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Line 1: − + − {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2012}}+ − {{Infobox scientist+ − + − + − + − |caption = Tyson hosting the 40th anniversary celebration of [[Apollo 11]] at the [[National Air and Space Museum]] in Washington, July 2009+ − + − |birth_place = [[Manhattan]], New York City, United States+ − |field = [[Astrophysics]], [[physical cosmology]], [[science communication]]+ − |work_institutions = [[American Museum of Natural History]], [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]], [[Planetary Society]]+ − |alma_mater = {{nowrap|[[Harvard University]] <small>([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]])</small><br />[[University of Texas at Austin]] <small>([[Master of Arts|M.A.]])</small><br />[[Columbia University]] <small>([[Master of Philosophy|M.Phil.]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]])</small>}}+ − + − |thesis_url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1992PhDT.........1T+ − + − + − + − |known_for =+ − + − + − + − + − − − + − Born in [[Manhattan]], New York City, Tyson became interested in astronomy at the age of nine after a visit to the Hayden Planetarium. After graduating from [[The Bronx High School of Science]], where he was editor-in-chief of the ''Physical Science Journal'', he completed a bachelor's degree in physics at [[Harvard University]] in 1980. After receiving a master's degree in astronomy at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] in 1983, he earned his master's (1989) and doctorate (1991) in astrophysics from [[Columbia University]]. For the next three years, he was a postdoctoral research associate at [[Princeton University]], and in 1994, he joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist and the Princeton faculty as a visiting research scientist and lecturer. In 1996, he became director of the planetarium and oversaw its $210-million reconstruction project, which was completed in 2000.+ − From 1995 to 2005, Tyson wrote monthly essays in the "Universe" column for ''[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]]'' magazine, some of which were published in his book ''[[Death by Black Hole]]'' (2007). During the same period, he wrote a monthly column in ''Star Date'' magazine, answering questions about the universe under the pen name "Merlin". Material from the column appeared in his books ''Merlin's Tour of the Universe'' (1998) and ''Just Visiting This Planet'' (1998). Tyson served on a [[Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry|2001 government commission]] on the future of the U.S. aerospace industry, and on the 2004 [[President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy|Moon, Mars and Beyond]] commission. He was awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal]] in the same year. From 2006 to 2011, he hosted the television show ''[[NOVA ScienceNow]]'' on [[PBS]]. Since 2009, he has hosted the weekly podcast ''[[StarTalk (podcast)|Star Talk]]''. In 2014, he hosted the television series ''[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]'', a reboot of [[Carl Sagan]]'s 1980 series ''[[Cosmos: A Personal Voyage]]''.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Fox|title=Cosmos – A Spacetime Odyssey|url=http://www.cosmosontv.com/|accessdate=October 25, 2014}}</ref> The U.S. [[National Academy of Sciences]] awarded Tyson the [[Public Welfare Medal]] in 2015 for his "extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science".<ref>"[http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/feb-26-2015-NASawards.html Neil deGrasse Tyson to Receive Public Welfare Medal – Academy's Most Prestigious Award]" (2015-02-26). National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2015-03-09.</ref>+ − ==Early life==+ − Tyson was born as the second of three children in [[Manhattan]], [[New York]].<ref>{{cite web|author=The Science Foundation|date=January 1, 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKOoTRE1HUc#t=17m19s|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson – Called by the Universe|publisher=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=February 9, 2012}}</ref> His mother, Sunchita Maria (née Feliciano) Tyson, was a [[gerontologist]] for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and is of Puerto Rican descent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bried|first=Erin|title=Sunchita Tyson|url=http://howtorockyourbaby.com/moms|work=How to Rock Your Baby and other timeless tips for modern moms|publisher=Hyperion|accessdate=2 May 2014}}</ref> His father, Cyril deGrasse Tyson, an African American, was a [[sociologist]], human resource commissioner for New York City mayor [[John Lindsay]], and the first Director of [[Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited]].<ref name=Whitaker2000>{{cite journal|last=Whitaker|first=C.|date=August 2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA60|title=Super Stargazer|journal=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]|volume=55|issue=10|page=60}}</ref> Tyson's middle name, ''deGrasse'', is from the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, who began life as Altima de Grasse in the [[British West Indies]] island of [[Nevis]].<ref>Farmer, Vernon L.; Shepherd-Wynn, Evelyn (2012). ''Voices of Historical and Contemporary Black American Pioneers'' '''1'''. ABC-CLIO. p. 304. ISBN 9780313392245.</ref>+ − Tyson grew up in the [[Castle Hill, Bronx|Castle Hill]] neighborhood of [[The Bronx]], and later in [[Riverdale, Bronx|Riverdale]].<ref name="ndtking2">[http://www.ora.tv/larrykingnow/neil-degrasse-tyson-climate-change-afterlife-elon-musk-0_3wnw5ixmufx0 Larry King Now: Neil deGrasse Tyson on Climate Change, the Afterlife, and Elon Musk]. Ora.tv. Retrieved June 25, 2015.</ref> From kindergarten throughout high school, Tyson attended public schools, all in The Bronx: P.S. 36, P.S. 81, the [[Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy]], and [[The Bronx High School of Science]] (1972–76) where he was captain of the [[Scholastic wrestling|wrestling]] team and editor-in-chief of the ''Physical Science Journal''.<ref>{{cite web|author=[[SiriusXM]]|date=March 6, 2014|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfZiemfCkr0#t=41m55s|title=Opie & Anthony: Neil deGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ft. Rich Vos & Bob Kelly|publisher=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=March 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>Farmer & Shepherd-Wynn 2012, p. 319</ref> He began his interest in astronomy at the age of nine after visiting the sky theater of the [[Hayden Planetarium]].