what does barack obamas rise to the presidency represent for america?

Obama's election to the Senate instantly made him the highest-ranking African American officeholder in the state and, forth with the excitement generated by his convention speech and his books (Dreams from my Father, brought back into print, joined The Audacity of Promise on the bestseller list), placed him high on the roster of prospective Democratic presidential candidates in 2008. Afterwards spending a low-profile first year in role focusing on solidifying his base in Illinois and traveling abroad to buttress his foreign policy credentials as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama spent much of 2006 speaking to audiences around the country and mulling whether to run for president. According to annual National Journal evaluations of senators' legislative voting records, Obama ranked as the outset, tenth, or sixteenth most liberal fellow member of the Senate, depending on the yr.

Obama announced his presidential candidacy on Feb 10, 2007, at a rally in front of the Old State Business firm in Springfield, Illinois, where Abraham Lincoln had given his famous "house divided" speech in 1858. Relying heavily on the Internet, the Obama campaign mobilized Obama for America (OFA), a massive grassroots organization of volunteers and donors. (Afterward he was elected, OFA was recast every bit Organizing for America for the purpose of rousing public support for Obama'southward legislative initiatives.) With Axelrod again at the captain, the campaign developed a strategy for winning the Democratic nomination that relied on assembling the same coalition of blacks and white liberals that had enabled him to succeed in Illinois, with an additional focus on immature voters. Initially, however, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton opened a strong lead in the polls, even among African American voters and leaders who admired her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and did non recall Obama had much of a hazard to win. One-time Senator John Edwards, the Democrats' vice presidential nominee in 2004, was besides widely regarded at the start of the campaign as a stronger candidate than the inexperienced Obama.

Drawing on his online base of supporters, Obama initially surprised political pundits by matching Clinton and besting Edwards in campaign fundraising throughout 2007. He became the co-frontrunner in the race by winning the crucial Iowa caucuses on Jan three, 2008, defeating both Edwards and Clinton by an viii-percentage bespeak margin. Clinton rebounded to win the New Hampshire primary v days later, edging out Obama by 3 points and crushing Edwards by 22 points. In the next important test, Obama opened up a narrow lead in the nomination contest by defeating Clinton handily in the South Carolina primary, 55 percentage to 27 percentage, on January 26. Blackness voters, convinced by the Iowa results that whites would vote for an African American candidate for president, gave him overwhelming support in South Carolina and in subsequent primaries. Edwards finished a distant third in the country where he was born and dropped out of the race on January 30. Other contenders for the nomination, including Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, and Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, had already dropped out because of their poor showings in the initial round of primaries and caucuses.

From Feb through early June, Obama and Clinton battled fiercely through the remaining primaries and caucuses. Overall, Clinton won twenty primaries to Obama's nineteen, including victories in most of the large states, notably California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Both candidates were bidding to become historic "firsts"—the outset African American president or the first woman president.

But Obama had 3 crucial advantages that enabled him to eke out a narrow victory for the Democratic nomination. Outset, he was able to contrast his consistent opposition to the war in Republic of iraq with Clinton's vote in 2002 to qualify the state of war before subsequently turning against information technology. 2nd, although there was footling difference between Clinton and Obama on the issues, Obama ran on a theme of change and Clinton on a theme of experience. In a year when the economy was steadily deteriorating, alter was the more appealing theme, especially amidst Democratic voters. Third, while fighting Clinton in the thirty-9 primaries, Obama did not overlook the seventeen states and territories that, like Iowa, cull their national convention delegates through caucuses. He strongly out-organized Clinton in those contests, winning 14 of seventeen caucuses. The delegates Obama won in the caucuses put him over the height. Clinton withdrew from the nominating contest on June 7, 2008.

As hard-fought as his victory was, Obama faced only ane serious crunch during the entire nomination campaign. In early March, news organizations and websites showed video recordings of some controversial sermons by Obama's pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, including one in which Wright blamed the United States for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington and another in which he accused the federal government of "inventing the HIV virus as a ways of genocide against people of colour." Obama largely defused the crisis past giving a speech in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008, repudiating Wright's statements and thoughtfully outlining his own views on race relations. But he faced continuing difficulties winning white working class votes against Clinton in the primaries, and some doubted that he could win their support in the general election against the Republican nominee, Senator John McCain of Arizona.

