Index
Abdullah II, King, 191
Abdulmutallab, Farouk, 171
Abrams, Stacey, 277
Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010)
Afghanistan, war in, 135 – 38, 140 – 41, 144 – 46, 151 – 52
Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud, 215
Alexander, Lamar, 214
Alinsky, Saul, 22, 24, 39 – 40, 112
Al-Qaeda, 135, 136, 166, 171 – 73
American Heritage Foundation (AHF), 121
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (2009), 111, 113, 116 – 18, 130, 133 – 34, 150, 154 – 55
Angle, Sharry, 149
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Countries), 261
Arpaio, Joe, 211
Assad, Bashar al-, 169, 185, 193 – 94, 248
Assad, Hafez al-, 169
Association of Community Organizations for Reform (ACORN), 101, 102
athletics, 14
Audacity of Hope (Obama), 42, 68 – 69
Augustine, Loretta, 23
Aung San Suu Kyi, 221
automotive industry bailout, 2, 118 – 19, 134
Awlaki, Anwar al, 170
Axelrod, David, 57 – 62, 68, 73 – 74, 77, 112, 132, 149, 155, 160, 174
Ayers, Bill, 84
Bagby, Margaret, 23
Baker, Peter, 117
Baltz, Dan, 155
Ban Ki-moon, 227
banking bailout, 109 – 13, 117 – 18, 134
“Barack Obama’s Plan for a Healthy America,” 120 – 21
Baucus, Max, 126
Bayh, Evan, 126
Bay of Pigs Operation (1961), 241
Berenson, Brad, 33
Bernanke, Ben, 104
Biden, Joe, 75, 77, 96, 101, 136, 179, 187, 205, 276 – 77
birther movement, 175 – 76, 239
Black Lives Matter (BLM), 4, 233, 251 – 52, 253, 275
Boehner, John, 162 – 63, 164, 197, 200, 201, 202 – 3, 216, 242
Boesche, Roger, 16
Bolton, John, 196
Boston Marathon bombings, 184 – 85, 188 – 89
Bowles, Erskine, 160
Boxer, Barbara, 149
Braun, Carol Moseley, 38, 39, 56, 60 – 61, 266
British Petroleum (BP) oil spill, 224
Brown, Jerry, 149
Brown, Michael, 228, 230 – 31, 251 – 52
Brown, Scott, 127
Budget Control Act (BCA) (2011), 198 – 99, 200 – 201
Bush, George W., 59, 60, 65, 102, 104, 108 – 9, 134 – 35, 137 – 38, 170 – 71, 192, 259
Bush, Richard C., 144
Business International Corporation (BI), 19, 20
Butler, Richard, 132
Calderon, Felipe, 142
Cantor, Eric, 163, 197, 199, 202, 242
cap-and-trade, 224
carbon emissions, 224
Carter, Ash, 221
Carter, Jimmy, 73
Castile, Philando, 252
Cauley, Jim, 58
Chandoo, Hasan, 18
chemical weapons, 191, 193 – 94, 195 – 96, 249, 250
Chicago Annenberg Challenge, 39
China, 143 – 44, 219 – 22, 223, 226
Cillizza, Chris, 236
Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), 131
Clinton, Bill, 39, 81 – 82, 155, 178 – 79, 268
Clinton, Hillary
and climate change fight, 223
on foreign policy, 136
and health-care reform, 122
and Trans-Pacific Partnership, 221
and 2008 presidential election, 70, 73, 76 – 77, 79 – 82, 84, 88, 89 – 90
Clyburn, James, 277
Coakley, Martha, 127
Collins, Ed, 100
community organizing, 20 – 24, 39 – 40, 93, 112, 265
Conan, Neal, 83
Confederate flag, 235
Congress
Obama’s battles with, 196 – 203
Obama’s failed run for, 49 – 52
conservative values, 1 – 3, 109, 112
“Cornhusker Kickback,” 126
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 276 – 77
Coulter, Ann, 69
Cox, Ana Marie, 76
critical legal theory, 31 – 32
critical race theory (CRT), 44 – 45
Cutter, Stephanie, 64
Daley, William, 174
Daschle, Tom, 115
Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Garner, 35, 40 – 41
Dean, Howard, 74
debt ceiling, 162 – 65, 201, 202 – 3
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) program, 158 – 59, 186, 211, 212, 271
DeMint, Jim, 162
Dempsey, Martin, 194
Dent, Charlie, 202
DeParle, Nancy-Ann, 128
Developing Communities Project (DCP), 21 – 24
domestic terrorism, 188 – 89, 246 – 48
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT), 154, 155 – 57
DREAM Act, 158 – 59, 186. See also Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA) program
