Obama's Accomplishments & Qualifications

[DBlack]

Ok, enough rhetoric about Obama, the statesmen. Let's use this thread to informa and educate others on what Obama has accomplished, that makes him qualified to be President of the United States.

If we, the black collective, intelligent and progressive, are to support him, we have an obligationto know more about him and support him if the merits are there.

Please, don't post rhetoric, or statements not linked to action or fact. Let's be fair, honest and objective. Where he grew up and got his haircut is not relevant. Let's focus on things he has DONE. No promises, no claims, no 'feelgood' documentation on why he's a great guy. We already know about that.

If you have links, please try to post them here. That would be helpful, but not mandatory.

The thread is about Obama and no other politician.

[Nyela]

About Barack Obama
United States Senator for Illinois
Barack Obama has dedicated his life to public service as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and leader in the Illinois state Senate. Obama now continues his fight for working families following his recent election to the United States Senate.

Sworn into office January 4, 2005, Senator Obama serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which oversees our nation’s health care, schools, employment, and retirement programs. He is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which plays a vital role in shaping American policy around the world, including our policy in Iraq. And Senator Obama serves on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which is focused on providing our brave veterans with the care and services they deserve. In 2005 and 2006, he served on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which safeguards our environment and provides funding for our highways.

During his eight years in the Illinois state Senate, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. Obama also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama enlisted the support of law enforcement officials to draft legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

Obama is especially proud of being a husband and father of two daughters, Malia, 9 and Sasha, 6. Obama and his wife, Michelle, married in 1992 and live on Chicago’s South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

Barack Obama was born on August 4th, 1961, in Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. and Ann Dunham. Obama graduated from Columbia University in 1983, and moved to Chicago in 1985 to work for a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment. In 1991, Obama graduated from Harvard Law School where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.


Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois

[Nyela]

On the Issues
To find out more about specific issues, use the links below. You will find Senator Obama's positions, actions, and links to legislation

Iraq
Since 2002, and now, as a U.S. Senator, Senator Obama has continued to critique the Administration's mishandling of this war, and believes that while our troops have done an outstanding job in Iraq, there can be no military solution to what is inherently a political conflict between Iraq's warring factions. The only hope to end this burgeoning civil war is for Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds to come together and resolve their differences, and that's why Senator Obama agrees with the Iraq Study Group's conclusion that we must begin a phased redeployment of American troops to signal to the government and people of Iraq that ours is not an open-ended commitment.

Crime
Senator Obama is a strong proponent of tougher measures to fight crime and provide more resources to local law enforcement officers. He is particularly concerned about the growing problem of methamphetamine, which is ravaging many communities in Illinois.

Education
As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Obama is committed to providing every American with the opportunity to receive a quality education, from pre-kindergarten to college or vocational school to job retraining programs.

Health Care
Promoting affordable, accessible, and high-quality health care was a priority for Barack Obama in the Illinois State Senate and is a priority for him in the United States Senate. He believes firmly that health care should be a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few.

Barack Obama - U.S. Senator for Illinois

[Nyela]

“Senator Obama’s tireless work as a civil rights attorney and his diligent legislative efforts on behalf of veterans, working families, children and the environment resonate deeply with our campus’ urban mission,” UMass Boston Chancellor Michael F. Collins, MD, said. “He will be addressing New England’s most diverse public university with a faculty and student body who share his commitment to public service and America’s future.”

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Sen. Obama has dedicated his life to public service as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and leader in the Illinois state Senate, where he served for seven years. Sen. Obama serves on the Senate’s important Environment and Public Works Committee and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Sen. Obama is the only African American now serving in that assembly, and the fifth in U.S. history. The Senator is especially proud of being a husband and father of two daughters, Malia, 7 and Sasha, 4. Sen. Obama and his wife, Michelle, married in 1992 and live on Chicago’s South Side.

Sen. Obama received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University and then moved to Chicago to work as a South Side community organizer. He returned east to study law at Harvard University, serving as the first-ever black editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduating with honors. Sen. Obama was a member of the Illinois state senate for seven years, working with both Democrats and Republicans to create and enact legislation designed to benefit the working poor and other marginalized groups. Notable among these measures was an earned-income tax credit that resulted in significant tax cuts for Illinois families.


