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Biography Career
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.
Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.
It was there, at the University of Hawaii, where Barack's parents met. His mother was a student there, and his father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams in America.
Learn more about Barack's life, family, and accomplishments.; Barack; Barack Obama; Barack TV; Obama; Speeches; This appears on the 'Meet Barack Page' http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid452323111http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=353512430
Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.
Remembering the values of empathy and service that his mother taught him, Barack put law school and corporate life on hold after college and moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.
The group had some success, but Barack had come to realize that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.
He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. Finally, his advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.
In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars are spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.
As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.
Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.
 Telegraph.co.uk | Barack Obama opens up six point lead over Mitt Romney Telegraph.co.uk Barack Obama has opened up a six-point lead over his nearest Republican rival, boosted by the recovering US economy, falling unemployment and negative reaction to Republican primary contest, a new poll has shown. By Peter Foster, Washington If the ... Barack Obama Rolls Past Romney in Polls Obama Leading Romney in Head-to-Head Race, Post/ABC Poll Shows With economy improving, Obama would beat Romney: poll |
 Telegraph.co.uk | Roman Catholic leaders criticise Barack Obama over healthcare Telegraph.co.uk Roman Catholic leaders have furiously criticised President Barack Obama for approving new regulations that compel religious organisations to include morning-after pills and other contraceptives in employee health insurance coverage. President Obama Alienates Blue Dogs, Raw Dogs Four Catholic Men v. Obama Pro-life supporters balk at Obama's new coverage rule |
 The Guardian | Obama orders new US sanctions on Iran's government, including Central Bank Washington Post WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has ordered new sanctions on the Islamic republic, including its Central Bank, in a move to enforce a law he signed in December. In a letter to Congress Monday, Obama said the tougher sanctions are warranted ... Obama orders Iranian Central Bank freeze in new wave of sanctions Obama: US Has 'Very Good' Intel on Iran Barack Obama says US and Israel 'in lockstep' on Iran |
 The Guardian | Does Obama 'deserve' a second term? The Guardian During his Superbowl interview on Sunday, Barack Obama said that he 'deserved a second term'. His plea came as his administation received a surprisingly positive jobs report last Friday. Do you agree the president's efforts were good enough to warrant ... Obama on presidency: 'You get better as time goes on' I deserve another go, says Barack Obama Obama: 'I Deserve a Second Term' |
 Isthmus | Citizen Dave: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, and the truth about what we all inherit Isthmus And I have never heard Barack Obama claim that he did it by himself. So who is more the self-made man? You must update your profile and fill in all mandatory fields before you can comment on an article. Look , none of us is a self - made person . A Kinder and Gentler Gingrich? Republicans compete in 3 contests this week Gingrich sees Egypt as Obama version of Iran hostage crisis |
 AFP | Obama to host dinner to honor Iraq sacrifices AFP WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle will host a special White House dinner later this month to honor veterans of the Iraq war, two months after the last US troops left for home. The event will take place on February 29 and ... White House plans dinner to honor Iraq vets Govt. program will hire veterans as first responders Obamas plan to host dinner Feb. 29 to honor Iraq war veterans |
 IBNLive.com | Where the US Election Stands Now Gallup.com by Frank Newport, Jeffrey M. Jones, and Lydia Saad PRINCETON, NJ -- US President Barack Obama beats several of his possible Republican opponents in recent Gallup general election trial heats, but he is tied with GOP front-runner Mitt Romney, ... Obama Team Showing Signs of Hubris Obama Pulls Ahead Analysis: How economy is viewed can differ sharply |
 CTV.ca | Obama's grandma injured after car rolls in Kenya Albany Times Union 6, 2008 file photo, Sarah Obama, step-grandmother of US President Barack Obama, sits in the backyard of her house in the village of Kogelo, near the shores of Lake Victoria, in Kenya. President Barack Obama's 91-year-old step-grandmother suffered ... Obama's grandma lightly injured after car rolls over during accident in ... Obama's stepgrandmother OK after wreck |
 Bloomberg | Obama presses Congress to pass aid to homeowners Reuters By Caren Bohan | WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Saturday pressed lawmakers to pass his proposal to provide up to $10 billion in aid to struggling homeowners, saying a failure to address the housing crisis would put the rest of the ... Obama Says Home-Mortgage Relief Plan Will Eliminate US's 'Biggest Drag' President Barack Obama pushes homeowners relief plan in weekly address President Obama: A plan to help responsible homeowners |
Shugaba Barack Obama Ya Ba Mitt Romney Rata... Voice of America Litinin, 06 Fabrairu 2012 Shugaba Barack Obama Ya Ba Mitt Romney Rata... Sabuwar kuri'ar neman ra'ayoyin jama'a ta nuna cewa a karon farko shugaban na Amurka yana gaban mutumin da ake jin cewa shi ne zai zamo dan takarar shugaban kasa na jam'iyyar ... |
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