<ref>Farmer & Shepherd-Wynn 2012, p. 300</ref> He recalls that "so strong was that imprint [of the night sky] that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me."<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff|date=January 29, 2010|title=Stephen Colbert Interviews Neil deGrasse Tyson at Montclair Kimberley Academy|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YXh9RQCvxmg#t=1597s|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> During high school, Tyson attended astronomy courses offered by the Hayden Planetarium, which he called "the most formative period" of his life. He credited Dr. Mark Chartrand III, director of the planetarium at the time, as his "first intellectual role model" and his enthusiastic teaching style mixed with humor inspired Tyson to communicate the universe to others the way he did.<ref>Farmer & Shepherd-Wynn 2012, p. 309</ref>+ − Tyson obsessively studied astronomy in his teens, and eventually even gained some fame in the astronomy community by giving lectures on the subject at the age of fifteen.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 15, 2013|title=Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson – The Prodigy Astronomer|url=http://www.parlemagazine.com/black-history-month/959-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson--the-prodigy-astronomer.html| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216182841/http://www.parlemagazine.com/black-history-month/959-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson--the-prodigy-astronomer.html|deadurl=yes|publisher=Parlemagazine.com|accessdate=2013-05-27|archivedate=2013-12-16}}</ref> Astronomer [[Carl Sagan]], who was a faculty member at [[Cornell University]], tried to recruit Tyson to Cornell for [[Undergraduate education|undergraduate]] studies.<ref name=Whitaker2000/> In his book, ''The Sky is Not the Limit'', Tyson wrote:<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=aOwWoZyvUV8C&pg=PA43&dq=degrasse+cornell+sagan+admissions&hl=en&sa=X&ei=s51LVOeNPIehyQSfmYDYBw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=degrasse%20cornell%20sagan%20admissions&f=false The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist] Neil deGrasse Tyson, Prometheus Books 2010, p. 43</ref>+ − :''My letter of application had been dripping with an interest in the universe. The admission office, unbeknownst to me, had forwarded my application to Carl Sagan's attention. Within weeks, I received a personal letter ...'' − Tyson revisited this moment on his first episode of ''[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]''. Pulling out a 1975 calendar belonging to the famous astronomer, he finds the day Sagan invited the 17-year-old to spend a day in Ithaca. Sagan had offered to put him up for the night if his bus back to the Bronx did not come. Tyson said, "I already knew I wanted to become a scientist. But that afternoon, I learned from Carl the kind of ''person'' I wanted to become."<ref>{{cite episode|title=[[Standing Up in the Milky Way]]|series=[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]|date=March 9, 2014|network=[[National Geographic Channel]], [[FX (TV network)|FX]], [[Fox Life]], et al.|season=1|number=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=March 3, 2014|title=A Successor to Sagan Reboots 'Cosmos'|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/science/space/a-successor-to-sagan-reboots-cosmos.html?_r=0|accessdate=March 17, 2014|publisher=New York Times}}</ref>+ − Tyson chose to attend [[Harvard University]] where he majored in [[physics]] and lived in [[Currier House (Harvard College)|Currier House]]. He was a member of the [[Sport rowing|crew]] team during his freshman year, but returned to wrestling, eventually [[Letterman (sports)|lettering]] in his senior year. In addition to wrestling and rowing in college, he was active in dance, in styles including [[Jazz dance|jazz]], [[ballet]], [[wikt:Afro-Caribbean|Afro-Caribbean]], and [[List of dance style categories#International Latin|Latin Ballroom]].<ref>{{cite web|date=September 28, 2010|title=Black News and News Makers in History: Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson|url=http://www.pasadenajournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1587%3Aamazing-african-americans-in-history-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson&Itemid=128|accessdate=October 9, 2013|archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20131213193356/http://www.pasadenajournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1587%3Aamazing-african-americans-in-history-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson&Itemid=128|archivedate=2013-12-13}}</ref>+ + + + + + − Tyson earned a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] degree in physics from [[Harvard University]] in 1980 and began his graduate work at the [[University of Texas at Austin]], from which he received an [[Master of Arts|MA]] degree in astronomy in 1983. Tyson joined its dance, rowing, and wrestling teams. By his own account, he did not spend as much time in the research lab as he should have. His professors encouraged him to consider alternate careers and the committee for his doctoral dissertation was dissolved, ending his pursuit of a doctorate from the University of Texas.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cahalan|first=Rose|date=February 28, 2012|title=Star Power|url=http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2012/02/star-power|publisher=[[The Alcalde]]|accessdate=March 1, 2014}}</ref>+ − Tyson was a lecturer in astronomy at the [[University of Maryland]] from 1986 to 1987<ref name="haydenplanetarium1">+ − {{cite web|title=Curriculum vitae|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/curriculum-vitae#employment}}</ref> and in 1988, he was accepted into the astronomy graduate program at [[Columbia University]], where he earned an [[Master of Philosophy|MPhil]] degree in astrophysics in 1989, and a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] degree in astrophysics in 1991<ref>{{Cite thesis|last1=Tyson|first1=N.D.|year=1992|title=A study of the abundance distributions along the minor axis of the Galactic bulge|publisher=[[Columbia University]]|type=PhD thesis|bibcode=1992PhDT.........1T}}</ref> under the supervision of Professor R. Michael Rich (now at [[UCLA]]). Rich obtained funding to support Tyson's doctoral research from NASA and the ARCS foundation<ref>{{cite web|title=5000 Alumni at work in the US|url=https://www.arcsfoundation.org/5000-alumni-work-us}}</ref> enabling Tyson to attend international meetings in Italy, Switzerland, Chile, and South Africa<ref name="haydenplanetarium1"/> and to hire students to help him with data reduction.