Partly to expand his entreatment to working-class whites, and partly to first his own modest foreign policy credentials, Obama named Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his vice presidential running mate on August 22, two days before the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Biden had grown up in bluish-collar Scranton, Pennsylvania, and during his 30-six years every bit a senator from Delaware, had risen up the seniority ladder to become chairman of the Senate Committee on Strange Relations.

In his acceptance speech communication on the last night of the convention, Obama outlined the issues of his general ballot entrada. Among other things, Obama promised to "cut taxes for 95 per centum of all working families," "end our dependence on oil from the Heart East," "invest $150 billion over the adjacent decade in affordable, renewable sources of free energy," provide "affordable, accessible health intendance for every unmarried American," close "corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow," "finish this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against al Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan," and allow "our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to visit the person they beloved in a hospital and live lives free of discrimination."

Obama left Denver on Baronial 29 enjoying a small lead over McCain in the polls. But on that aforementioned day, McCain stole Obama's thunder by selecting Governor Sarah T. Palin of Alaska as his running mate. Palin balanced the Republican ticket in some obvious ways: young rather than former (Palin was forty-4, McCain was lxx-two), a woman rather than a homo, a governor rather than a senator, and a social bourgeois rather than a national security conservative. At the same time, Palin's reform tape in Alaska reinforced McCain'south longstanding image as a political "maverick" who bucked the Washington establishment. Her rousing acceptance spoken communication at the convention helped to propel the Republican ticket into a small atomic number 82 over Obama and Biden in early on September.

McCain maintained his narrow reward in the polls until mid-September, when the nation'southward financial sector, heavily invested in risky mortgage-backed securities, went into a sudden tailspin. In the three nationally televised debates between the presidential candidates that took identify from September 26 to Oct fifteen, Obama's calm, confident, and competent demeanor impressed voters who were looking for both reassurance that all would be well and a change in the nation's direction. Past eschewing federal campaign funds, Obama was also able to outspend McCain substantially on media advertizing and grassroots organizing. In add-on, Biden impressed most voters as a much more than qualified choice for vice president than Palin, whose unfamiliarity with national and international issues was revealed in a series of telly interviews. And, much to his credit, McCain refused to revive concerns about Obama's long association with Reverend Wright for fear of inflaming racial tensions.

Obama was elected handily on November four, 2008. He defeated McCain by 53 percent to 46 percent in the national popular vote. Exit polls revealed that the 2 candidates broke even among voters who had participated in the 2004 election. But Obama built his majority amidst first-time voters who surged to the polls in 2008, many of them young or African American. In the Electoral College, Obama prevailed past a margin of 365 to 173. While carrying all of the traditionally "blue" states in the Northeast, Pacific Declension, and Great Lakes region, Obama built his majority by winning previously "red" states such as Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Colorado.

Election nighttime inspired gracious oratory by both candidates. "If there is anyone out there who even so doubts that America is a identify where all things are possible," Obama told a cheering crowd of supporters, "who withal wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the ability of our democracy, tonight is your answer." Conceding defeat, McCain said, "This is a historic ballot, and I recognize the significance it has for African Americans and the special pride that must be theirs this evening. We both realize that we take come a long way from the injustices that once stained our nation'southward reputation."

Midterm Election of 2010

From the very start of Obama's tenure as president, congressional Republicans pursued a strategy of consistent, strenuous opposition to most of his legislative initiatives. Politically, the strategy bore fruit in the 2010 midterm elections. As Democratic Senator Al Franken of Minnesota said, "Their bumper sticker has one give-and-take: 'No.' Our bumper sticker has manner besides many words. And it says: 'Connected on the next bumper sticker.'"

Looking at the stubbornly high unemployment rate Obama inherited on taking office, many voters refused to accept the president'south argument that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Human activity had kept joblessness from ascension fifty-fifty higher. Voters who were satisfied with their wellness insurance continued to worry that Obama's plan for wellness care reform would increase the toll and reduce the quality of medical care. The new grassroots bourgeois Tea Party movement fueled a surge in turnout among Republican voters in 2010 even equally participation among Obama'due south core constituencies in 2008—young and African American voters—declined. On election twenty-four hours, the Republicans gained 6 seats in the Senate, reducing the Democrats' majority in that chamber from 18 (59 to 41) to 6 (53 to 47). The GOP added 63 seats in the House of Representatives, enough to gain control of the Firm by a 242 to 193 majority in the 112th Congress.

