reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.[23] Reflecting later on his years in Honolulu, Obama
wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of
cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world
view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."[24] Obama has also written and talked about using
alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions
of who I was out of my mind".[25]Obama was
also a member of the "choom gang", a self-named group of acquaintances
that spent time together and occasionally smoked marijuana.[26][27]
Following high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to
attend Occidental
College. In February 1981, he made his first public speech, calling
for Occidental to divest from South Africa in response to its policy of apartheid.[28] In mid-1981, Obama traveled to Indonesia to
visit his mother and sister Maya, and visited the families of college friends
in Pakistan and India for three weeks.[28] Later in 1981, he transferred to Columbia College, Columbia University in New York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations[29] and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1983.
He worked for a year at the Business International Corporation,[30] then at the New York Public Interest Research Group.[31][32]
Chicago community organizer and Harvard Law School
Two years after graduating, Obama was hired in Chicago as director
of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based community organization
originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale on Chicago's South
Side. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May
1988.[32][33] He helped set up a job training program, a
college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[34] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor
for the Gamaliel
Foundation, a community organizing institute.[35] In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in
Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of
his paternal relatives for the first time.[36][37] He returned to Kenya in 1992 with his fiancée
Michelle and his sister Auma.[36][38] He returned to Kenya in August 2006 for a visit
to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in rural western Kenya.[39]
In late 1988, Obama entered Harvard
Law School. He was selected as an editor of the Harvard
Law Review at the end of his first
year,[40] and president of the journal in his second year.[34][41] During his summers, he returned to Chicago,
where he worked as anassociate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins
& Sutter in 1990.[42] After graduating with a J.D. magna cum laude[43]from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.[40] Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention[34][41] and led to a publishing contract and advance for
a book about race relations,[44] which evolved into a personal memoir. The
manuscript was published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father.[44]
University of Chicago Law School and civil rights attorney
In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and
Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.[44][45] He then taught at the University of Chicago Law
School for twelve years—as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior
Lecturer from 1996 to 2004—teaching constitutional
law.[46]
From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's Project Vote, a voter registration campaign with ten staffers and seven hundred volunteer
registrars; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered
African Americans in the state, leading Crain's Chicago Business to name Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under
Forty" powers to be.[47]
In 1993, he joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a
13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood
economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to
1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004. His law license became
inactive in 2007.[48][49]
From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago, which in 1985 had been the
first foundation to fund the Developing community Project; and of the Joyce Foundation.[32] He served on the board of directors of theChicago Annenberg Challenge from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and
chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.[32]
Legislative career: 1997–2008
State Senator: 1997–2004
Obama was elected to the Illinois
Senate in 1996, succeeding
State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District, which at that time
spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde
Park – Kenwood south to South
Shore and west to Chicago Lawn.[50] Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support
for legislation that reformed ethics and health care laws.[51] He sponsored a law that increased tax
credits for low-income workers,
negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[52] In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint
Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory
mortgage lending regulations aimed at
averting home foreclosures.[53]
Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating
Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election, and was reelected again in
2002.[54] In 2000, he lost a Democratic primary race for Illinois's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives to four-term incumbent Bobby
Rush by a margin of two to
one.[55]
In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's
Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the
minority, regained a majority.[56] He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan
passage of legislation to monitor racial
profiling by requiring police to
record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the
first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations.[52][57] During his 2004 general election campaign for
U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement
with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms.[58] Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in
November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.[59]
U.S. Senate campaign
County results of the 2004 U.S. Senate race in
Illinois. Counties in blue were won by Obama.