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Tyson|first1=N.D.|last2=Gal|first2=R.R.|year=1996 − |title=An exposure guide for taking twilight flatfields with large format CCDs|volume=105|issue=3|page=1206|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|doi=10.1086/116505|bibcode = 1993AJ....105.1206T }}</ref> In the course of his thesis work, he observed using the 0.91 m telescope at the [[Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory]] in Chile, where he obtained images for the [[Calán/Tololo Supernova Survey]]<ref name="AJ2233"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hamuy|first1=M.|display-authors=etal|year=1996|title=BVRI Light Curves for 29 Type IA Supernovae|volume=112|issue=6|page=2408|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/9609064|bibcode=1996AJ....112.2408H|doi=10.1086/118192}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lira|first1=P.|display-authors=etal|year=1998|title=Optical light curves of the Type IA supernovae SN 1990N and 1991T|volume=115|page=234|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/9709262|bibcode=1998AJ....115..234L|doi=10.1086/300175}}</ref> helping to further their work in establishing [[Type Ia supernova]]e as [[standard candles]]. These papers comprised part of the discovery papers of the use of Type Ia supernovae to measure distances, which led to the improved measurement of the [[Hubble's law|Hubble constant]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Freedman|first1=W.L.|first2=B.F.|last2=Madore|first3=B.K.|last3=Gibson|first4=L.|last4=Ferrarese|first5=D.D.|last5=Kelson|first6=S.|last6=Sakai|first7=J.R.|last7=Mould|first8=R.C.|last8=Kennicutt, Jr.|first9=H.C.|last9=Ford|first10=J.A.|last10=Graham|first11=J.P.|last11=Huchra|first12=S.M.G.|last12=Hughes|first13=G.D.|last13=Illingworth|first14=L.M.|last14=Macri|first15=P.B.|last15=Stetson|display-authors=1|year=2001|title=Final Results from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project to Measure the Hubble Constant|volume=553|issue=1|page=47|journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/0012376|bibcode=2001ApJ...553...47F − |doi=10.1086/320638}}</ref> and discovery of [[dark energy]] in 1998.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Riess|first1=A.G.|display-authors=etal|year=1998|title=Observational Evidence from Supernovae for an Accelerating Universe and a Cosmological Constant|volume=116|issue=3|page=1009|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/9805201|bibcode=1998AJ....116.1009R|doi=10.1086/300499}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Perlmutter|first1=S.|display-authors=etal|year=1999|title=Measurements of Omega and Lambda from 42 High-Redshift Supernovae|volume=517|issue=2|page=565|journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/9812133|bibcode=1999ApJ...517..565P|doi=10.1086/307221}}</ref> He was 18th author on a paper with [[Brian Schmidt]], a future winner of the 2011 [[Nobel Prize in Physics]], in the study of the measurement of distances to [[supernova|Type II Supernovae]] and the Hubble constant.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Schmidt|first1=B.P.|display-authors=etal|year=1994|title=The expanding photosphere method applied to SN 1992am AT CZ=14 600 km/s|volume=107|issue=4|page=1444|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|bibcode=1994AJ....107.1444S|doi=10.1086/116957}}</ref> − During his thesis work at Columbia University, Tyson became acquainted with Professor [[David Spergel]] at [[Princeton University]], who visited Columbia University in the course of collaborating with his thesis advisor on the Galactic bulge.<ref>+ − {{cite journal|year=1994|title=Signatures of bulge triaxiality from kinematics in Baade's window|last1=Zhao|first1=H.-S.|last2=Spergel|first2=D.N.|last3=Rich|first3=R.M.|volume=108|page=2154|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|arxiv=astro-ph/9409024 |bibcode=1994AJ....108.2154Z|doi=10.1086/117227}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|year=1995|title=Microlensing by the Galactic Bar|last1=Zhao|first1=H.-S.|last2=Spergel|first2=D.N.|last3=Rich|first3=R.M.|volume=440|page=13|journal=[[The Astrophysical Journal]]|doi=10.1086/187749 |arxiv = astro-ph/9409022 |bibcode = 1995ApJ...440L..13Z }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|year=1996|title=A consistent microlensing model for the Galactic bar|last1=Zhao|first1=H.-S.|last2=Rich|first2=R.M.|last3=Spergel|first3=D.N.|volume=282|page=175|journal=[[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]]|url=http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/282/1/175.short|arxiv=astro-ph/9512065|bibcode=1996MNRAS.282..175Z|doi=10.1093/mnras/282.1.175}}</ref> − + − + − [[File:Tyson & Kepler team.jpg|thumb|Tyson in December 2011 at a conference marking 1,000 days after the launch of the spacecraft ''[[Kepler (spacecraft)|Kepler]]''.]] − [[File:Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson in Sydney.JPG|thumb|Tyson promoting the ''Cosmos'' TV series in Australia for National Geographic, 2014.]] − Tyson's research has focused on observations in [[physical cosmology|cosmology]], [[stellar evolution]], [[galactic astronomy]], [[bulge (astronomy)|bulges]], and [[star formation|stellar formation]]. He has held numerous positions at institutions including the [[University of Maryland]], [[Princeton University]], the [[American Museum of Natural History]], and Hayden Planetarium. − In 1994, Tyson joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist while he was a research affiliate in [[Princeton University]]. He became acting director of the planetarium in June 1995 and was appointed director in 1996.<ref>"Powerplay: On the Move". ''Black Enterprise'' '''27''' (1): 58. August 1996.</ref> As director, he oversaw the planetarium's $210 million reconstruction project, which was completed in 2000. Upon being asked for his thoughts on becoming director, Tyson said "...when I was a kid... there were scientists and educators on the staff at the Hayden Planetarium... who invested their time and energy in my enlightenment... and I've never forgotten that. And to end up back there as its director, I feel this deep sense of duty, that I serve in the same capacity for people who come through the facility today, that others served for me".