The certainty that divided government—a Republican House and a Autonomous Senate and president—would prevail for the residue of Obama'south first term persuaded the president and the leaders of both parties to act on a diversity of important issues during the post-2010 election "lame duck" session of Congress. With George West. Bush's 2001 and 2003 taxation cuts set to elapse on December 31, 2010, Obama put bated his opposition to continuing them for families with more than $250,000 in almanac income and agreed to allow congressional Republicans to keep the cuts in place. In return, the GOP accepted President Obama'south proposal to extend unemployment benefits for jobless workers for a longer menses, and both parties embraced a one-year reduction in social security taxes for everyone who pays them.

In add-on, Congress and the president agreed to abolish President Pecker Clinton's "don't inquire, don't tell" policy preventing openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the military machine. Republicans feared that federal courts were about to order immediate integration of homosexuals into the military machine. General Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, persuaded them that the military was prepared to accept the change if allowed to implement it gradually. The lame duck session too saw the Senate ratify the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty between the Usa and Russian federation by a 71 to 26 vote.

The 2012 Election

President Obama entered the 2012 election twelvemonth with chore approval ratings that were dangerously low (roughly 40 pct) and an unemployment rate that was dangerously high (more than 8 percent) for an incumbent seeking reelection. Just, like Bill Clinton in 1996 and George W. Bush-league in 2004, Obama benefited enormously from not having to fight for his party's nomination. Gerald Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and George Bush in 1992 had to wage such battles, and each of them was defeated by his general election opponent in November. In contrast, Obama was able to use the first eight months of 2012 to heighten money, rebuild his campaign organization, develop lines of attack on his likely Republican opponents, and launch his general election campaign from a united, enthusiastic Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Caroline, in September 2012. Following the design of reelection-seeking presidents since the 1950s, Obama chose Vice President Biden to run with him for a second term.

While Obama was uniting his party for the fall, the Republicans were waging a fierce intraparty battle to choose their nominee. Sometime Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won the nomination, but was subjected to severe attacks past his Republican rivals. For example, erstwhile Firm Speaker Newt Gingrich accused Romney of having "looted" companies during his career as a business organization consultant and branded him a "vulture capitalist." Governor Rick Perry of Texas said that Romney had gotten rich past "sticking information technology to someone else." Erstwhile Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, Representative Michelle Bachman of Minnesota, and businessman Herman Cain were amongst the other Republican contenders who dilapidated Romney relentlessly for being insufficiently conservative. Romney won the nomination and placated conservatives by choosing the chair of the Firm Budget Committee, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, as his vice presidential running mate in advance of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Simply merely then was he able to focus on raising money for the general election, move toward the more popular political center, and direct his campaign toward defeating Obama.

The Supreme Court'due south 2010 decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission opened the floodgates to corporations, unions, and wealthy individuals to spend massive amounts of money in an effort to elect either Obama or Romney, too equally in the congressional elections. By year's stop, about $1 billion was spent by or on behalf of each of the ii nominees for president, both of whom eschewed federal financing and the spending limits that accompanied that financing.

In a closely divided country, both Romney and Obama counted on winning near twenty states and fought the campaign in about 10 "battleground" states. Some of them were big such equally Florida and Ohio, and some of them were small such equally New Hampshire and Iowa, but all of them were neither consistently "ruby" nor consistently "blue." Romney's all-time moment came in the beginning presidential debate, in which he came across as politically moderate and personally engaging. Obama, like many incumbents, turned in a rusty and therefore ineffective functioning. But, chastened by his weak showing, Obama came back strongly in the second and third debates and regained his pb over Romney.

Toward the end of the entrada, the unemployment rate finally dipped below viii percent, reinforcing Obama'due south claim that his economical policies had placed the nation on the road to prosperity. He besides benefited from his response to Hurricane Sandy, a "super storm" that struck the Northeast in late October. Obama toured the devastated New Jersey shore with the land'south Republican governor, Chris Christie, who praised the president for "springing into activeness immediately." In the ballot twenty-four hours exit poll, 15 percentage of voters said that Obama's reaction to the hurricane was the most important factor in their decision, and 73 per centum of them voted for the president.