In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in
a 2004 U.S. Senate race; he created a campaign committee, began raising funds,
and lined up political media consultant David
Axelrod by August 2002. Obama
formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.[60]
Obama was an early opponent of the George
W. Bush administration's 2003 invasion of Iraq.[61] On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and
Congress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[62] Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally,[63] and spoke out against the war.[64] He addressed another anti-war rally in March
2003 and told the crowd that "it's not too late" to stop the war.[65]
Decisions by Republican incumbent Peter Fitzgerald and his Democratic predecessor Carol
Moseley Braun to not participate in
the election resulted in wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests
involving fifteen candidates.[66] In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won in
an unexpected landslide—which overnight made him a rising star within the national Democratic Party, started speculation about
a presidential future, and led to the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father.[67] In July 2004, Obama delivered the keynote
address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention,[68] seen by 9.1 million viewers. His speech was
well received and elevated his status within the Democratic Party.[69]
Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican
primary winner Jack Ryan, withdrew from the race in June 2004.[70] Six weeks later, Alan
Keyes accepted the Republican
nomination to replace Ryan.[71] In the November 2004 general election, Obama won with
70 percent of the vote.[72]
U.S. Senator: 2005–2008
Obama in his official portrait as a member of
the United States Senate
Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 3, 2005,[73] becoming the only Senate member of theCongressional Black Caucus.[74] CQ Weekly characterized him as a "loyal Democrat" based on
analysis of all Senate votes in 2005–2007. Obama announced on November 13,
2008, that he would resign his Senate seat on November 16, 2008, before the
start of the lame-duck session, to focus on his transition period for
the presidency.[75]
Legislation
Obama cosponsored the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.[76] He introduced two initiatives that bore his
name: Lugar–Obama, which expanded the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons;[77] and the Federal Funding Accountability
and Transparency Act of 2006, which authorized the establishment of
USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending.[78] On June 3, 2008, Senator Obama—along with
Senators Tom Carper,Tom Coburn, and John McCain—introduced
follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal
Spending Act of 2008.[79]
Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant
owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill
failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee.[80] Regarding tort
reform, Obama voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008,
which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies
complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations.[81]
Obama and U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) visit a Russian facility for dismantling
mobile missiles (August 2005).[82]
In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the CongoRelief, Security, and
Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted
with Obama as its primary sponsor.[83] In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold
introduced a corporate jet provision to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act,
which was signed into law in September 2007.[84] Obama also introducedDeceptive Practices and Voter
Intimidation Prevention Act, a bill to criminalize deceptive
practices in federal elections,[85] and the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007,[86] neither of which was signed into law.
Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense
Authorization Act to add safeguards for personality-disorder military
discharges.[87] This amendment passed the full Senate in the
spring of 2008.[88] He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds
from Iran's oil and gas industry, which has not passed committee; and
co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.[89] Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program,
providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers
with combat-related injuries.[90]
Committees
Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works and Veterans' Affairsthrough
December 2006.[91] In January 2007, he left the Environment and
Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions and Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs.[92] He also became Chairman of the Senate's
subcommittee on European Affairs.[93] As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East,
Central Asia and Africa. He met with Mahmoud
Abbas before Abbas became President of the Palestinian National Authority,
and gave a speech at the University of Nairobi in which he condemned corruption within the Kenyan government.[94]
Presidential campaigns
2008 presidential campaign
Main articles: United States presidential election, 2008, Barack Obama presidential
primary campaign, 2008, and Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008
Obama stands on stage with his wife and
daughters just before announcing his presidential candidacy in Springfield, Illinois, February 10, 2007
On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President
of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.[95][96] The choice of the announcement site was viewed
as symbolic because it was also where Abraham
Lincolndelivered his historic "House Divided" speech in 1858.[95][97] Obama emphasized issues of rapidly ending the Iraq War,
increasing energy independence, and providing universal health care,[98] in a campaign that projected themes of
"hope" and "change".[99]
A large number of candidates entered the Democratic Party presidential primaries. The
field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the
primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in pledged delegates due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising,
dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules.[100] On June 7, 2008, Clinton ended her campaign and
endorsed Obama.[101]
On August 23, Obama announced his selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his vice presidential running mate.[102] Obama selected Biden from a field speculated to
include former Indiana Governor and Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia
Governor Tim Kaine.[103] At theDemocratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for
her supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill
Clinton gave convention speeches
in his support.[104]Obama
delivered his acceptance speech, not at the center where the Democratic
National Convention was held, but at Invesco Field at Mile High to a crowd of over 75,000; the speech was viewed
by over 38 million people worldwide.[105][106]
During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's
campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of
small donations.[107] On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first
major-party presidential candidate to turn down public financing in the general election since the system was created in 1976.[108]
John McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate and the two
engaged in threepresidential debates in September and October 2008.[109] On November 4, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by McCain.[110] Obama won 52.9% of the popular
vote to McCain's 45.7%.[111] He became the first African American to be
elected president.[112] Obama delivered his victory speech before hundreds of thousands of supporters in
Chicago's Grant
Park.[113]
2012 presidential campaign
Main articles: United States presidential election, 2012 and Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012
Following the typical TV news voter map color scheme, the Empire State Building lit blue when CNN projected Obama as the winner of the 2012 election; had Romney won
it would have been lit red.[114]
On April 4, 2011, Obama announced his re-election campaign for
2012 in a video titled "It Begins with Us" that he posted on his
website and filed election papers with the Federal Election Commission.[115][116][117] As the incumbent president he ran virtually
unopposed in the Democratic Party presidential primaries,[118] and on April 3, 2012, Obama had secured the 2778 convention delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.[119]
Mitt Romney and President Obama shake hands in the Oval Office on November 29, 2012, following their first
meeting since President Obama's re-election.
