The beautiful Michelle; Barack;
and their beautiful daughters, Malia (upper right),
and Sasha (with the big smile!)
Barack Obama: A Great Father and Husband
By BarackObama.net Staff
By ALL accounts Barack Obama is a great father and a great husband. And it is wonderful to see such a fine man, who is grounded in his family, ascending to the presidency.
You see, Barack Obama has his priorities in order: he works diligently as a politician, but always ensures that there is adequate quality time for his children and wife.
So, Barack Obama is not only an intelligent man, a great politician, a great leader, and a great American; but he is also a great family man.
And he is EXACTLY the type of person we need as president!
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By BarackObama.net Staff
Michelle Obama, the soon-to-be First Lady, was born in Chicago in 1964. She was raised on Chicago’s South Side and showed advanced intelligence at a young age when she skipped the second grade. She graduated from Whitney Young Magnet High School in 1981, Princeton University in 1985 (majoring in sociology and minoring in African American studies), and Harvard Law School in 1988.
After graduating from law school, Michele worked as an associate at the Chicago law firm Sidley and Austin, where she met Barack Obama. She left the firm in 1991 to dedicate herself to public service, first securing a position in the Chicago city government as an assistant to the mayor, and later as assistant commissioner of planning and development.
In 1993, Michelle became the executive director for the Chicago Office of Public Allies, a nonprofit organization. In 1996, she served as the associate dean of students at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University’s community service center. In 2002, she became the executive director for community affairs of the University of Chicago Hospitals, and in 2005 she was appointed as vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Michelle has been recognized by many magazines for her elegance, intelligence, and inspirational nature. In 2006, Essence magazine listed her as one of the 25 most inspiring women in the world. In 2007, Vanity Fair magazine listed her as one of the 10 best-dressed people in the world, and 02138 magazine listed her among the top 100 most influential Harvard alumni of all time.
Michelle is now focused on assisting her husband with his presidential candidacy and caring for her two daughters, Malia and Sasha (Michelle is a wonderful mother).
Michelle is universally respected, admired, and loved. Her intelligence, eloquence, and compassion are evident every time she speaks, and America will be blessed to have her as First Lady.
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Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
After becoming the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Barack Obama was offered a book contract, and that is how “Dreams of my Father” began.
It was first published in 1995, but was re-released in 2004 after Barack Obama’s inspiring keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
The book is an autobiographical narrative in which Barack Obama tells of his life up to his entry in Harvard Law School. Born in Hawaii in 1961 to a black Kenyan student and a white American woman, Barack experienced many challenges, which started when his parents separated when he was two years old (and divorced when he was four).
His mother then married an Indonesian man and the family moved to Indonesia, where Barack stayed until he was ten. The gripping narrative continues from there.
“Dreams from My Father” is a must read.
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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
“The Audacity of Hope” offers Barack Obama’s personal manifesto for his 2008 presidential campaign.
The term “The Audacity of Hope” was first used as the title for the 2004 Democratic Convention, the speech that propelled him into political superstardom. In his book, Barack expands on many of the themes from his speech.
“The Audacity of Hope” is a must read.
Below is a short interview in which Barack Obama responds to questions about his books and related issues.
Q: How did writing a book that you knew would be read so closely by so many compare to writing your first book, when few people knew who you were?
A: In many ways, Dreams from My Father was harder to write. At that point, I wasn't even sure that I could write a book. And writing the first book really was a process of self-discovery, since it touched on my family and my childhood in a much more intimate way. On the other hand, writing The Audacity of Hope paralleled the work that I do every day--trying to give shape to all the issues that we face as a country, and providing my own personal stamp on them.
Q: What is your writing process like? You have such a busy schedule, how did you find time to write?
A: I'm a night owl, so I usually wrote at night after my Senate day was over, and after my family was asleep--from 9:30 p.m. or so until 1 a.m. I would work off an outline--certain themes or stories that I wanted to tell--and get them down in longhand on a yellow pad. Then I'd edit while typing in what I'd written.
Q: If readers are to come away from The Audacity of Hope with one action item (a New Year's Resolution for 2007, perhaps?), what should it be?
A: Get involved in an issue that you're passionate about. It almost doesn’t matter what it is--improving the school system, developing strategies to wean ourselves off foreign oil, expanding health care for kids. We give too much of our power away, to the professional politicians, to the lobbyists, to cynicism. And our democracy suffers as a result.
Q: You're known for being able to work with people across ideological lines. Is that possible in today's polarized Washington?
A: It is possible. There are a lot of well-meaning people in both political parties. Unfortunately, the political culture tends to emphasize conflict, the media emphasizes conflict, and the structure of our campaigns rewards the negative. I write about these obstacles in chapter 4 of my book, "Politics." When you focus on solving problems instead of scoring political points, and emphasize common sense over ideology, you'd be surprised what can be accomplished. It also helps if you're willing to give other people credit--something politicians have a hard time doing sometimes.
Q: How do you make people passionate about moderate and complex ideas?
A: I think the country recognizes that the challenges we face aren't amenable to sound-bite solutions. People are looking for serious solutions to complex problems. I don't think we need more moderation per se--I think we should be bolder in promoting universal health care, or dealing with global warming. We just need to understand that actually solving these problems won't be easy, and that whatever solutions we come up with will require consensus among groups with divergent interests. That means everybody has to listen, and everybody has to give a little. That's not easy to do.
Q: What has surprised you most about the way Washington works?
A: How little serious debate and deliberation takes place on the floor of the House or the Senate.
Q: You talk about how we have a personal responsibility to educate our children. What small thing can the average parent (or person) do to help improve the educational system in America? What small thing can make a big impact?
A: Nothing has a bigger impact than reading to children early in life. Obviously we all have a personal obligation to turn off the TV and read to our own children; but beyond that, participating in a literacy program, working with parents who themselves may have difficulty reading, helping their children with their literacy skills, can make a huge difference in a child's life.
Q: Do you ever find time to read? What kinds of books do you try to make time for? What is on your nightstand now?
A: Unfortunately, I had very little time to read while I was writing. I'm trying to make up for lost time now. My tastes are pretty eclectic. I just finished Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, a wonderful book. The language just shimmers. I've started Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which is a great study of Lincoln as a political strategist. I read just about anything by Toni Morrison, E.L. Doctorow, or Philip Roth. And I've got a soft spot for John le Carre.
Q: What inspires you? How do you stay motivated?
A: I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency. I'm inspired by the love people have for their children. And I'm inspired by my own children, how full they make my heart. They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. And they make me want to be a better man.
Barack Obama U.S. Senate Voting Record
Below you will find a useful database which contains Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate voting record, broken down by year. Please click a link to continue:
Barack Obama Voting Record - 2008
Barack Obama Voting Record - 2007
Barack Obama Voting Record - 2006
Barack Obama Voting Record - 2005
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