Barack Obama

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas). Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party.

Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He spent most of his childhood in the majority-minority U.S. state of Hawaii and lived for four years in Indonesia. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator. Since announcing his candidacy in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War and implementing universal health care as campaign themes.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama co-sponsored the enactment of conventional weapons control and transparency legislation, and made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. His father went to Harvard University to pursue Ph.D. studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident when the younger Obama was twenty-one years old.

Maryland GOP Takes Aim At Progressive Alliance

Senate Republicans in Maryland are attempting to use a poll commissioned by a liberal coalition to undermine possible tax increase proposals from Gov. Martin O'Malley (D). At a press conference last week, members of the Alliance for Tax Fairness argued that O'Malley and lawmakers should look to upper-income residents and corporations to help close a looming budget shortfall of nearly $1.5 billion next year The coalition released a poll showing support for those moves. But Senate Republicans pointed yesterday to two other findings in the poll: that a majority of Marylanders oppose both a 1-cent increase in the sales tax and a 12-cent increase in the gas tax. O'Malley has said he is considering support for increases in both levies as the state tries to bridge a $1.5 billion budget shortfall and generate more money for transportation projects -- but he has offered no concrete proposals and is not likely