Dreams from My Father (Obama), 41, 43, 48, 69
drone attacks, 170 – 71, 192 – 93
Dunham, Madelyn, 5, 7 – 8, 12 – 13, 14 – 15, 86
Dunham, Stanley, 5, 7 – 9, 12 – 13, 14 – 15
Eastwood, Clint, 178
Ebell, Myron, 260
economic policy, 1, 160 – 65, 175 – 77, 186, 198 – 99, 200 – 203
economic recession, 2, 102 – 4, 109 – 13, 117 – 19
economic recovery, 149 – 51, 154 – 55. See also American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) (2009)
Edmund Pettus Bridge, march over, 232
Einstein, Albert, 30
Eisenhower, Dwight, 6
Emanuel, Rahm, 113, 115, 123, 171, 174
Emanuel African Methodist Church (AME), 228, 234 – 36
entrepreneurship, 241
environmental protection, 142, 223 – 28
Erdogan, Recep Tayyip, 135
farm bill, 202
Ferguson, Missouri, 230 – 32, 251 – 52
Fey, Tina, 101
financial crisis of 2008, 2, 102 – 4, 109 – 13, 117 – 19
Finnegan, William, 61
Fiorina, Carly, 149
Florida primaries (2008), 89
Ford, Gerald, 268
foreign policy
nuclear weapons agreement with Iran, 213 – 19
Obama’s pragmatism and progressivism, 3
and Obama’s U.S. Senate run, 59 – 60
and reelection campaign, 181
Russian seizure of Crimea, 204 – 5
Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPSEP), 219 – 22
and 2008 general election, 96
Frank-Ruta, Garance, 76
FreedomWorks, 131
Gates, Robert, 117, 136, 156, 157
Geithner, Timothy, 109 – 10, 111
General Motors (GM), 2, 118 – 19
genocide, 168
Gerard, Leo, 119
gerrymandering, 270
Gettelfinger, Ron, 119
Gifford, Gabby, 188
Gillespie, Ed, 149
Gordon, Phillip, 249
government shutdown, 199 – 202
grace, 235
Gregg, Judd, 117
Gross, Alan, 213
Grunwald, Mandy, 77
Guantanamo Bay, 116
Guthrie, Sandra, 150
Hagan, Elena, 254
Halperin, Mark, 99
Hamid, Wahid, 18
Hannity, Sean, 69
Harvard Law Review, 32 – 33, 35 – 37, 46
Harvard Law School, 25, 29 – 37
Hastings, Michael, 152
health care. See Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010)
Hendon, Rickey, 46
Holder, Eric, 187, 189, 211, 229, 230
Holy Wars, 148
“Hope Fund, The” (PAC), 68
Hosseini, Ali, 216
Hurricane Katrina, 70
immigration, 125, 185 – 86, 202, 211 – 12
income inequality, 18, 26 – 27
individual mandate, 121, 122, 128 – 29
Internal Revenue Service (IRS), 189
Iowa caucuses, 73 – 74, 76 – 77
Iran, 139, 157 – 58, 213 – 19, 240
Isaacson, Walter, 88
Jackson, Jesse Jr., 41
Jackson, Jesse Sr., 37, 83, 88, 107
Jackson, Santita, 37
Japan, 141 – 42, 242 – 43, 244 – 46
Jefferson-Jackson dinner, 76
Johnson, Micah, 252
Johnson, Zeke, 193
Kakutani, Michiko, 236
Kaplan, Fred, 148
Kasich, John, 257
Katrina (hurricane), 70
Kellman, Jerry, 20 – 21, 22, 24, 40
Kennedy, Anthony, 254
Kennedy, Arthur, 182
Kennedy, Ted, 71, 82, 122, 124, 126 – 27, 178
Kerry, John, 64 – 65, 66, 82, 195, 196, 213, 226
Keystone XL Pipeline, 225
Killefer, Nancy, 115
King, Martin Luther Jr., 148
Klaus, Vaclar, 135
Koch, Charles G., 131
Koch, David, 131
Krauthammer, Charles, 102
Kuttab, Daoud, 140
Kyl, Jon, 127
LaHood, Ray, 117
Landrieu, Mary, 126
Lee Myung-bak, 141
legal profession, division and intellectual ferment in, 30 – 31
Lehman Brothers, 103
Leiter, Mike, 171
Lerner, Lois, 189
Levin, Carl, 119
Levin, Sandy M., 119
Lewis, John, 232
Lieberman, Joe, 126
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009), 116, 155, 197
Lloyd, Yvonne, 23
Love, Alvin, 23
Lowry, Rich, 101
Lugar, Richard, 223
Lugenia Burns Hope Center, 39
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, 205
Maliki, Nuri Kamal al-, 96, 135, 206 – 7
Manchin, Joe, 188
Manning, Chelsea, 263
Martin, Trayvon Jr., 228 – 29, 251 – 52, 275
mass shootings, 184 – 85, 186 – 88, 228, 234 – 36, 246 – 47
Mateen, Omar, 246
Matthews, Chris, 99
McCain, John, 88, 90, 95 – 104, 125, 145, 157, 186, 267, 272
McConnell, Michael W., 40
McConnell, Mitch, 116, 153, 162 – 63, 208 – 9, 221, 254 – 55
McNear, Alexandra, 19
Michigan primaries (2008), 89 – 90
Middle East
midterm elections (2010), 148 – 51
Miller, Cynthia, 58
Million Man March, 45
Miner, Justin, 35, 38, 40 – 41
minority voter registration, 38 – 39
Morrison, Toni, 81
Morsi, Mohamed, 167
Mueller, Kayla, 207
Murkowski, Lisa, 223
Muslims, discrimination against, 247
Myanmar, 221
Nagasaki, 242
Nagourney, Adam, 106
Napolitano, Janet, 187
National Press Club, Wright’s comments at, 88 – 89
Nelson, Ben, 126
Nesbit, Martin, 40
Netanyahu, Benjamin, 190, 191 – 92, 216, 217, 251
“New Beginning, A” speech, 138 – 40
New Hampshire primaries (2008), 79, 80 – 81
Newman, Sandy, 38
New Nationalism, 176
New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) agreement, 154, 157 – 59
Niebuhr, Reinhold, 146, 148, 249 – 50
Nobel Peace Prize, 141, 146 – 48
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), 158
Obama, Barack Jr.
announces presidential candidacy, 73
attends Harvard Law School, 29 – 37
awarded Nobel Peace Prize, 141, 146 – 48
builds up political base, 68 – 69
commitment to conservative values, 1 – 3
considers presidential candidacy, 70 – 73
criticism of, 3 – 4, 87 – 88, 101 – 2, 111 – 12, 121 – 22
decision to become politician, 24 – 25
early political career of, 37 – 45
failed Congressional run of, 49 – 52
legal views of, 31
midterm elections (2010), 148 – 51
personality of, 14, 19, 30, 46, 61, 189
as pragmatic and progressive, 3, 42
presidency
battles with Congress, 196 – 203
Congressional elections of 2014, 203 – 9
domestic terrorism, 188 – 89, 246 – 48
economic policy, 160 – 65, 175 – 77, 186, 198 – 99, 200 – 203
first one hundred days, 115 – 20
midterm elections (2010), 148 – 51
overexposure, 151
partisan divide and Asian pivot, 242 – 46
passage of Affordable Care Act, 120 – 29
racial issues, 228 – 36, 251 – 53
Tea Party movement, 131 – 34, 151
transition from Bush, 108 – 9, 259
Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPSEP), 219 – 22
2016 presidential election, 255 – 67
See also foreign policy; presidential campaign (2008)
racial identity of, 17
relationship with mother, 41 – 43
runs for state senate, 41, 265
speeches
Athens address, 260
Black Caucus address, 258
Dallas memorial address, 252 – 53
at Democratic National Convention, 64 – 67
“New Beginning” speech, 138 – 40
Nobel Peace Prize acceptance, 146 – 48
reelection speech on economy, 175 – 76
State of the Union addresses, 177, 203 – 4, 213 – 15, 238 – 40
at University of Chicago, 270
as state senator, 45 – 49, 265 – 66
Obama, Barack Sr., 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 19, 26, 27
Obama, David, 20
Obama, Malia Ann, 47, 72, 113 – 14, 269
Obama, Michelle
as Chicago’s economic development coordinator, 40
concerns about Malia and Sasha, 113 – 14
encourages voter participation, 273
as First Lady, 189
and Obama’s presidential candidacy, 71 – 73
and Obama’s state senate tenure, 47 – 48
on Obama’s visit to New Orleans, 70
postpresidency life of, 269, 274
and reelection campaign, 177
and 2008 general election, 90
Obama, Natasha Marian (“Sasha”), 52, 72, 113 – 14, 122, 269
Obamacare. See Affordable Care Act (ACA) (2010)
Obama Doctrine, 217
Obama Foundation, 274
Obama Foundation Scholars Program, 274
Obama Presidential Center, 270, 274
Occidental College (Oxy), 15 – 17
Pakistan, 18, 135 – 36, 138, 140, 144, 171 – 72
Palin, Sarah, 98 – 99, 100 – 101, 145
Palin, Todd, 100
Panetta, Leon, 171
Paris Climate Agreement, 225 – 26, 227
Patrick, Deval, 74
Paul, Ron, 201
Paulson, Henry (“Hank”), 109 – 10
Pavel, Barry, 196
Pelosi, Nancy, 125, 127, 128, 146, 157
Pence, Mike, 257
Penn, Mark, 77