<ref name="Point of Inquiry">{{Cite episode |url=http://www.pointofinquiry.org/neil_degrasse_tyson_the_sky_is_not_the_limit/ |title=Neil deGrasse Tyson - The Sky Is Not the Limit |last=deGrasse Tyson |first=Neil |authorlink=Neil deGrasse Tyson |series=Point of Inquiry |number= |format=podcast |publisher= |date=17 August 2006 |accessdate=25 February 2015}}</ref>+ − Tyson has written a number of popular books on astronomy. In 1995, he began to write the "Universe" column for ''[[Natural History (magazine)|Natural History]]'' magazine. In a column he authored for a special edition of the magazine, called "City of Stars", in 2002, Tyson popularized the term "[[Manhattanhenge]]" to describe the two days annually on which the evening sun aligns with the [[street grid]] in Manhattan, making the sunset visible along unobstructed side streets. He had coined the term in 1996, inspired by how the phenomenon recalls the sun's solstice alignment with the [[Stonehenge]] monument in England.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8631317/Sun-to-strike-New-York-streets-in-Manhattanhenge.html|title = Sun to strike New York streets in 'Manhattanhenge'|date = 2011-07-11|work = The Telegraph|accessdate = }}</ref> Tyson's column also influenced his work as a professor with [[The Great Courses]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.aspx?pid=257|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320231400/http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professor_detail.aspx?pid=257|deadurl=yes|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson|work=The Great Courses|accessdate=2012-06-13|archivedate=2013-03-20}}</ref>+ + + − In 2001, US President [[George W. Bush]] appointed Tyson to serve on the [[Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry]] and in 2004 to serve on the [[President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy]], the latter better known as the "Moon, Mars, and Beyond" commission. Soon afterward he was awarded the [[NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal]], the highest civilian honor bestowed by NASA.<ref>[http://www.amnh.org/science/bios/bio.php?scientist=tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson Bio]</ref>+ − In 2004, Tyson hosted the four-part ''Origins'' miniseries of the PBS ''[[Nova (TV series)|Nova]]'' series,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/origins/|title=NOVA – Origins|year=2004|work=[[Public Broadcasting Service]]|author=WGBH Educational Foundation|accessdate=2009-06-07}}</ref> and, with Donald Goldsmith, co-authored the companion volume for this series, ''Origins: Fourteen Billion Years Of Cosmic Evolution''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution|last=Tyson|first=Neil deGrasse|first2=Donald|last2=Goldsmith|year=2004|publisher=W.W. Norton & Co|location=New York|isbn=978-0-393-05992-2}}</ref> He again collaborated with Goldsmith as the narrator on the documentary ''[[400 Years of the Telescope]]'', which premiered on PBS in April 2009.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/soptv/400years/en/ PBS.org]</ref>+ + − As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson bucked traditional thinking in order to keep [[Pluto]] from being referred to as the ninth planet in exhibits at the center. Tyson has explained that he wanted to look at commonalities between objects, grouping the terrestrial planets together, the gas giants together, and Pluto with like objects, and to get away from simply counting the planets. He has stated on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', ''[[The Daily Show]]'', and ''[[BBC Horizon]]'' that this decision has resulted in large amounts of hate mail, much of it from children.<ref>''[[The Colbert Report]]'', August 17, 2006.</ref> In 2006, the [[International Astronomical Union]] (IAU) confirmed this assessment by changing Pluto to the [[dwarf planet]] classification.+ − Tyson recounted the heated online debate on the [[Cambridge Conference Network]] (CCNet), a "widely read, UK-based Internet chat group", following [[Benny Peiser]]'s renewed call for reclassification of Pluto's status.<ref name=TysonPluto2008>+ − {{cite book|title= The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet|first=Neil deGrasse|last=Tyson|page=194|date=January 19, 2008|publisher=W.W. Norton & Company}}</ref> Peiser's entry, in which he posted articles from the AP and ''The Boston Globe'', spawned from ''[[The New York Times]]'''s article entitled "Pluto's Not a Planet? Only in New York".<ref name=NYT22jan2001>{{cite news|title=Pluto's Not a Planet? Only in New York|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/22/nyregion/pluto-s-not-a-planet-only-in-new-york.html|first=Kenneth|last=Change|date=January 22, 2001|publisher=New York Times}}</ref><ref name=CCNet29jan2001>{{cite web|url=http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc013101.html|publisher=CCNet|title=CCNet Special: Renewed Call for Reclassification of Pluto's Status|date=January 31, 2001|first=Benny|last=Peiser}}</ref> − Tyson has been vice president, president, and chairman of the board of the [[Planetary Society]]. He was also the host of the PBS program ''[[Nova ScienceNow]]'' until 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow|title=NOVA – scienceNOW|work=[[Public Broadcasting Service]] (PBS)|accessdate=2009-06-07}}</ref> He attended and was a speaker at the [[Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival]] symposium in November 2006. In 2007, Tyson was chosen to be a regular on [[History (U.S. TV channel)|The History Channel]]'s popular series ''[[The Universe (TV series)|The Universe]]''.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}+ + + − + + − In April 2011, Tyson was the keynote speaker at the 93rd International Convention of the [[Phi Theta Kappa]] International Honor Society of the Two-year School. He and [[James Randi]] delivered a lecture entitled ''Skepticism'', which related directly with the convention's theme of ''The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril, and Promise''.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Phi Theta Kappa Honors Seminar Series|url=http://austincc.collegiatelink.net/organization/ptk/calendar/details/109382|publisher=Austing Community College|accessdate=2013-02-26}}</ref>+ − In 2012, Tyson announced that he would appear in a YouTube series based on his radio show ''StarTalk''. A premiere date for the show has not been announced, but it will be distributed on the [[Nerdist YouTube Channel]].<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOir4aMu0vYI Nerdist Channel Sneak Peek] (March 27, 2012) from YouTube</ref> On February 28, 2014, Tyson was a celebrity guest at the [[White House Student Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Boyle|first=Alan|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/students-are-stars-white-house-film-festival-n40846|title=Students Are Stars at White House Film Festival|publisher=NBC News|date=2014-02-28|accessdate=2014-03-12}}</ref> In 2014, he revived Carl Sagan's [[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]] television series on both FOX and National Geographic. Thirteen episodes were aired in the first season, and rumors spread constantly on whether there will be a second season. Degrasse Tyson has already stated that if a second season is to be produced, he would pass the honor of host onto someone else in the science world.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gannon|first1=Megan|title=Inside 'Cosmos': Q&A with Host Neil deGrasse Tyson|url=http://www.space.com/24952-cosmos-tv-series-neil-degrasse-tyson-interview.html|publisher=Space.com|accessdate=17 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson opts out of Cosmos season 2|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/795971/neil-degrasse-tyson-opts-out-of-cosmos-season-2/|publisher=The Express Tribune|accessdate=17 May 2015}}</ref> On April 20, 2015, he began hosting a [[late-night talk show]] entitled ''Star Talk'' on [[National Geographic Channel]], where Degrasse Tyson interviews pop culture celebrities and asks them about their life experiences with science.<ref name=StarTalkOne>{{cite web|last1=Berenson|first1=Tessa|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson Is Getting His Own Talk Show|url=http://time.com/3659253/neil-degrasse-tyson-show/|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate=8 January 2015}}</ref>+ + + + + − + − {{Quote box|align=right|width=30em|quote=[A] most important feature is the analysis of the information that comes your way. And that's what I don't see enough of in this world. There's a level of gullibility that leaves people susceptible to being taken advantage of. I see '''science literacy''' as kind of a vaccine against charlatans who would try to exploit your ignorance.|source=—'''Neil deGrasse Tyson''', from a transcript of an interview by [[Roger Bingham]] on [[The Science Network]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/the-science-studio/neil-degrasse-tyson|title=TSN: Called by the Universe|publisher=Thesciencenetwork.org|accessdate=2012-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2009/07/23/called-by-the-universe |title=Called by the Universe|publisher=Haydenplanetarium.org|accessdate=2012-08-26}}</ref>}}+ − + − Tyson has written and broadcast extensively about his views of science, spirituality, and the spirituality of science, including the essays "The Perimeter of Ignorance"<ref>[http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2005/11/01/the-perimeter-of-ignorance The Perimeter of Ignorance] from Tyson's website</ref> and "Holy Wars",<ref name="HolyWars"/> both appearing in ''Natural History'' magazine and the 2006 ''Beyond Belief'' workshop. In an interview with comedian [[Paul Mecurio]], Tyson offered his definition of spirituality: "For me, when I say spiritual, I’m referring to a feeling you would have that connects you to the universe in a way that it may defy simple vocabulary. We think about the universe as an intellectual playground, which it surely is, but the moment you learn something that touches an emotion rather than just something intellectual, I would call that a spiritual encounter with the universe."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mecurio|first1=Paul|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson|url=https://soundcloud.com/paul-mecurio-show/neil-degrasse-tyson|website=The Paul Mecurio Show|publisher=Alive and Social|accessdate=2 March 2015}}</ref> Tyson has argued that many great historical scientists' belief in [[intelligent design]] limited their scientific inquiries, to the detriment of the advance of scientific knowledge.<ref name="HolyWars">[http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/1999/10/01/holy-wars Holy Wars] from [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2005/11/01/the-perimeter-of-ignorance|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson: "The Perimeter of Ignorance"|publisher=Haydenplanetarium.org|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref>+ − When asked during a question session at the [[University at Buffalo]] if he believed in a higher power, Tyson responded: "Every account of a higher power that I've seen described, of all religions that I've seen, include many statements with regard to the benevolence of that power. When I look at the universe and all the ways the universe wants to kill us, I find it hard to reconcile that with statements of beneficence."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZhOm6N4-I0&feature=channel|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson at UB: God and Science|id=Quote starts at ~55 seconds|publisher=University at Buffalo YouTube channel|date=April 9, 2010|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>Dale McGowan [https://books.google.com/books?id=KXKDLP_PyEQC&q=tyson#v=snippet&q=tyson&f=false Atheism For Dummies]; ISBN 978-1118509203</ref>{{rp|341}} In an interview with ''[[Big Think]]'', Tyson said, "So what people are really after is my stance on religion or spirituality or God, and I would say if I had to find a word that came closest, I would say [[agnostic]] ... at the end of the day I'd rather not be any category at all."<ref name="Neil on YouTube.com">{{cite web|last=Tyson|first=Neil deGrasse|title=Neil explains his views on youtube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzSMC5rWvos|publisher=[http://www.youtube.com/user/bigthink Big Think on YouTube]|accessdate=June 15, 2012}}</ref> During the interview "Called by the Universe: A conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson" in 2009, Tyson said: "I can't agree to the claims by atheists that I'm one of that community. I don't have the time, energy, interest of conducting myself that way... I'm not trying to convert people. I don't care."<ref>http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/the-science-studio/neil-degrasse-tyson</ref>+ + − + + − Tyson has spoken about [[philosophy]] on numerous occasions. In March 2014, during an episode of ''[[the Nerdist Podcast]]'', he stated that philosophy is "useless" and that a philosophy major "can really mess you up",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nerdist.com/nerdist-podcast-neil-degrasse-tyson-returns-again/|title=Nerdist Podcast: Neil deGrasse Tyson Returns Again|date=March 7, 2014|accessdate=April 23, 2015|website=[[The Nerdist Podcast]]|last=Levine|first=Katie}}</ref> which was met with disapproval.