Obama defeated Romney by 51 percent to 47 percent in the national pop vote and by 332 to 206 in the electoral vote. His margin of victory was down slightly from 2008, making him the starting time president since Woodrow Wilson to be reelected past a smaller majority than in his commencement ballot. Also disappointing to Obama, the House of Representatives remained in Republican control, by a margin to 234 to 201. Obama—and Democrats generally—took heart from the party's success in the Senate elections. Fifty-fifty though twenty-three of their seats were on the ballot in 2012 compared with only ten for the Republicans, the Democrats actually gained ii seats in the election, raising their majority in the upper chamber to 55 to 45. Still more important for the long term, Obama ran best amongst those groups in the electorate that were growing well-nigh rapidly: young people, single people, nonreligious people, Latinos, and Asian Americans.

Despite his victories, Obama began his 2d term with a very limited mandate. His campaign'southward one-word theme was content-gratis—Forward!—and near of his speeches and commercials during the election were devoted to tearing down Romney rather than offering a policy agenda for the second term. The 1 specific result Obama did stress on the campaign trail—his continuing desire to raise taxes on wealthy Americans—bore fruit one month after the ballot, when Congress voted to enhance the marginal income tax rate from 35.0 percent to 39.6 pct on households with annual incomes above $450,000. But during the campaign, he deemphasized other problems that were of import to him but politically risky, including clearing reform, climate change, and gun control.

Midterm Election of 2014

The 2014 midterm election repeated the blueprint of Obama'due south first term: success in the presidential ballot followed by defeat two years later at midterm. Every bit in 2010, voter turnout was considerably lower in 2014 than it had been two years previously: 34 pct in 2014 (the lowest in a national election since 1942) compared with 58 percent in 2012. Because midterm electorates tend to accept a higher concentration of the older and more bourgeois white voters who tend to favor Republican candidates, the Democrats were likely to suffer. Adding to their disadvantage in the Senate elections was that Democrats held 21 of 36 seats on the ballot in 2014, 7 of them in states that Obama had lost to Romney.

Republicans gained nine seats in the Senate elections, the largest gain for any party since 1980, and took abroad control of the sleeping room from the Democrats with a 54-46 majority. In elections to the House of Representatives, the GOP added 13 seats to their majority, increasing it to 247-188, the party'due south largest Firm bulk since 1928. The Republicans' success extended to elections for country office. They added 2 to their ranks of governors, leaving them in control of the executive in 31 states. They also won majorities in 10 boosted state legislative chambers, giving them control of 67 of 99. These showings, too, were the GOP's best since 1928.

The 2014 midterm election guaranteed that Obama spent the last 2 years of his presidency with a Republican Congress. According to Politico, on the morning after the election "he told his staff to take an hour to mope, then become back to piece of work." Signaling his intention going frontward to rely strongly on his executive authority rather than seek legislation from Congress, he added: "We yet run the largest arrangement on the planet, with the largest capacity to practice skillful."

Postscript on the 2016 Election

Although the 22nd Amendment barred Obama from seeking a third term as president in 2016, he was intensely interested in seeing a Democrat succeed him, specially because all of the contenders for the Republican presidential nomination promised to seek the repeal of major parts of his legislative legacy if 1 of them was elected. Obama did not endorse either of the leading candidates for the Autonomous nomination, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, merely he clearly favored Clinton as the most electable and privately discouraged Vice President Biden from entering the competition for fear of dividing his supporters betwixt Biden and Clinton.

In the autumn 2016 campaign, Obama campaigned ardently in multiple battlefield states for Clinton and against the Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump, whom he described as "temperamentally unfit to be president." Of Clinton, Obama declared, "There has never been any man or woman more than qualified for this office than Hillary Clinton." Two days later on Donald Trump won the election, however, Obama met with him at the White House publicly told him, "Nosotros now are going to desire to do everything nosotros tin to assist yous succeed considering if y'all succeed, and so the state succeeds."

schwankeforthemight.blogspot.com

Source: https://millercenter.org/president/obama/campaigns-and-elections