Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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.
Manage your newsletters on Slate Unsubscribe | Newsletter Center | Advertising Information | |
 | |
 | |
 Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slatev.com. | |
today's papers Obama's Stocking Stuffer: More Jobs Posted Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008, at 6:13 AM ET The New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times lead with Barack Obama's expanded goals for his economic stimulus package. The president-elect now hopes to create or save at least 3 million jobs over the next two years, up from the 2.5 million he promised last month. The LAT says Obama "has more than tripled the size of the economic stimulus package he embraced during the campaign." With his most recent proposal reaching nearly $800 billion, some think it will be the most expensive measure ever funded by Congress, says the WP. All the papers note that Obama was compelled to bulk up his plan after a gloomy meeting with his economic advisers on Tuesday. His aides cautioned that the nation's unemployment rate could top 9 percent by 2011 if aggressive action isn't taken. The NYT and WP report that liberal and conservative economists alike have embraced the idea of a large stimulus plan, ranging in size from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion. This, along with a promise by Democratic leaders to ban earmarks, could make it hard for fiscal conservatives in Congress to oppose the measure. To continue reading, click here. Roger McShane writes for the Economist online.Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Deep Throat: A Bad Man Who Did the Right Thing for the Wrong Reasons Is "Satisfaction Guaranteed" Legally Binding? The 10 Best Jazz Albums of the Year | Advertisement  |
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to newsletters@slate.com. | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment