Barack Obama: 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate - Research Paper Example

? Barack Obama: 2008 Democratic Presidential Candi Regene Best-Prescott P. Haggler African American History and Culture History 201-040Barack Obama: 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is the 44th and the incumbent President of the United States of America and more importantly he is the first African American to hold the office of the President. Obama being the President of the US is considered as the symbol of unity of various cultural and ethnic groups living in the US and equal rights and opportunities for all. Obama himself gave paramount importance to unity, in one of his addresses he said: There’s not a liberal America or a conservative America, there’s United States of America. There’s not a Black America and White America and Latino America and Asian America, there’s United States of America. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. The traits of resolute leadership, exceptional oratory and devout service to the nation were developed in Obama throughout the course of his life and the various events which took place in his life had a great impact on his personality. Obama was born in Hawaii and spend his early childhood in Indonesia and attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Later he practiced as a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Obama started his political career from Chicago and served as the State Senator from 13th District in Illinois. Obama’s address to the Democratic National Convention brought him to national politics and he rose to the ranks of United States Senator from Illinois. The increasing popularity served as a driving force for Obama who always wanted to serve the people from a high level, he ran for the Democratic Presidential Candidacy for the 2008 presidential election and won the party nomination beating Hilary Rodham Clinton. He went on to win the presidential election and sworn in as president on 20th January, 2009. Later in the year Obama also achieved the honor of being the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate of 2009 (Allette). As Obama entered the White House as the 44th President of the United States, he had to a wide range of tasks which needed to be accomplished immediately; most important being the falling economy. In addition to these there were immense foreign policy challenges which included the future strategy regarding the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and the relationships with countries like Pakistan. During his time in the office he achieved great success in the form of various economic and social security reforms which include the Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The strategy adopted by Obama to deal with the Afghanistan and Iraq war was also considered very effective by various analysts and his foreign policy gained confidence of the people of America when an incredible success was achieved in the form of the killing of Osama bin Laden, the chief commander of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda responsible for various terrorist activities throughout the world. Obama is currently running for the 2012 Presidential Elections and has a strong chance of being reelected. Obama was born in Hawaii to one of the rare mixed couples of that time, as his father was a Kenyan student studying in US while his mother was a white American born in Kansas. Obama’s father earned a scholarship to study in the US at the University of Hawaii and this is where the parents of the future US President met. Obama’s father left her mother and a couple of years after their marriage when he went to Harvard to pursue his Ph.D. and later went back to Kenya and her mother remarried, this time to an Indonesian student. Obama’s step father was called back to Indonesia after a dictator took hold of the country and consequently the family had to move to Indonesia and this is how Obama ended up in spending his early childhood in Indonesia and returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents at the age of 10. This series of events led to a number of confusions in Obama’s mind and his childhood was very tough as compared to other children. The complexity of his racial and cultural background led him to think differently from other children and allowed him to understand the deeper meaning of reality. Living in Hawaii, Obama got an opportunity to experience the diversity of cultures; he remembers his stay in Hawaii in one of his writings: 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. Obama continued his education in Hawaii at Punahou Academy and graduated with academic honors in 1979. He was also the member of the basketball team of the school however being one of the very few African American students of the school he was a continuous victim of racism. Being a black being raised in a white family was not the only thing Obama had difficulty to understand, the absence of his father also contributed to his struggle as a child and triggered his deep thinking about contradictory realities of life (Price). Obama continued his studies in Los Angeles for two year and later graduated from Columbia University in New York with a degree in political science in 1983. Obama’s stay in New York was short however it was during this time he started taking interests in politics during his study of the South African Apartheid and in his first public speech he called for Occidental’s Divestment from South Africa. Pushed by his interest in international relations Obama visited India and Pakistan while returning from one of his visits to his mother in Indonesia. The study of human rights violations in South Africa and other regions of the world made Obama to think about bringing a change in the society. Obama came up with the idea to work at the grassroots level to bring about the change in the society and as he came across the job to work as a community organizer with church in Chicago, he considered it as the perfect opportunity to realize his newly set objectives of service of his countrymen and the whole mankind (Hill). While serving as the community organizer in Chicago, Obama came across the Christian beliefs for the first time in his life because according to him he was raised in a non-religious atmosphere. Obama received a very little salary for his job as the community organizer but the satisfaction and the learning opportunity was of much greater magnitude. During his job he had to convince and teach the poor and illiterate local population and this helped Obama to develop strong persuasive skills and convincing power. During this time Obama also visited Kenya and met his paternal relatives for the first time in his life. Obama worked very hard as a community organizer in Chicago however the lack of resources and lack of cooperation from the government officials made him realize that this is not the way of bringing a big change to the life of the downtrodden and exploited factions of the society. The living conditions in Kenya also made him realize that there is a much bigger room for service to mankind in this world and that can only be done through achieving high ranks in the political picture; and with this the desire to become a legislator was born (Horn). On his return from Kenya Obama entered the Harvard Law School in 1988 and graduated in 1991with great honors (magna cum laude) in 1991, more importantly during his time at Harvard Law School he was elected as the first African-American of the Harvard Law Review, his experiences as a community organizer yielded the first result for him. Completing his law studies Obama returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and also started teaching at the University of Chicago Law School (Wheeler). Obama also participated actively in the voter registration drive during Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. Obama decided to enter the politics and ran successfully for the Illinois State Senate as a Democrat in 1996. During his political career Obama