With a handful of primaries now in the rearview mirror, Americans have begun to make their initial choices for President. At disaboom, we know that the political arena can be intimidating, so in order to help you pick the president who best fits your viewpoints, we'll be providing brief biographies and issue stances for the top 6 candidates over the next week.
Then, on January 30th and 31st, we’ll host a live blog in this blog, Disabled Politico, for the Republican and Democratic debates. All disaboom members are invited to participate, although those who desire to make complimentary remarks about the bounce in John Edwards’ hair will be immediately barred. Both debates start at 8PM and are on CNN. So stop by, throw down some comments, and let your voice by heard.
Barack Obama (D)
The winner of the Iowa caucus, Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Sr., was a native of Kenya, and returned to Africa soon after the birth of his first son. Obama was raised by his mother, Ann, and her grandparents in Hawaii. He also lived in Indonesia for a number of years during his childhood. After graduating from college at Columbia University in New York, Obama became a community organizer for a faith based organization in inner city Chicago. In 1991, he earned a law degree from Harvard, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. After a stint teaching and practicing Constitutional law, Obama embarked on his political career by serving two terms in the Illinois legislature. In 2004, he was elected to the United States
Senate, where he still currently serves.
Obama has written two books. The first, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, is a candid account of his fatherless childhood and the restless adolescence that followed it. The second, Audacity of Hope, has been described as a “presidential thesis” of sorts. Published in October of 2006, it was on the New York Times bestseller list by November of that year.
Top Issues:
Iraq- Although he wasn’t in the Senate at the onset of the Iraq conflict, Obama has been a vocal critic of the Iraq war from the beginning. If elected, he has pledged to remove all combat forces within six months.
Healthcare- Obama has proposed the U.S. move to a nationalized healthcare program, coupled with an emphasis on increasing preventative medicine and encouraging medical technology
Energy- Obama believes that one of the main causes of climate change is the increase in carbon emissions. If elected, he plans to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, encourage the creation of biofuels, and improve American energy efficiency by 50% by 2030.
On Disabilities
Obama has been a vocal proponent of disability rights and is a supporter of ADA restoration. His disability platform can be viewed in text version here, as well as by video.
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Other Candidate Profiles:
Democrats: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama.
Republicans: Mitt Romney, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani