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chicagonow.com/an-agnostic-in-wheaton/2014/06/dear-neil-degrasse-tyson-dont-be-stupid-about-philosophy/|title=Dear Neil deGrasse Tyson, don’t be foolish about philosophy|date=June 29, 2014|accessdate=April 23, 2015|website=[[Chicago Now]]|last=Wall|first=James Kirk|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806031740/http://www.chicagonow.com/an-agnostic-in-wheaton/2014/06/dear-neil-degrasse-tyson-dont-be-stupid-about-philosophy/|archivedate=August 6, 2014|dead-url=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://io9.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-slammed-for-dismissing-philosophy-a-1575178224|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson Slammed For Dismissing Philosophy As 'Useless'|date=May 12, 2014|accessdate=April 23, 2015|website=[[io9]]|last=Dvorsky|first=George|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328062312/http://io9.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-slammed-for-dismissing-philosophy-a-1575178224|archivedate=March 28, 2015|dead-url=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/2014/06/07/the_one_thing_neil_degrasse_tyson_got_wrong/|title=The one thing Neil deGrasse Tyson got wrong|date=June 7, 2015|accessdate=April 23, 2015|website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|last=Neumann|first=Steve|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326000625/http://www.salon.com/2014/06/07/the_one_thing_neil_degrasse_tyson_got_wrong/n|dead-url=no|archivedate=March 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theweek.com/articles/447197/why-neil-degrasse-tyson-philistine|title=Why Neil deGrasse Tyson is a philistine|date=May 6, 2014|accessdate=April 23, 2014|website=[[The Week]]|last=Linker|first=Damon|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416145135/http://theweek.com/articles/447197/why-neil-degrasse-tyson-philistine|dead-url=no|archivedate=April 16, 2015}}</ref> Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci later criticized him for "dismiss[ing] philosophy as a useless enterprise".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/massimo-pigliucci/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-the-value-of-philosophy_b_5330216.html|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson and the Value of Philosophy|date=May 16, 2014|accessdate=April 23, 2015|website=[[The Huffington Post]]|last=Pigliucci|first=Massimo|authorlink=Massimo Pigliucci|dead-url=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150421104308/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/massimo-pigliucci/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-the-value-of-philosophy_b_5330216.html|archivedate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>+ + + − + − + + + − In 2005, at a conference at the [[National Academy of Sciences]], Tyson responded to a question about whether genetic differences might keep women from working as scientists. He said that his goal to become an astrophysicist was, "...hands down the path of most resistance through the forces ... of society." He continued: "My life experience tells me, when you don’t find blacks in the sciences, when you don’t find women in the sciences, I know these forces are real and I had to survive them in order to get where I am today. So before we start talking about genetic differences, you gotta come up with a system where there’s equal opportunity. Then we can start having that conversation."<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ihNLEDiuM National Academy of Sciences conference], YouTube accessed October 31, 2014.</ref>+ − In a 2014 interview with [[Grantland]], Tyson said that he related his experience on that 2005 panel in an effort to make the point that the scientific question about genetic differences can't be answered until the social barriers are dismantled. "I’m saying before you even have that conversation, you have to be really sure that access to opportunity has been level." In that same interview, Tyson said that race is not a part of the point he is trying to make in his career or with his life. According to Tyson, "That then becomes the point of people’s understanding of me, rather than the astrophysics. So it’s a failed educational step for that to be the case. If you end up being distracted by that and not [getting] the message." He purposefully no longer speaks publicly about race. "I don't give talks on it. I don’t even give Black History Month talks. I decline every single one of them. In fact, since 1993, I've declined every interview that has my being black as a premise of the interview."<ref>[http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/a-conversation-with-neil-degrasse-tyson-about-cosmos-race-and-celebrity De Grasse Tyson conversation about Cosmos: race and celebrity]</ref>+ − [[File:Bill Nye, Barack Obama and Neil deGrasse Tyson selfie 2014.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Tyson with [[Bill Nye]] and U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] in the White House, 2014]]+ + − + − Tyson is an advocate for expanding the operations of the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]]. Arguing that "the most powerful agency on the dreams of a nation is currently underfunded to do what it needs to be doing".<ref name="buffalo2010">{{cite web|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson at UB: What NASA Means to America's Future|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQhNZENMG1o|publisher=University at Buffalo Communications|accessdate=November 30, 2012|date=April 2, 2010}}</ref> Tyson has suggested that the general public has a tendency to overestimate how much revenue is allocated to the space agency. At a March 2010 address, referencing the proportion of tax revenue spent on NASA, he stated, "By the way, how much does NASA cost? It's a half a penny on the dollar. Did you know that? The people are saying, 'Why are we spending money up there...' I ask them, 'How much do you think we're spending?' They say 'five cents, ten cents on a dollar.' It's a half a penny."<ref name="buffalo2010"/>+ + − In March 2012, Tyson testified before the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation|United States Senate Science Committee]], stating that:<blockquote>Right now, NASA's annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar — we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow.<ref name="tysontranscript">{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2012/03/07/past-present-and-future-of-nasa-us-senate-testimony |title=Past, Present, and Future of NASA – U.S. Senate Testimony|publisher=Hayden Planetarium |accessdate=4 Dec 2012 |date=7 Mar 2012}}</ref><ref name="tysontranscript_video">{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2012/03/07/past-present-and-future-of-nasa-us-senate-testimony-video|title=Past, Present, and Future of NASA – U.S. Senate Testimony (Video)|publisher=Hayden Planetarium|accessdate=December 4, 2012|date=March 7, 2012}}</ref></blockquote> Inspired by Tyson's advocacy and remarks, [[Penny4NASA]], a campaign of the Space Advocates nonprofit,<ref name="space-advocates-2014">{{cite web|title=About Us - Space Advocates|url=http://www.spaceadvocates.com/about|publisher=Space Advocates|accessdate=2014-02-05}}</ref> was founded in 2012 by John Zeller and advocates the doubling of NASA's budget to one percent of the Federal Budget.<ref name="penny4nasa-whywefight">{{cite web|title=Why We Fight – Penny4NASA|url=http://www.penny4nasa.org/why-we-fight|publisher=Penny4NASA|accessdate=November 30, 2012}}</ref>+ + + − ===Animal rights===+ − Tyson collaborated with the organization [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]] (PETA) on a [[public service announcement]] that stated, "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that kindness is a virtue."<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's Interview With PETA|url=http://www.peta.org/features/Dr-Neil-deGrasse-Tyson-Interview.aspx|accessdate=August 6, 2011}}</ref> He also granted PETA an interview in which he discussed the concept of intelligence (both of human and other animals), the failure of humans to heretofore communicate meaningfully with other animals, and the need of humans to be [[Empathy|empathetic]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson's Exclusive PETA Interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL6hj6xLE8w&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.peta.org%2Ffeatures%2FDr-Neil-deGrasse-Tyson-Interview.aspx&feature=player_embedded|accessdate=August 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/05/peta-neil-degrasse-tyson-peta_n_912491.html|title=Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson Featured In PETA Ad|publisher=Huff Post|date=August 5, 2011|accessdate=October 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/worlds-sexiest-astrophysicist-neil-degrasse-tyson-in-peta-ad-video.html|title="World's Sexiest" Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson In PETA Ad (Video))|publisher=Treehugger|date=August 7, 2011|accessdate=October 23, 2014|author=Kessler, Daniel}}</ref> − ==Media appearances==+ − [[File:Tyson at TAM6.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Neil deGrasse Tyson was keynote speaker at [[The Amaz!ng Meeting|TAM6]] of the [[James Randi Educational Foundation|JREF]].]] − As a science communicator, Tyson regularly appears on television, radio, and various other media outlets. He has been a regular guest on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'', and host [[Stephen Colbert]] refers to him in his comedic book ''[[I Am America (And So Can You!)]]'', noting in his chapter on scientists that most scientists are "decent, well-intentioned people", but, presumably [[tongue-in-cheek]], that "Neil DeGrasse{{sic}} Tyson is an absolute monster."<ref>{{cite book|title=I Am America (And So Can You!)|last=Colbert|first=Stephen|year=2007|publisher=Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group USA|location=New York|isbn=0-446-58050-3}}</ref> He has appeared numerous times on ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]''. He has made appearances on ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]'', ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'', ''[[Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]]'', and ''[[The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)|The Rachel Maddow Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch|title=Watch | Neil deGrasse Tyson|publisher=Haydenplanetarium.org|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref> He served as one of the central interviewees on the various episodes of the History Channel science program, ''The Universe''. Tyson participated on the [[NPR]] radio quiz program ''[[Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!]]'' in 2007.<ref>[http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=02-24-2007&view=storyview Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!] from [[National Public Radio|NPR]]</ref> He has appeared several times on ''[[Real Time with Bill Maher]]'', and he was also featured on an episode of ''[[Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?]]'' as the ask-the-expert lifeline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/episodes#/real-time-with-bill-maher/episodes/0/201-episode/guest-stars.html |title=Episode 201 guest stars|publisher=[[HBO]]|accessdate=February 9, 2011 <!--& August 5, 2011-->}}</ref> He has spoken numerous times on Philadelphia morning show, ''[[Preston and Steve]]'', on 93.3 WMMR, as well as on SiriusXM's ''[[Ron and Fez]]''. − Tyson has been featured as a guest interviewee on ''[[The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe]]'', ''[[Radiolab]]'', ''[[Skepticality]]'', and ''[[The Joe Rogan Experience]]'' podcasts and has been in several of the [[Symphony of Science]] videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/626200|title=Episode: A Theory of Everything? Podcast|publisher=PodcastDirectory|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/648292|title=Episode: Proving String Theory Podcast|publisher=PodcastDirectory|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref>+ + + + + + − Tyson lived near the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] and was an eyewitness to the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]]. He wrote a widely circulated letter on what he saw.<ref>[http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/read/2001/09/12/the-horror-the-horror "The Horror, The Horror"] from Tyson's website</ref> Footage he filmed on the day was included in the 2008 documentary film ''[[102 Minutes That Changed America]]''.<ref>[[102 Minutes That Changed America]] (2008; TV) – Credits</ref>+ + + − In 2007, Tyson was the keynote speaker during the dedication ceremony of [[Deerfield Academy]]'s new science center, the Koch Center, named for [[David H. Koch]] '59. He emphasized the impact science will have on the twenty-first century, as well as explaining that investments into science may be costly, but their returns in the form of knowledge gained and piquing interest is invaluable. Tyson has also appeared as the keynote speaker at [[The Amazing Meeting]], a science and [[skepticism]] conference hosted by the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]].