Barack Obama

Biography

President since January 2009

Barack Obama was inaugurated President of the United States on January 20, 2009. Since taking office, Barack has worked to stabilize the U.S. economy, signing a $787 billion economic stimulus package into law. He has advocated for health insurance reform and promoted transparency by implementing the Open Government Initiative. He has managed the complex situation in the Middle East by boosting troop strength in Afghanistan, withdrawing troops from Iraq, and announcing a "new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States.

Career devoted to public service

Barack was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004. Prior to serving as U.S. Senator, Barack served eight years in the Illinois State Senate, where he worked on the state Earned Income Tax Credit, an expansion of early childhood education, and improvements in civil rights and criminal procedures. Prior to serving in the Illinois State Senate, Barack worked in Chicago as a community organizer, seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods.

Diverse upbringing

The son of a Kenyan and a Kansan, Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas has animated Barack's political journey. Barack is a graduate of some of the country's best educational institutions, including Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, and Columbia University, where he earned his undergraduate degree.

Source: Adapted by Imagine Election from government website and Wikipedia.

Issues

Invest in our economy

Barack Obama is working to implement a 21st century economic agenda to help ensure that America can compete in a global economy, and ensure the middle class is thriving and growing. He will increase investments in infrastructure, energy independence, education, and research and development; modernize and simplify our tax code so it provides greater opportunity and relief to more Americans; and implement trade policies that benefit American workers and increase the export of American goods.

Reform Washington DC

I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists - and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not get a job in my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president. - Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA, November 10, 2007

Implement universal health care

Barack recognizes that millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured, that healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and that too little is spent on prevention and public health. Obama will sign a universal health care plan into law by the end of his first term in office. His plan will provide affordable, quality health care coverage for every American. In addition, Obama's plan will bring down the cost of health care and reduce a typical family's premiums by as much as $2,500 per year.

Source: Adapted by Imagine Election from government website, campaign website, and Wikipedia.

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