At the Democratic National Convention inCharlotte, North Carolina, former President Bill
Clinton formally nominated Obama
and Joe
Bidenas the Democratic Party candidates for president and vice
president in the general election, in which their main opponents were
RepublicansMitt
Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Representative Paul
Ryan of Wisconsin.[120]
On November 6, 2012, Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceeding the 270 required for him
to be re-elected as president.[121][122][123] With 51% of the popular vote, Obama became the
first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to twice win the majority of the popular vote.[124][125] President Obama addressed supporters and
volunteers at Chicago's McCormick Place after his reelection and said:
"Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to
focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking
forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties."[126]
Presidency
See also: Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet and List of presidential trips made by Barack Obama
First days
Barack Obama takes the oath of officeadministered
by Chief Justice John
G. Roberts, Jr. at the Capitol, January 20, 2009
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President took place on January 20,
2009. In his first few days in office, Obama issued executive orders and
presidential memoranda directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw
troops from Iraq.[127] He ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp,[128] but Congress prevented the closure by refusing
to appropriate the required funds[129][130][131] and preventing moving any Guantanamo detainee
into the U.S. or to other countries.[132] Obama reduced the secrecy given to presidential
records.[133] He also revoked President George W. Bush's
restoration of President Ronald Reagan's Mexico
City Policy prohibiting federal aid
to international family planning organizations that perform or provide
counseling about abortion.[134]
Domestic policy
The first bill signed into law by Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, relaxing
the statute of limitations for equal-pay lawsuits.[135] Five days later, he signed the reauthorization
of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to cover an additional
4 million uninsured children.[136] In March 2009, Obama reversed a Bush-era policy
which had limited funding of embryonic
stem cell research and pledged to
develop "strict guidelines" on the research.[137]
Obama delivering a speech at joint session of
Congress with Vice PresidentJoe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosion
February 24, 2009
Obama appointed two women to serve on the Supreme Court in the
first two years of his Presidency. Sonia
Sotomayor, nominated by Obama on May 26, 2009, to replace retiringAssociate Justice David Souter, was
confirmed on August 6, 2009,[138] becoming the firstHispanic Supreme Court Justice.[139] Elena Kagan,
nominated by Obama on May 10, 2010, to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens,
was confirmed on August 5, 2010, bringing the number of women sitting
simultaneously on the Court to three, for the first time in American history.[140]
On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration proposed new
regulations on power plants, factories and oil refineries in an attempt to
limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global
warming.[141][142]
On October 8, 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd,
Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a measure that expands the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual
or perceived gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity, or disability.[143][144]
On March 30, 2010, Obama signed the Health Care and Education
Reconciliation Act, a reconciliation bill which ends the process of the federal government
giving subsidies to private banks to give out federally insured loans,
increases the Pell Grant scholarship award, and makes changes to the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[145][146]
In a major space policy speech in April 2010, Obama announced a planned change
in direction at NASA, the U.S. space agency. He ended plans
for a return of human spaceflight to the moon and development of the Ares I rocket, Ares V rocket and Constellation program, in favor of funding Earth
science projects, a new rocket type, and research and development for an
eventual manned mission to Mars, and ongoing missions to the International Space Station.[147]
On December 22, 2010, Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010,
fulfilling a key promise made in the 2008 presidential campaign[148][149] to end the Don't ask, don't tell policy of 1993 that had prevented gay and lesbian people from
serving openly in theUnited States Armed Forces.[150]
President Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address focused on themes of education and innovation,
stressing the importance of innovation
economics to make the United
States more competitive globally. He spoke of a five-year freeze in domestic
spending, eliminating tax breaks for oil companies and reversing tax cuts for
the wealthiest Americans, banning congressional earmarks,
and reducing healthcare costs. He promised that the United States would have
one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and would be 80% reliant on
"clean"
electricity.[151][152]
As a candidate for the Illinois state senate Obama had said in
1996 that he favored legalizing same-sex marriage;[153] but by the time of his run for the U.S. senate
in 2004, he said that while he supported civil unions and domestic partnerships
for same-sex partners, for strategic reasons he opposed same-sex marriages.[154] On May 9, 2012, shortly after the official
launch of his campaign for re-election as president, Obama said his views had
evolved, and he publicly affirmed his personal support for the legalization of
same-sex marriage, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so.[155][156]
During his second inaugural address on January 21, 2013, Obama called for full
equality for gay Americans: "Our journey is not complete until our gay
brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if
we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must
be equal as well." This was a historic moment, being the first time that a
president mentionedgay rights or the word "gay" in an inaugural address.[157][158] In 2013 the Obama administration filed briefs
which urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex couples in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry[159] and United States v. Windsor.[160]
Economic policy
Obama presents his first weekly addressas
President of the United States on January 24, 2009, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
On February 17, 2009, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,
a $787 billion economic
stimulus package aimed at helping
the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession.[161] The act includes increased federal spending for
health care, infrastructure, education, various tax breaks and incentives, and
direct assistance to individuals,[162] which is being distributed over the course of
several years.
In March, Obama's Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner,
took further steps to manage thefinancial crisis, including introducing the Public-Private Investment
Program for Legacy Assets, which contains provisions for buying up
to two trillion dollars in depreciated real estate assets.[163] Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry[164] in March 2009, renewing loans for General Motors and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. Over
the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies,
including the sale of Chrysler to Italian automaker Fiat[165] and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a temporary 60%
equity stake in the company, with the Canadian government taking a 12% stake.[166] In June 2009, dissatisfied with the pace of
economic stimulus, Obama called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment.[167] He signed into law theCar Allowance Rebate System, known colloquially as
"Cash for Clunkers", that temporarily boosted the economy.[168][169][170]
Although spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and
the Treasury Department authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations
totaled about $11.5 trillion, only $3 trillion had been spent by the
end of November 2009.[171] However, Obama and theCongressional Budget Office predicted that the 2010 budget deficit will be $1.5 trillion or 10.6% of the nation's gross domestic
product (GDP) compared to the 2009 deficit of $1.4 trillion or 9.9% of
GDP.[172][173] For 2011, the administration predicted the
deficit will slightly shrink to $1.34 trillion, while the 10-year deficit
will increase to $8.53 trillion or 90% of GDP.[174] The most recent increase in the U.S.debt ceiling to $16.4 trillion was signed into law on
January 26, 2012.[175] On August 2, 2011, after a lengthy congressional
debate over whether to raise the nation's debt limit, Obama signed the
bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011. The legislation enforces
limits on discretionary spending until 2021, establishes a procedure to
increase the debt limit, creates a Congressional Joint Select Committee on
Deficit Reduction to propose further deficit reduction with a stated goal of achieving
at least $1.5 trillion in budgetary savings over 10 years, and establishes
automatic procedures for reducing spending by as much as $1.2 trillion if
legislation originating with the new joint select committee does not achieve
such savings.[176] By passing the legislation, Congress was able to
prevent a U.S. governmentdefault on its obligations.[177]
Employment statistics (changes in unemployment rate and net jobs per month) during Obama's tenure as
U.S. President[178][179]
As it did throughout 2008, the unemployment rate rose in 2009,
reaching a peak in October at 10.0% and averaging 10.0% in the fourth quarter.
