Barack Obama – the 44th President

Barack Hussein Obama II, the 44th president of the United States, served for two terms (2009-2017). While he occupied the White House, a terrorist leader was taken out, a new health insurance plan was established, and the economy improved.

Early Life

Barack Obama was born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a Kenyan father and a white American mother. His parents divorced when he was two years old, and later his mother married a man from Indonesia, where Obama moved during his early childhood. Before entering fifth grade, he returned to live with his maternal grandparents in Hawaii.

He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and Columbia University in New York, where he studied international relations and political science. After graduation in 1983, Obama worked on the South Side of Chicago with churches to improve housing conditions.

In 1988, the future president attended Harvard Law School. He became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review.

Politics

Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996. In that office, he served as the Democratic spokesperson for the Public Health and Welfare Committee and was involved in other committees. He was re-elected in 1998 but lost a bid for a US Congress seat in 2000.

As an Illinois senator, he passed the first big ethics reform in 25 years, expanded health care, and cut taxes for working-class families.

In 2007, Obama became the Democratic Party’s nominee for president and in 2008 won the presidential election, defeating Arizona Sen. John McCain.

President Barack Obama

Obama was sworn in as the 44^th president on Jan. 20, 2009, becoming the first black commander-in-chief. He faced a lot of problems in his administration. The economy was suffering, there were conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the global war on terrorism continued. During his first term, he lobbied for a fair pay act for women and signed a couple of significant bills: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: This $787 billion spending bill created tax cuts, mostly for families, and funded rebuilding infrastructure such as roads and bridges, preventing teacher layoffs, and helping those who had lost their jobs or needed assistance due to the poor economy. White House officials said the law boosted the economy and helped to prevent another Great Depression, but Republicans argued that the bill made big promises and spent a lot of money with little results.

Affordable Care Act (ACA): Also known as Obamacare, ACA was enacted in 2010. The goal was to provide health insurance to as many Americans as possible.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, another 20 million American adults know the financial security and peace of mind that comes with health insurance,” Obama wrote in a letter. “For the first time ever, more than 90 percent of Americans are ensured – the highest rate ever.”

The health care reform did provide a lot of people with medical insurance, especially those with low income. However, those who did not have insurance, through their work or the ACA, suffered an annual fine. It also increased premiums, sometimes 25% or more, for those employed or paying for private insurance to make up the costs of providing insurance to others. Today, Obamacare continues to be a controversial topic, with lawmakers vowing to revise or even dismantle parts of it.

In 2012, Obama won his re-election bid, defeating former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. This term was defined by the killing of Osama bin Laden, the leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attack.

Obama’s successes as president included improving the economy, bringing more jobs to the people, and taking out a terrorist leader responsible for attacking America. He did not have as much luck with some other areas, such as foreign diplomacy. In 2009, he escalated the war in Afghanistan, prolonging US involvement. He was unable to fix the housing market that had cost Americans trillions of dollars in home equity. And his health care reform, ACA, is still heavily criticized.

On Jan. 20, 2017, Obama returned to civilian life. Since then, the former president has been involved in writing books, giving high-paying speeches, and working with various charities and political issues.

1. Barack Obama was the first African-American president.
2. Barack Obama started the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
3. Osama bin Laden was assassinated during his term.

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