Candidate #1: Barack Hussein Obama
Background: Senator Barack Obama is a half-black Democrat from the state of Illinois. Senator Obama was born on August 4th, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Obama spent the first few years of his life in Hawaii, and at the age of 6 he moved to Jakarta, Indonesia. After spending 4 years in Jakarta, Obama moved back to Hawaii with his maternal grandparents. Obama comes from a middle-class family. Obama struggled during his high school career to find his identity, and in his book Dreams from My Father, Obama admits to using cocaine, marijuana and alcohol as an escape for his personal conflicts. After graduating High School, Obama went to a small liberal arts college in Los Angeles, then transferred to Columbia University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a specialization in international relations. After graduating from Columbia in 1983, he moved to Chicago where he served as a community organizer. After that, Obama attended the Harvard Law School starting in 1988, where he served as President of the Harvard Law Review. He was the first black President of this organization in its 104 year history. Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in 1991 magna cum laude (With Great Honor) receiving a Juris Doctor (professional law degree). When Obama returned to Chicago in 1991, he served in a law firm until he was elected to the Illinois senate in 1996. Obama served in the Illinois state senate from 1996 until his official resignation in 2004 upon his election to the United States Senate. Obama voted primarily liberally in his tenure in the Illinois state senate, passing welfare reform bills and giving tax breaks to poor citizens. Since 2004, Obama has served as the junior Senator of Illinois, and launched his Presidential campaign in February 2007. In terms of personal life, Barack married his wife of 15 years Michelle in 1992. The couple has two daughters, Malia and Natasha. Obama is an off-and-on smoker, but has quit in light of his Presidential campaign with the help of his wife. Obama was non-religious until he began work in the Chicago inner city, and he was baptized in the Trinity United Church of Christ.
Education: Obama received a B.A. in political science from Columbia University and received his J.D. from the Harvard Law School.
Political Qualification: Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, establishing his firm base of political knowledge. Obama served in the Illinois State Senate from 1996 to 2004, and has served in the United States Senate from 2004 to the present.
Stances on the Issues:
The War in Iraq- On the issue of the War in Iraq, Obama has stood in opposition since the war's inception in 2003. In July 2004, Obama said [on the War in Iraq]"The Iraq war was sincere but misguided, ideologically driven." Recently, Obama has said that he hopes to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013 but would not make any promises. Obama's stance on the War in Iraq is to gradually withdraw troops, at the rate of 1 or 2 brigades (1,500-3,500 men) per month until the end of 2009.
The Economy- This is a multi-faceted topic, so I will break it down:
General Economic Stance: Obama has voted against downsizing government spending by $40 Billion, and also voted against regulating the government's budget based on program efficiency. Obama supports ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas (outsourcing); however, in July 2004 Obama stated that he supports tax breaks for corporations who practice responsible business tactics.
Education: Obama has a 9 step plan on reforming education titled "Lifetime Success through Education." His points involve reforming No Child Left Behind and efforts to "[put skilled teachers] in high-poverty and high-minority areas."
Jobs: Obama has voted twice in the United States Senate to increase the minimum wage. In Obama's words: "Let's finally make the minimum wage a living wage."
Taxes: Obama has voted against either sustaining tax cuts or an additional tax cut 6 times between November 2005 to March 2007. Obama supports tax cuts for the elderly, lower income and middle class, and does not favor sustaining the tax cuts endorsed by President Bush which favor the wealthiest 1/2 to 1% of Americans.
Housing Market: Obama supports the use of "financial instruments" to not only help the issues with foreclosure but also to help the young who have saved money in purchasing their first house.
Health Care- Obama's campaign website provides a 3 step program that is endorsed by statements dating back to May 2004. His plan is to "[provide] affordable, comprehensive and portable health coverage for every American; [Modernize] the U.S. health care system to contain spiraling health care costs and improve the quality of patient care; and [promote] prevention and strengthening public health to prevent disease and protect against natural and man-made disasters." In the Senate between 2005 and 2007, Obama has voted in favor of several reforms which increase oversight on prescription drug companies and voted to increase the capabilities of Medicare. One of Obama's goals for his Health Care policy is to save families $2,500 a year on health care. Obama's language is slightly misleading on this issue, he often notes that he favors "universal health care" but his plan is for reform of our current system, which is not necessarily synonymous with "universal health care."
Illegal Immigration- On the issue of illegal immigration, Barack Obama takes a (typically) liberal stance. His first recorded statement on immigration (NOTE: not illegal immigration, this is a very important distinction) is from July 1998, where Obama said that the United States should extend Medicaid and welfare to legal immigrants (legally documented non-citizens of the United States). Recently, his stance has changed slightly to increasing border security, including creating a wall along the US-Mexico border and removing incentives for illegal immigrants to come to America (by requiring employers to perform background checks on workers). However, Obama also seeks to improve the system of becoming a citizen to people who come to the United States legally. Finally, Obama supports giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants.
Minor Issues-
Abortion: On the issue of Abortion, the website ontheissues.org gave Obama a "strongly favors" rating. He has voted three times in favor of abortion, including votes on contraception and on stem cell research between 2005-2007 in the United States Senate.
Terrorism: Obama has voted in favor of halting terrorist activities and conducting business with businesses suspected of aiding terrorist groups 3 times. Obama voted in favor of renewing the Patriot Act but voted against renewing the Patriot Act's wire tap clause.
Strengths: Barack Obama has several key strengths he looks to which help to improve his electability. Obama's youth, which draws parallels to the youth and vitality of John F. Kennedy, improves his charm and gives him a better base among young people. Oprah Winfrey has endorsed Barack Obama (and basically encouraged him to run in the first place through her television show), an endorsement that helps draw in the votes of older women. Obama's brand of a non-negative, cordial and "political freshness" politics also works in his favor among many voters who are tired of the negativity involved in the American election process. Obama also has a strong "trustability", something lacking in other candidates.
Negatives/Criticisms: Barack Obama also has several legitimate forces working against him which his opponents are quick to exploit. First, Obama has only been in the United States Senate for 3 years, which is also the amount of Washington experience he has. This worries voters because there is a definite perception that being able to efficiently work Washington is almost a prerequisite for Presidents today. Obama also has a surprising amount of trouble getting the African American vote, which often actually goes to Hilary Clinton. In a Gallup Poll conducted between June 4-24th, Obama ranked second (among current Democratic nominees) among African Americans as a favorable candidates; however, he also received the lowest "unfavorable" rating among African Americans. Obama's lack of experience in international relations is often noted as well among critics.
Political Claim to Fame: Obama was catapulted to national political fame during the 2004 Democratic National Convention when he delivered the keynote address. This speech, given while he was still an Illinois state legislator, and his election to the United States Senate helped solidify Obama's national fame and attract the attention of many Democrats.
Sources and Further Reading:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
http://www.gallup.com/poll/28006/Clinton-Most-Positively-Rated-Candidate-Among-Blacks-Hispanics.aspx
2 comments:
I really like the way this article is written. I especially like how you can see their views on the issues quickly.
You all know that I'm the first person to roll my eyes at the mention of politics, but reading this blog is helping me to quickly realize the importance of being involved with politics, not necessarily that, but to develop an understanding on all the views candidates stand on. To me, that is the real purpose.
Thanks for the help guys! =]
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