Following a decrease to 9.7% in the first quarter of 2010, the unemployment
rate fell to 9.6% in the second quarter, where it remained for the rest of the
year.[180] Between February and December 2010, employment
rose by 0.8%, which was less than the average of 1.9% experienced during
comparable periods in the past four employment recoveries.[181] By November 2012, the unemployment rate fell to
7.7%,[182] changing little in April 2013 to 7.5%.[183] GDP growth returned in the third quarter of
2009, expanding at a rate of 1.6%, followed by a 5.0% increase in the fourth
quarter.[184] Growth continued in 2010, posting an increase of
3.7% in the first quarter, with lesser gains throughout the rest of the year.[184] In July 2010, theFederal Reserve expressed that although economic activity continued to increase,
its pace had slowed, and ChairmanBen Bernanke stated that the economic outlook was
"unusually uncertain".[185] Overall, the economy expanded at a rate of 2.9%
in 2010.[186]
The Congressional Budget Office and a broad range of economists
credit Obama's stimulus plan for economic growth.[187][188] The CBO released a report stating that the
stimulus bill increased employment by 1–2.1 million,[188][189][190][191] while conceding that "It is impossible to
determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of
the stimulus package."[187] Although an April 2010 survey of members of the National Association for Business Economics showed an increase in job creation (over a
similar January survey) for the first time in two years, 73% of 68 respondents
believed that the stimulus bill has had no impact on employment.[192]
Within a month of the 2010 midterm elections, Obama announced a compromise
deal with the Congressional Republican leadership that included a temporary,
two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates,
a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate
and exemption amount for estate taxes.[193] The compromise overcame opposition from some in
both parties, and the resulting $858 billion Tax Relief, Unemployment
Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010passed with
bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress before Obama signed it on
December 17, 2010.[194]
Health care reform
Obama signs the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act at the White House, March 23, 2010
Obama called for Congress to pass legislation reforming health care in the United States, a key campaign
promise and a top legislative goal.[195] He proposed an expansion of health insurance
coverage to cover the uninsured, to cap premium increases, and to allow people
to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs. His proposal was to
spend $900 billion over 10 years and include a government insurance plan,
also known as the public option, to compete with the corporate
insurance sector as a main component to lowering costs and improving quality of
health care. It would also make it illegal for insurers to drop sick people or
deny them coverage for pre-existing conditions, and require every American
to carry health coverage. The plan also includes medical spending cuts and
taxes on insurance companies that offer expensive plans.[196][197]
On July 14, 2009, House Democratic leaders introduced a 1,017-page
plan for overhauling the U.S. health care system, which Obama wanted Congress
to approve by the end of 2009.[195] After much public debate during the
Congressional summer recess of 2009, Obama delivered a speech to a joint session of
Congress on September 9 where he
addressed concerns over the proposals.[198] In March 2009, Obama lifted a ban on using
federal funds for stem cell research.[199]
Maximum Out-of-Pocket Premium as Percentage of
Family Income and federal poverty level, under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,
starting in 2014. (Source: CRS)
On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option
was passed in the House.[200][201] On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own
bill—without a public option—on a party-line vote of 60–39.[202] On March 21, 2010, the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act passed by the Senate in December was passed in the House by
a vote of 219 to 212.[203] Obama signed the bill into law on March 23,
2010.[204]
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes health-related provisions to take
effect over four years, including expanding Medicaideligibility
for people making up to 133% of the federal poverty level (FPL) starting in 2014,[205] subsidizing insurance premiums for people making
up to 400% of the FPL ($88,000 for family of four in 2010) so their maximum
"out-of-pocket" payment for annual premiums will be from 2 to 9.5% of
income,[206][207] providing incentives for businesses to provide
health care benefits, prohibiting denial of coverage and denial of claims based
on pre-existing conditions, establishing health insurance exchanges, prohibiting annual
coverage caps, and support for medical research. According to White House and
Congressional Budget Office figures, the maximum share of income that enrollees
would have to pay would vary depending on their income relative to the federal
poverty level.[206][208]
The costs of these provisions are offset by taxes, fees, and
cost-saving measures, such as new Medicare taxes for those in high-income brackets, taxes on indoor tanning, cuts
to the Medicare
Advantage program in favor of
traditional Medicare, and fees on medical devices and pharmaceutical companies;[209] there is also a tax penalty for those who do not
obtain health insurance, unless they are exempt due to low income or other
reasons.[210] In March 2010, the Congressional Budget Office
estimated that the net effect of both laws will be a reduction in the federal
deficit by $143 billion over the first decade.[211]
The law faced several legal challenges, primarily based on the
argument that an individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance
was unconstitutional. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5–4 vote
in National Federation of
Independent Business v. Sebelius that the Commerce Clause does not allow the government to require people
