Monday, February 18, 2008

Barack Obama (Democrat)

Barack Obama

Current Offices Contending For: Democratic U.S. President,

Political Biography:

Barack Obama currently serves as a U.S. Senator. He has held this position since 2005. He also was a Senator in Illinois from 1996 to 2004.

Obama belongs to several different organizations. Some of which include the following: Trinity United Church of Christ and the Center for Neighborhood of which he is a member, the Joyce Foundation of which he is a Board Member.

He also serves on educational committees, such as the Woods Funds of Chicago and Leadership for Quality Education.

Barack Obama’s View on Select Issues:

He has taken the 1998 National Political Awareness Test provided by Vote Smart.com. According to that test, he has provided his answers to questions related to various political issues.

Regarding abortion, he has not stated specifically what his stand on it was. He did not check on the Political Awareness test that he was against abortion.

Nor did he say he was for it in certain situations. He had mentioned he was undecided regarding the issue of public funding being granted to clinics.

He has stated that he supports affirmative action at the college level as well as on the job and in state contracting. He also supports this action in various other areas unspecified.

As far as crime is concerned, he would like to see alternative penalties besides incarceration (put in jail or prison) for people who commit non-violent crimes. He also believes in inmate rehab and education, and supports public funding for this purpose. He also supports a “boot camp” type sentencing for first-time juvenile felons.

In addition, he supports low-interest loans for persons starting businesses. He also supports low-interest loans for expansion and relocation. Likewise, he supports job training programs.

Along with job training, Obama supports the increase of funding for the professional development of public school teachers and administrators. He also favors charter schools that can receive state authorization and funding to start new schools.

In the area of energy use he supports the burning of cleaner fuels. He also (while serving in Illinois) supports funding for state recycling programs. He also supports “right-to-know” environmental laws. More specifically, when he was still in office in Illinois he supported improvement of the Illinois River.

For health, he supported as of 1998 the Patient’s Bill of Rights. He thought as of this time that patients had the right to choose there medical care and that they should receive the health care that they need.

In addition, Barack Obama supports teen pregnancy prevention education. He also supports Head Start funding increase. He also has in the past supported the movement to add sexual orientation to the federal anti-discrimination laws.

He believes as of 1998 that K-12 education, health care, and welfare spending should increase. He believed that funding for college education should stay the same. Obama was satisfied with spending in other areas such as highway-building, law enforcement, and agriculture.

Voting Records:

Abortion

In 2007, Barack Obama did not place a vote on issues regarding the funding of abortion or on funding for coercive abortions. He does, however, support the Unintended Pregnancy Amendment.

This is a piece of legislation that if passed would reduce the number of abortions. This is also legislation that would increase funds to family planning services-for service that does not necessarily include abortion.

Economics and Taxes

Obama did not provide a response to bills such as the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, or the Economic Stimulus Package, or the Defense Authorizations Bill.

He did, however, speak out about poverty. (view source) He also made a declaration to end the Iraqi war. He wanted to see the cost of education reduced so more low income people would be able to climb the ladder of success. He also supports increase in provision of transportation to jobs.

He did, however, vote no for a Tax Reconciliation Bill in 2006. He also voted for the Environmental Natural Resources and Funding Amendment in 2006.

Family Issues

He voted no to the Child Custody Protection Act in 2006. He voted for CHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) Re-authorization in 2007, though. He did not vote for several bills, including the Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill.

Education

Barack Obama voted for an increase in Pell Grants for those pursuing a college education. He also voted for additional funding for persons with disabilities.

Immigration

He voted for allowing permanent resident of certain undocumented immigrants. This bill would cover those who enter the U.S. as children, long-term residents and so on.

Personal Biographical Information

Barack Obama has a wife named Michelle and two children named Malia and Sasha. He was born in Hawaii and now lives in Illinois. One of his favorite books is The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He also enjoys The Song of Solomon by Toni.

He wrote publications such as the following: It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina" (2006) and "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" (2006).

He also wrote Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance" (1995). His father is no longer living today. His mother is also deceased.

Awards Won by Barack Obama

He has won many awards over the past several years. For instance, he received the Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award in 2006. He also received a Chairman’s Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was also recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the World by Time Magazine.


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