The United States’ 44th president Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is a graduate from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Upon graduation, he worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. He also represented the Illinois Senate, which gained him national attention, and eventually led to his run for presidency. He is currently in his second term as President of the United States.
Known to be a people’s president through his popularity amongst young people, women, and the LGBT community, here is a list of just a few of Obama’s achievements thus far as president.
- Ended the War in Iraq: After a long, drawn out war that many Americans disapproved of, Obama ordered all U.S. military troops out of the country.
- Rid of Osama bin Laden: Obama ordered a special military operation in Pakistan in which the terrorist leader responsible for the 9/11 tragedy was killed and an abundance of al-Qaeda documents were discovered.
- Spurred economic growth by passing the Stimulus: By signing the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, unemployment began to subside and 3.7 million new private-sector jobs were created.
- Bettered the healthcare system: The Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, diminishes the cost of copays and birth control prescription, along with ordering health insurance companies to not deny patients with preexisting conditions or charging women more than men.
- Became the first U.S. President to publicly support same-sex marriage: eliminated and deemed the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 and California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional. Obama also repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which restricted gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military.
President Obama is spending his 52nd birthday in Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. The Huffington Post reports that he played golf on Saturday with friends from Hawaii and Chicago. He is scheduled to return to the White House Sunday afternoon, as he has a busy week ahead. Obama is travelling to the West Coast to discuss plans to help homeowners, make a cameo on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, and visit with troops at Camp Pendleton. The busy president will also meet with the prime minister of Greece on Thursday.
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