University of Massachusetts Boston: News Release Senator Obama

[Nyela]

Are you asking for qualifications to be president? I posted his accomplishments. Some of them at least. As it relates to being president, I'm not sure if anyone is actually qualified D. That's a position that for the most part is hands on learning. A learn as you go if you will. When I checked out his page that lists the issues he supports and is passionate about, that alone was enough for me to be satisfied in what I already thought about Obama.
While he's intelligent, well informed intellectually and willing to do "public service" I still think he's terribly disconnected. Albeit the lesser of two evils but disconnected nonetheless. I will continue to look for specific advancements for the "underdog" that can be accredited to him.

I'm seriously hoping to find something credible and substantive...But we'll see. I honestly want to see him succeed. I really do.

[DBlack]

No problem. I'm deleted the post. I'm just going to sit back and learn from what I read here.

[afrocentric]

i'll don't know how to do this qualification thing but i came up with this...

In addition to being "Rooted in faith, inclusiveness, and bipartisanship," as Gloria Borger notes ["Does Barack Really Rock?" November 6], Barack Obama is pragmatic and down to earth. On the Iraq imbroglio, he says, "There are no good options in Iraq. There are bad options and worse options." That is a succinct way of putting in a nutshell the problem facing the decision makers. There is no getting away from hard decisions. Obama is a transformational leader with a shrewd head on his shoulders.
VENGRAI PARTHASARATHY

Borger considered Obama's lack of political experience to be a flaw, comparing it to the early days of President Bush, who she said was "too green" to understand when his plans went wrong. Too green? Perhaps. With a former president for a father, President Bush might have picked up a few pointers. Borger admits Obama is a reasonable man, looks for solutions, and has no political enemies. She is also aware of the favorable impression he made on the public at the 2004 convention. Against him is his lack of expertise. "Wishy-washy" does not seem quite the word for an intelligent, thoughtful man who is learning the ropes.

i read this somewhere but i forgot the link. anyway heres a few more links....Irregular Times: News Unfit for Print » Obama Reminds That Quality Makes Qualification
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Michelle Obama Admits What Hubby Won't -- A Loss in Iowa Will Sink Him - Politics on The Huffington Post

now if these ain't it i'll just have to keep looking.

[DBlack]

This thread is not for rhetoric or opinion. We already have such threads in play. I thought it would be a good idea for eveyrone to talk about Qualifications and Accomplishments and attempt to reference it if possible.

The goal of this thread is to encourage objective opinion and research, regardless of whether you are for or against Obama. Think of this as a FACT-FINDING thread.

Lets not use this thread for whether you like him or not, don't have an opinion, indifferent, etc...

[DBlack]

Originally Posted by afrocentric

i'll don't know how to do this qualification thing but i came up with this...

i read this somewhere but i forgot the link. anyway heres a few more links....Irregular Times: News Unfit for Print » Obama Reminds That Quality Makes Qualification
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Michelle Obama Admits What Hubby Won't -- A Loss in Iowa Will Sink Him - Politics on The Huffington Post

now if these ain't it i'll just have to keep looking.

Good info, thx

[afrocentric]

1---he opposed the war....He did nothing to effectively oppose it until declaring he was running for President.

2---he started the legislation that would, by force of law, begin a redeployment by May 1, 2007 and have all combat forces out of Iraq by March 31, 2008.......He brags about not voting for the resolution but at the time he was not in the US senate.

3---he took that position in the face of polls showing the "no" vote to be the unpopular one, and in the face of the Democratic party per Terry McAulliffe urging Dems to take Iraq off the table in 2002 and do whatever Bush wanted, because he believed that the Dems could win on domestic issues.
Obama, when he ran for Senate in the Democratic primary in Illinois (the campaign was long, running all of 2003 and the first 3 months of 2004), did a real service to the anti-war cause by putting pressure on the other candidates to take a clear position on Iraq.

4---Obama on the other hand is a Constitutional Scholar. And the highpoint of his announcement speech was his declaration that he will destroy the machinery that runs Washington, and return America to a more Constitutional system. He made clear that his primary goal as President would be to return government to an “Informed and Motivated Electorate”.

5---the Republicans lacked a serious candidate and Obama only needed Democratic votes; in truth, the Republican party in Illinois imploded only AFTER Obama won the Dem primary, when its golden boy Ryan, who had been given a very good chance of winning, suddenly had to drop out because of late-breaking allegations of sexual misconduct