to buy health insurance, but the mandate was constitutional under the US
Congress's taxing authority.[212]
Gulf of Mexico oil spill
On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo
Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico,
causing a major sustained oil leak. The well's operator, BP,
initiated a containment and cleanup plan, and began drilling two relief wells intended to stop the flow. Obama visited the
Gulf on May 2 among visits by members of his cabinet, and again on May 28 and
June 4. On May 22, he announced a federal investigation and formed a bipartisan
commission to recommend new safety standards, after a review by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings. On May
27, he announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and
leases, pending regulatory review.[213] As multiple efforts by BP failed, some in the
media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the
incident, and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal
government.[214]
Gun control
On January 16, 2013, one month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting,
President Obama signed 23 executive orders and outlined a series of sweeping
proposals regarding gun control.[215] He urged Congress to reintroduce an expired ban on "military-style" assault weapons, such as those used
in several recent mass shootings, impose limits on ammunition magazines to 10
rounds, introduce background checks on all gun sales, pass a ban on possession
and sale of armor-piercing bullets, introduce harsher penalties for
gun-traffickers, especially unlicensed dealers who buy arms for criminals and
approving the appointment of the head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives for the first time since 2006.[216]
2010 midterm election
Obama called the November 2, 2010 election,
where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in, and control of, the House of
Representatives,[217] "humbling" and a
"shellacking".[218] He said that the results came because not enough
Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery.[219]
Foreign policy
In February and March 2009, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a
"new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the
terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the
policies of the preceding administration.[220] Obama attempted to reach out to Arab leaders by
granting his first interview to an Arab cable TV network, Al
Arabiya.[221]
On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world,
releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran.[222] This attempt was rebuffed by the Iranian
leadership.[223] In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey,
which was well received by many Arab governments.[224] On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning"
in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting
Middle East peace.[225]
On June 26, 2009, in response to the Iranian government's actions
towards protesters following Iran's 2009 presidential election, Obama said:
"The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. We see it and we
condemn it."[226] On July 7, while in Moscow, he responded to a
Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by
saying: "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try
and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create
major conflict in the Middle East."[227]
On September 24, 2009, Obama became the first sitting U.S.
president to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.[228]
In March 2010, Obama took a public stance against plans by the
government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to continue building
Jewish housing projects in predominantly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.[229][230] During the same month, an agreement was reached
with the administration of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty with a new pact reducing
the number of long-range nuclear weapons in the arsenals of both countries by
about one-third.[231] Obama and Medvedev signed the New
START treaty in April 2010,
and the U.S.
Senate ratified it in December
2010.[232]
On December 6, 2011, he instructed agencies to consider LGBT rights when issuing financial aid to foreign countries.[233]
Iraq War
On February 27, 2009, Obama announced that combat operations in
Iraq would end within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me
say this as plainly as I can: by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq
will end."[234] The Obama administration scheduled the
withdrawal of combat troops to be completed by August 2010, decreasing troop's
levels from 142,000 while leaving a transitional force of about 50,000 in Iraq
until the end of 2011. On August 19, 2010, the last U.S. combat brigade exited
Iraq. Remaining troops transitioned from combat operations to counter-terrorism and the training, equipping, and advising of
Iraqi security forces.[235][236] On August 31, 2010, Obama announced that the
United States combat mission in Iraq was over.[237] On October 21, 2011 President Obama announced
that all U.S. troops would leave Iraq in time to be "home for the
holidays".[238]
War in Afghanistan
Early in his presidency, Obama moved to bolster U.S. troop
strength in Afghanistan.[239] He announced an increase to U.S. troop levels of
17,000 in February 2009 to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in
Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic
attention, direction and resources it urgently requires".[240] He replaced the military commander in
Afghanistan, General David
D. McKiernan, with former Special Forces commander Lt. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal in May 2009, indicating that McChrystal's Special Forces
experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.[241] On December 1, 2009, Obama announced the
deployment of an additional 30,000 military personnel to Afghanistan and
proposed to begin troop withdrawals 18 months from that date;[242] this took place in July 2011. David Petraeus replaced McChrystal in June 2010, after
