Faidon georgitsis biography of barack obama

Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States—becoming the first African American to serve in that office—on January 20,

The son of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father, Obama grew up in Hawaii. Leaving the state to attend college, he earned degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law School.

Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago, where he met and married Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Their two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha), were born in and , respectively.

Faidon georgitsis biography of barack obama president It was the last time Obama would see his father. He married Michelle in [ 69 ] and settled down with her in Hyde Park , a liberal, integrated, middle-class Chicago neighborhood with a history of electing reform-minded politicians independent of the Daley political machine. He did a great job of enlisting a broad spectrum of organizations and people, including many who did not get along well with one another. Despite wars overseas, Obama reached out to other nations in hopes of maintaining peace.

Obama was elected to the Illinois state senate in and served there for eight years. In , he was elected by a record majority to the US Senate from Illinois and, in February , announced his candidacy for president. After winning a closely fought contest against New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Obama handily defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee for president, in the general election.

When President Obama took office, he faced very significant challenges.

The economy was officially in a recession, and the outgoing administration of George W. Bush had begun to implement a controversial "bail-out" package to try to help struggling financial institutions.

Faidon georgitsis biography of barack obama The fruits of the collaboration first appeared with the August release of American Factory , an Oscar-winning documentary about the launch of a Chinese-owned automotive glass factory in Dayton, Ohio, and the clash of differing cultures and business interests. Not in my ability to bring about change—but in yours. He criticized Republicans for their refusal to support legislation and chastised Democrats for not pushing hard enough to get legislation passed. He was the first sitting president to visit the city since that event.

In foreign affairs, the United States still had troops deployed in difficult conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the first two years of his first term, President Obama was able to work with the Democratic-controlled Congress to improve the economy, pass health-care reform legislation, and withdraw most US troops from Iraq.

After the Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in , the president spent significant time and political effort negotiating, for the most part unsuccessfully, with congressional Republicans about taxes, budgets, and the deficit. After winning reelection in , Obama began his second term focused on securing legislation on immigration reform and gun control, neither of which he was able to achieve.

When the Republicans won the Senate in , Obama refocused on actions that he could take unilaterally, invoking his executive authority as president. In foreign policy, Obama concentrated during the second term on the Middle East and climate change.

Obama left the presidency, at age fifty-five, after his constitutionally limited two terms ended on January 20, He announced plans to remain in Washington, DC, until his younger daughter finished high school and, as a former president, to play a restrained but active role in public affairs.

He also devoted energy to raising money and planning for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.