Pennsylvania primaries (2008), 88
Perkovich, George, 159
Perry, Rick, 175
Peru, 261
philosophical pragmatism, 31 – 32
Pinckney, Clementa, 234, 235 – 36
Plouffe, David, 71, 73 – 74, 82, 84, 91, 165, 174, 188
Podesta, John, 165
police killings, 251 – 53, 275 – 76
Poroshenko, Petro, 205
presidential campaign (2008)
announcement of, 73
Iowa caucuses, 73 – 74, 76 – 77
notable moments in primaries, 75 – 76
Obama as presumptive Democratic nominee, 88 – 90
Obama’s election, 95 – 106, 107 – 8
Obama’s inauguration, 113 – 14
Obama wins Democratic nomination, 80, 266 – 67
strategy for primaries, 73 – 74, 79 – 80
presidential campaign (2012), 173 – 78
presidential election (2016), 239, 242, 255 – 67
President’s Climate Action Plan, The, 225
press conferences, 117
Pritzker, Penny, 40
Promised Land, A (Obama), 42, 234, 276
Psaki, Jennifer, 239, 269, 271
public option, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127 – 28
racial issues and racism
and critical race theory, 44 – 45
Obama’s collegiate interest in, 16 – 17
Obama’s early experiences with, 12, 14 – 15, 26
and Obama’s postpresidency, 274 – 76
and Obama’s U.S. Senate run, 61 – 62
during second term, 4, 228 – 36, 251 – 53
Stanley and Madelyn Dunham’s views on, 9
Rasmussen, Lars Lorke, 142
Rattner, Steven, 118
redistricting, 270
“red line” statement, 194, 196
reelection campaign (2012), 173 – 82
Reich, Robert, 110
Reid, Harry, 67 – 68, 71, 128, 149, 157, 158
Remnick, David, 192
Rezko, Tony, 85
Rhodes, Benjamin J., 138, 146, 167, 206, 207, 208, 209, 213, 215, 239, 240, 242 – 43, 245, 259
Rice, Susan, 186
Rich, Frank, 100
Robinson, Fraser III, 34, 37, 47
Robinson, Marian, 34, 42, 43, 113 – 14
Rodgers, Cathy McMorris, 204
Rogers, John W. Jr., 40
Romney, Mitt, 121, 175, 177 – 78, 179 – 82
Roosevelt, Teddy, 176
Rouse, Peter, 70
Rove, Karl, 181
Rubin, Robert, 110
Rubio, Marco, 201
Russia
interference in 2016 election, 259 – 61
New START agreement, 154, 157 – 59
and Syrian chemical weapons, 195 – 96
Trump’s easing of sanctions against, 263
See also Soviet Union
Rwanda, 168
Ryan, Jack, 63
Salamoni, Blane, 252
Samuels, David, 242
Sanders, Bernie, 221, 255 – 56, 276, 277
Sandy Hook Elementary School, 184 – 85, 186 – 88
Santelli, Rick, 131
Santorum, Rick, 175
Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind (Harari), 243, 245
Scalia, Antonin, 254
school shootings, 184 – 85, 186 – 88
Schultz, Debbie Wasserman, 259 – 60
Schwarzenegger, Arnold, 149
Sharpton, Al, 83
Sidley & Austin, 33 – 34, 35, 37
Simpson, Alan, 160
Smith, Zirl, 23
Snowden, Edward, 206
Soertoro, Maya Kassandra, 10
Sorensen, Ted, 88
Soros, George, 249
South Carolina primaries (2008), 81 – 82
Soviet Union, 6. See also Russia
State of the Union addresses, 177, 203 – 4, 213 – 15, 238 – 40
state senate, 41, 45 – 49, 265 – 66
Steele, Michael, 145
Sterling, Alton, 252
Stevens, Chris, 242
Sullivan, Andrew, 102
Swift, Christopher, 193
Taite, Robert, 191
Talabani, Jalal, 135
Taliban, 135 – 36, 138, 144 – 46
Tea Party movement, 131 – 34, 151
Tenney, Lester, 246
terrorism, 59, 83 – 84, 134 – 36, 140, 170 – 73, 192 – 93, 205 – 7, 247 – 50, 261 – 62
Tibet, 143
Todd, Chuck, 99
Toomey, Pat, 188
TransCanada Corporation, 225
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), 220 – 22, 243, 261
Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPSEP), 219 – 22
Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), 103, 104, 109, 110 – 13, 117 – 19, 223
Trump, Donald, 162, 172, 174, 238, 239, 242, 247, 255 – 63, 269 – 72, 276, 277
Turkey, 137
Underground Weathermen, 84
unemployment, 133
University of Chicago, 43 – 44, 270
US-China Climate Change Working Group, 226
Vesey, Denmark, 234
Violence against Women Act (VAWA) (1994), 197 – 98