McChrystal's staff criticized White House personnel in a magazine article.[243] In February 2013 Obama said the U.S. military
would reduce the troop level in Afghanistan from 68,000 to 34,000 US troops by
February 2014.[244]
Israel
Obama meeting with Israeli PresidentShimon Peres, 2009
Obama referred to the bond between the United States and Israel as
"unbreakable."[245]During
the initial years of the Obama administration, the U.S. increased military
cooperation with Israel, including increased military aid, re-establishment of
the U.S.-Israeli Joint Political Military Group and the Defense Policy Advisory Group, and an
increase in visits among high-level military officials of both countries.[246] The Obama administration asked Congress to
allocate money toward funding the Iron Dome program in response to the waves ofPalestinian rocket attacks on Israel.[247]
In 2011, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution condemning
Israeli settlements, with the United States being the only nation to do so.[248] Obama supports thetwo-state
solution to the Arab–Israeli conflict based on the 1967 borders with land swaps.[249]
In 2013, one journalist reported that, in Obama's view, "with
each new settlement announcement, Netanyahu is moving his country down a path
toward near-total isolation."[250]
War in Libya
In March 2011, as forces loyal to Muammar
Gaddafi advanced on rebels
across Libya, calls for a no-fly zone came from around the world, including
Europe, the Arab League, and a
resolution[251] passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.[252] In response to the unanimous passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 on March 17, Gaddafi—who had previously vowed to
"show no mercy" to the rebels of Benghazi[253]—announced
an immediate cessation of military activities,[254] yet reports came in that his forces continued
shelling Misrata. The next day, on Obama's orders, the U.S. military took part
in air strikes to destroy the Libyan government's air defense capabilities to
protect civilians and enforce a no-fly-zone,[255] including the use of Tomahawk
missiles, B-2 Spirits, and fighter jets.[256][257][258] Six days later, on March 25, by unanimous vote
of all of its 28 members, NATO took over leadership of the effort, dubbed Operation Unified Protector.[259] Some Representatives[260] questioned whether Obama had the constitutional
authority to order military action in addition to questioning its cost,
structure and aftermath.[261][262]
Osama bin Laden
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President Barack Obama along with members of the
national security team, receive an update on Operation Neptune's Spear, in the White House Situation Room, May 1, 2011. See also: The Situation Room (photograph)
Starting with information received in July 2010, intelligence
developed by the CIA over the next several months determined what they believed
to be the location of Osama bin Laden in a large compound in Abbottabad,
Pakistan, a suburban area 35 miles fromIslamabad.[263] CIA head Leon
Panettareported this intelligence to President Obama in March 2011.[263] Meeting with his national security advisers over
the course of the next six weeks, Obama rejected a plan to bomb the compound,
and authorized a "surgical raid" to be conducted by United States Navy SEALs.[263] The operation took place on May 1, 2011,
resulting in the death of bin Laden and the seizure of papers, computer drives
and disks from the compound.[264][265] DNA testing identified bin Laden's body,[266] which was buried at sea several hours later.[267] Within minutes of the President's announcement
from Washington, DC, late in the evening on May 1, there were spontaneous
celebrations around the country as crowds gathered outside the White House, and
at New York City's Ground Zero and Times Square.[264][268]Reaction to the announcement was positive across party lines, including from
former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,[269]and from
many countries around the world.[270]
Cultural and political image
See also: International media reaction to
the United States presidential election, 2008 and International reactions to the
United States presidential election, 2012
Obama's first term presidential portrait (2009)
Obama's family history, upbringing, and Ivy
League education differ
markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers
in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement.[271] Expressing puzzlement over questions about
whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of
the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion
that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong".[272] Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an
October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and
again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."[273]
Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator.[274] During his pre-inauguration transition period
and continuing into his presidency, Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet
video addresses.[275]
Obama conducting the first completely virtual
interview from the White House in 2012[276]
According to the Gallup Organization, Obama began his presidency
with a 68% approval rating[277] before gradually declining for the rest of the
year, and eventually bottoming out at 41% in August 2010,[278] a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first
years in office.[279] He experienced a small poll bounce shortly after
the death of Osama bin Laden, which lasted until around June 2011, when his
approval numbers dropped back to where they were prior to the operation.[280][281][282] His approval ratings rebounded around the same
time as his re-election in 2012, with polls showing an average job approval of
52% shortly after his second inauguration.[283] Polls show strong support for Obama in other
countries,[284] and before being elected President he met with
prominent foreign figures including former British Prime Minister Tony
Blair,[285] Italy's Democratic Party leader and Mayor of RomeWalter Veltroni,[286] and French
President Nicolas Sarkozy.[287]
In a February 2009 poll conducted in Western Europe and the U.S.
by Harris
Interactive for France
24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most respected world
leader, as well as the most powerful.[288] In a similar poll conducted by Harris in May
2009, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one
figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the
economic downturn.[289][290]
Obama and G8 leaders watching Bayern
Munich against Chelsea F.C. in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final in May 2012
Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions ofDreams from My Father in February 2006 and for The
Audacity of Hope in February 2008.[291] His concession speech after the New Hampshire primary was set to music
by independent artists as the music video "Yes We Can", which was viewed 10 million
times on YouTube in its first month[292] and received a Daytime
Emmy Award.[293] In December 2008,Time magazine named Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as
"the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments".[294] He was again named Person of the Year in 2012.[295]
On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international
diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".[296] Obama accepted this award in Oslo,
Norway on December 10, 2009, with "deep gratitude and great humility."[297] The award drew a mixture of praise and criticism
from world leaders and media figures.[298][299] Obama is the fourth U.S. president to be awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office.[300]
Family and personal life
Obama posing in the Green Room of the White House with wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and
Malia in 2009
In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "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."[301] Obama has a half-sister with whom he was raised
(Maya Soetoro-Ng, the
daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband) and seven
half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family – six of them living.[302] Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born
mother, Madelyn Dunham,[303] until her death on November 2, 2008,[304] two days before his election to the Presidency.
Obama also has roots in Ireland; he met with his Irish cousins in Moneygall in
May 2011.[305] In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native
American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson
Davis,President of the Confederate States of America during the American
Civil War.[306]
Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be
addressed with his given name during his college years.[307] Besides his native English, Obama speaks some basic Indonesian,
having learned the language during his four childhood years in Jakarta.[308][309] He plays basketball, a sport he participated in
as a member of his high school's varsity team;[310] he is left-handed.[311]
Obama taking a shot during a game on the White
House basketball court, 2009
Obama is a supporter of the Chicago
White Sox, and he threw out the first pitch at the 2005
ALCSwhen he was still a senator.[312] In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch
at the all star gamewhile wearing a White Sox jacket.[313] He is also primarily a Chicago Bears football fan in the NFL, but in his childhood and adolescence was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
and rooted for them ahead of their victory in Super
Bowl XLIII 12 days after he took
office as President.[314] In 2011, Obama invited the 1985 Chicago Bears to the White House; the team had not visited the White House after
their Super Bowl win in 1986 due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.[315]
In June 1989, Obama met Michelle
Robinson when he was employed as
a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley
Austin.[316] Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at
the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his
initial requests to date.[317] They began dating later that summer, became
engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.[318]The
couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998,[319] followed by a second daughter, Natasha
("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001.[320] The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When
they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the
private Sidwell Friends School.[321] The Obamas have a Portuguese
Water Dog namedBo, a gift from
Senator Ted Kennedy.[322]
Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005
from a Hyde
Park, Chicagocondominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago.[323] The purchase of an adjacent lot—and sale of part
of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony
Rezko—attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment
and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.[324]
In December 2007, Money estimated the Obama family's net worth at
$1.3 million.[325] Their 2009 tax return showed a household income
of $5.5 million—up from about $4.2 million in 2007 and
$1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.[326][327] On his 2010 income of $1.7 million, he gave 14%
to non-profit organizations, including $131,000 to Fisher House Foundation, a charity assisting wounded
veterans' families, allowing them to reside near where the veteran is receiving
medical treatments.[328][329] As per his 2012 financial disclosure, Obama may
be worth as much as $10 million.[330]
Obama tried to quit smoking several times, sometimes using nicotine replacement therapy, and, in early 2010,
Michelle Obama said that he had successfully quit smoking.[331][332]
Religious views
Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult
life. He wrote in The Audacity of Hope that he "was not raised in a religious
household". He described his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom
Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists"), as
being detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually
awakened person that I have ever known". He described his father as a
"confirmed atheist" by the
time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not
particularly useful." Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community
organizer while in his twenties,
he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious
tradition to spur social change".[333]
In an interview with the evangelical periodical Christianity
Today, Obama stated: "I
am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I
believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal
life."[334] On September 27, 2010, Obama released a
statement commenting on his religious views saying "I'm a Christian by
choice. My family didn't—frankly, they weren't folks who went to church every
week. And my mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew, but she didn't
raise me in the church. So I came to my Christian faith later in life, and it
was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of
life that I would want to lead—being my brothers' and sisters' keeper, treating
others as they would treat me."[335][336]
Obama met Trinity United Church of Christ pastor Rev. Jeremiah
Wright in October 1987, and
became a member of Trinity in 1992.[337]He
resigned from Trinity in May 2008 during his first presidential campaign after controversial statements by Wright were publicized.[338]After a
prolonged effort to find a church to attend often in Washington, Obama
announced in June 2009 that his chief place of love would be the Evergreen
Chapel at Camp David.[339]
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