Barack Obama 44 th President

Brief Timeline Born in Hawaii Columbia and Harvard Law School Marries Michelle (Princeton, Harvard Law) Chicago community organizer Civil rights attorney Senator Keynote address in 2004 Democratic National Convention brought him to prominence

Election of 2008 Obama & Biden – Democrat; “Change We Can Believe In” McCain and Palin - Republican

Pressing Issues Iraq War – Obama opposed “Great Recession” began December 2007 –Housing market crash  –Reduced consumer spending  –Drop in demand for goods and services  –Businesses selling less  –Millions of workers being laid off  –High unemployment rate (10% in 2009)

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act AKA Stimulus Plan Proposal was ready by inauguration day Primary purpose to save existing jobs & create new ones Increased govt spending to make up for drop in private spending $787 billion on various programs –Democrats thought $ was too little considering the $1 trillion drop in private spending –Republicans thought $ was too high Democratic-controlled Congress approved act over Republican objections –Despite Obama’s stated goal of bipartisan ship, marked beginning of continuously strained relationship with Republicans

Affordable Care Act 2010 Exponentially increasing cost of health care making it unaffordable for many –Between 1970 and 2009, despite government contributions to health care increasing, so did the number of Americans uninsured (50 million in 2009) Modeled after Republican governor Mitt Romney’s program in Massachusetts –Kept private insurance system in place –Ins. co. can no longer deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions –Individual Mandate - Requires uninsured residents to purchase healthcare, or pay a special tax (low income would receive help) Criticisms –Did not address problem of increasingly expensive healthcare –“Obamacare” –Minutes after passage, 13 states filed suit in federal court citing the individual mandate as unconstitutional June Supreme Court Upheld the Act

Debt Ceiling Stimulus Plan spending + reduced taxes = record budget deficits –2009  $1.4 trillion deficit –2010  $1.3 trillion deficit 2011 – Treasury Department reported that the govt was approaching its legal limit of borrowing authority Congress approved $2.1 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years –Did not specify what would be cut

Foreign Policy Following campaign promise, reduced # of troops in Iraq until Dec – removed last U.S. troops May 2011 – Obama announces that U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan Most nations applauded the killing Pakistan condemned the raid because it took place on Pakistani soil without permission, thereby violating Pakistan’s national sovereignty

Election of 2012 Republican Romney largely supported by white males –(moderate  extremely conservative to appeal to growing Tea Party Republicans  moderate) Obama largely supported by African American, Latino, young, and female voters