did not only work with Democrats but also with the Republicans in drafting legislations on ethics, expanded health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor. While in the Illinois State Senate he served the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee as the chairman. Obama continued to build up on his success as a politician in Illinois and decided to make an appearance on the national political scene. Obama made an unsuccessful run for the US House of Representatives seat in 2000 however he continued to participate actively in the state politics and emerged as one of the strongest opponents of the Iraq War (Robinson and Rich). In one of his public addresses he criticized the prospects waging the war on Iraq highlighting its consequences: I am not opposed to all wars. I am opposed to dumb wars. I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al Qaeda. The consequences of war are dire, the sacrifices immeasurable… We should not allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain. His speech against the war in Iraq was received as a very brave move and also established him as a man of deep insight about politics and with zeal to serve the nation. Encouraged by the response he received from the people as depicted by various poll results decided to run for the US Senate. He won in the 2004 Democratic primary and was invited to deliver the keynote speech in support of John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. Following three televised debates against Alan Keyes on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers and tax cuts for a seat in the US Senate, Obama claimed 70 percent of the vote to become the third African-American Senator of the United States Senate since the Reconstruction. Obama kept him very busy during his time in the US Senate and worked in the Environment and Public Works, Foreign Relations, Veterans’, Affairs, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. He also led the Senate’s subcommittee on European Affairs. He also sponsored a number of bills in senate independently and along with Richard Lugar and Tom Corburn. During this time his second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream was published in which he put forward his ideas about the future of America which actually marked the start of his presidential campaign of 2008. Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield on February 10, 2007. The place Obama selected for announcing his candidacy was Old State Capitol building where Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous House Divided speech in 1858 and this was considered as symbolic because Obama’s objective was to bring about a change in the country, a change the American people could believe in. Obama ran for the Democratic nomination and his strongest opponent was Hillary Rodham Clinton however Obama’s victory in Iowa caucus helped him bring him to national prominence from crowded field of Democratic challengers. One of the most important factors which contributed to his success was his multiethnic background which brought him support from Black as well as white supporters. In one of his speeches Obama said, “I know these (White) people. Those are my grandparents, their manners, their sensibilities all are totally familiar to me”. The time Obama spent in Chicago as a community organizer helped him throughout his life and he employed many skills gained from that time during his presidential campaign. The ability to work at grassroots level helped him get popular support and he conducted his fundraising by using interned effectively which not only raised funds for his campaign but also helped him in gaining support of the youth (Gormley). Obama went on to beat John McCain, the Republican candidate after three presidential debates in which he presented his strong stance on ending the Iraq War, Energy Independence and Universal Health Care. Obama’s win in Oregon helped him draw a rush of support from delegates in Montana and South Dakota which led to Clinton’s announcement of ending her candidacy and endorsement of Obama as the Democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential Election. Democratic Party of the United States formally nominated Obama to run for the office of the President of the United States of America on 27th August 2008 (Jones and Vassallo). After three presidential debates on the Iraq War, Energy Independence and Universal Health Care, Obama defeated John McCain of the Republican Party to become the 44th president of the United States of America. Taking on the office Obama inherited a large number of challenges from his predecessor which included the global economic recession, two on-going wars and the diminishing image of the country in the world. Understanding the criticality of the situation Obama said during his inaugural speech, “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real”. During his time in the Office Obama has tried to fulfill his motives of bringing about the change he dreamt about when he was in Chicago and which he pledged before the people of the United States. The major steps which Obama took after assuming his office as the President of the United States include the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison which largely restored the diminishing image of the country in the international community as a violator of human rights rather than being the protector. Another huge step which marked the success of his foreign policy to ensure the security of the United States was the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The formulation of an effective exit strategy from Iraq and Afghanistan has also helped in increasing the confidence of people of America on the government. Obama also brought remarkable improvements to ensure economic recovery and also expedited the health care reforms. Another important area in which Obama’s administration has brought about reforms is the use of renewable energy sources and environmental protection. From the very beginning of his life Barack Obama continued to learn things beyond the usual learning of a man. His birth to multiracial parents, the divorce of his parents, his childhood in Indonesia, brought up in a non-religious family, service as a community organizer and late understanding of Christian faith and his education; each and every incident in his life greatly contributed to the success he has been able to achieve. His story serves as a great inspiration for people who want to find out the actual meaning of life because Obama attained this success in his pursuit to understand the reality of things around him. Obama’s life depicts that personalities are not born, but they are made during their life. Moreover an individual cannot do anything on his own, he has to fit himself into the system by becoming its part and then he can use it effectively for the collective benefit of the people. Works Cited Allette, Dawne. Barack Obama: The Making of a President. N.p.: Transword Publishers, 2010. Print. Gormley, Beatrice. Barack Obama: Our 44th President. N.p.: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Print. Hill, Johny. The First Black President: Barack Obama, Race, Politics, and the American Dream. N.p.: Palgrave MacMillan, 2009. Print. Horn, Geoffery. Barack Obama. N.p.: Gareth Stevens, 2009. Print. Jones, Erik, and Salvatore Vassallo. The 2008 presidential elections: a story in four acts. N.p.: Palgrave MacMillan, 2009. Print. Obama, Barack. Barack Obama: speeches on the road to the White House. N.p.: Excellent Books, 2009. Print. Obama, Barack. Barack Obama: what he believes in from his own works. N.p.: Arc Manor LLC, 2008. Print. Price, Joann. Barack Obama: the voice of an American leader. N.p.: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print. Robinson, Tom, and Wilbur Rich. Barack Obama: 44th U.S. President. N.p.: ABDO, 2009. Print. Schuman, Michael. Barack Obama: "We Are One People." N.p.: Enslow Publishers Inc., 2009. Print. Wheeler, Jill. Barack Obama. N.p.: John Wiley and Sons, 2009. Print. Read More