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Kadeem Wilson Professor November 2007

And The Winner is..Barack Obama???

Causing quite the stir as a black male running for the Presidential campaign of 2008, Barack Hussein Obama is becoming a household name; surprising whites and impressing blacks that he made it this far. He is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. Born August 4, 1961, Obama was born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, and grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He lived for most of his childhood in the majorityminority U.S. state of Hawaii and spent four of his pre-teen years in the multi-ethnic Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. His education includes being a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. There, Obama worked as a community organizer, university lecturer, and civil rights lawyer before running for public office. He served in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, launching his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003. Obama is among the Democratic Partys leading candidates for nomination in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and has a lot of people backing him and depending on him. Since announcing his candidacy in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War and implementing universal health care as some of his major campaign themes. One of his major accomplishments was delivering the keynote address at the

2 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator. He went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with a landslide 70% of the vote in an election year marked by Republican gains. 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. In the 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation on lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. Obama helped pass the states first major ethics reform bill in 25 years, and has spearheaded the effort to clean up Washington in the wake of numerous scandals. He is seen as an open, honest man, willing to change America for the better. Obama is definitely qualified to be the next president. As a state legislator, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting successful legislation on ethics and health care reform. He sponsored a law enhancing tax credits for lowincome workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for child care. During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama won the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose president credited him with having been immensely helpful in working with police organizations on death penalty reform. Senator Obama also worked closely with Senator Coburn, to draft and ultimately pass the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. His association and help with this act led President Bush to sign this measure into law in September 2006. There are many topics Obama has put in the forefront of his campaign, such as federal tax code, conservation of energy, and the war in Iraq. Obamas view of the federal

3 tax code is that is has become increasingly complex and unfair. Tax rates should be as low as we can afford them to be; and everyone should pay their fair share. Reform options should focus on creating a system that is simple, progressive, easy to comply with and devoid of abusive shelters. A new national energy policy focused on improvements in technology, investments in renewable fuels such as wind and solar power, and greater efforts in conservation, efficiency, and waste reduction has been proposed by Obama. Hes a member of theSenate Environment and Public Works Committee in the 109th Congress. This committee is worked to ensure our nations environmental laws and policies balance Americas needs for a healthy, sustainable environment with economic growth. With everyone going green and showing an earnest, urgent interest in conserving energy and recycling to make the world cleaner and healthier to live in, this topic is as important as the others. On the war, Obama has continued to critique the current Administrations mishandling of the war. He believes that while American troops have done an outstanding job in Iraq, there can be no military solution to what is basically a political conflict between Iraqs warring factions. The solution he has said, is to unite the various sparring religious group in Iraq. Many Americans are worried about the current state of our government, and Obamas concern has lead them to put faith in him. Who better to be our next president than a strong, honest African-American? The winner is Barack Obama.