<ref>{{YouTube|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson, Keynote Speech at TAM 6 on Adventures in Science Illiteracy or Brain Droppings of a Skeptic|id=8vfOpZD4Sm8}} uploaded by [http://www.youtube.com/user/ChristopherHitchslap User ChristopherHitchslap]</ref>+ + − Tyson made a [[guest appearance]] as himself in the episode "[[Brain Storm (Stargate Atlantis)|Brain Storm]]" of ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]''<ref>{{IMDb episode|1252205|"Stargate: Atlantis" Brain Storm (2008)}}</ref> alongside [[Bill Nye]] and in the episode "[[The Big Bang Theory (season 4)#ep70|The Apology Insufficiency]]" of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''.<ref>{{IMDb episode|1632244|"The Big Bang Theory" The Apology Insufficiency (2010)}}</ref> Archive footage of him is used in the film ''[[Europa Report]]''. Tyson also made an appearance in an episode of ''[[Martha Speaks (TV series)|Martha Speaks]]'' as himself.<ref>[http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/06/07/popular-astrophysicist-neil-degrasse-tyson-guest-stars-in-brand-new-martha-speaks-episode/137206/ Amanda Kondolojy, "Popular Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Guest Stars in Brand-New 'Martha Speaks' Episode"], tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com, June 7, 2012.</ref>+ − [[File:2010 Space Conference group portrait.jpg|thumb|250px|2010 Space Conference group portrait: Tyson with fellow television personality and science educator [[Bill Nye]].]]+ − In a May 2011 ''StarTalk Radio'' show, ''The Political Science of the Daily Show'', Tyson said he donates <!-- where? -->all income earned as a guest speaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startalkradio.net/show/the-political-science-of-the-daily-show|title=The Political Science of the Daily Show Podcast|publisher=PodcastDirectory|accessdate=May 23, 2011}}</ref>+ + + − Tyson is a frequent participant in the website [[Reddit]]'s AMAs (Ask Me Anythings) where he is responsible for three of the top ten most popular AMAs of all time.<ref>{{cite web|title=Inside the Reddit AMA: The Interview Revolution That Has Everyone Talking|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanholiday/2012/05/01/inside-the-reddit-ama-the-interview-revolution-that-has-everyone-talking|publisher=Forbes|accessdate=May 5, 2012}}</ref>+ − In ''[[Action Comics]]'' #14 (January 2013), which was published November 7, 2012, Tyson appears in the story, in which he determines that [[Superman]]'s home planet, [[Krypton (comics)|Krypton]], orbited the [[red dwarf]] [[LHS 2520]] in the [[Corvus (constellation)|constellation Corvus]] 27.1 [[lightyear]]s from [[Earth]]. Tyson assisted [[DC Comics]] in selecting a real-life star that would be an appropriate parent star to Krypton, and picked Corvus, which is Latin for "Crow",<ref>Wall, Mike (November 7, 2012). [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=supermans-home-planet-krypton "Superman's Home Planet Krypton 'Found'"]. ''[[Scientific American]]''</ref><ref>Potter, Ned (November 5, 2012). [http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/11/superman-home-planet-krypton-found-in-sky/ "Superman Home: Planet Krypton 'Found' in Sky"], abcnews.go.com; accessed October 31, 2014.</ref> and which is the mascot of Superman's high school, the Smallville Crows.<ref>Gregorian, Dareh (November 5, 2012). [http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/nyer_is_super_smart_seMJnvJaXju74neeqHgM2M "NYER is 'super' smart"], ''[[New York Post]]''; accessed October 31, 2014.</ref><ref>Henderson, David (November 5, 2012). [http://multiversitycomics.com/news/neil-degrasse-tyson-consults-on-action-comics-14-finds-krypton-in-real-life/ "Neil deGrasse Tyson Consults On 'Action Comics' #14, Finds Krypton In Real Life"], Multiversity Comics; accessed October 31, 2014.</ref>+ + − In May 2013, the [[Science Laureates of the United States Act of 2013 (H.R. 1891; 113th Congress)]] was introduced into Congress. Neil deGrasse Tyson was listed by at least two commentators as a possible nominee for the position of Science Laureate, if the act were to pass.<ref name=wiredMay>{{cite news|last=Marlow|first=Jeffrey|title=The Science Laureate of the United States|url=http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/the-science-laureate-of-the-united-states|accessdate=September 12, 2013|newspaper=Wired Magazine|date=May 9, 2013}}</ref><ref name=raatznomination>{{cite news|last=raatz|title=I nominated Neil deGrasse Tyson as U.S. Science Laureate|url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/08/1207827/-I-nominate-Neil-deGrasse-Tyson-as-U-S-Science-Laureate#|accessdate=11 September 2013|newspaper=The Daily Kos|date=May 8, 2013}}</ref>+ − On March 8, 2014, Tyson made a [[South by Southwest|SXSW]] Interactive keynote presentation at the Austin Convention Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.austin360.com/weblogs/digital-savant/2014/mar/08/sxsw-keynote-conversation-dr-neil-degrasse-tyson/|title=SXSW Keynote: A Conversation with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson|last1=Gallaga|first1=Omar|date=March 8, 2014|website=austin360.com|publisher=Austin360|accessdate=March 9, 2014}}</ref>+ − ==Personal life==+ − Tyson lives in [[Lower Manhattan]] with his wife Alice Young. They have two children: Miranda and Travis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/profile/about-neil-degrasse-tyson|title=Profile on Official Tyson website|publisher=Haydenplanetarium.org|accessdate=February 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://vimeo.com/13115502 "Dr Neil DeGrasse Tyson – TAM6"], 2008, Vimeo, 38:33 mark; accessed March 4, 2011.</ref> − Tyson met his wife in a physics class at the [[University of Texas at Austin]]. They married in 1988 and named their first child Miranda after the smallest of [[Uranus]]' five major moons.<ref>Rogers, Patrick (February 28, 2000)"[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20130585,00.html Night Vision]". People.com; retrieved 2014-14-02.</ref> Tyson is a fine-wine enthusiast whose collection was featured in the May 2000 issue of the ''[[Wine Spectator]]'' and the Spring 2005 issue of ''[[The World of Fine Wine]]''. {{citation needed|date=November 2014}}+ + + − ==Awards and honors==+ − + − * 2001 Medal of Excellence, Columbia University, New York City+ − * 2004 [[NASA]] Distinguished Public Service Medal+ − * 2005 [[Science Writing Award]]+ − * 2007 [[Klopsteg Memorial Award]] winner − * 2009 [[Douglas Morrow#Legacy|Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award]] from the [[Space Foundation]] for significant contributions to public awareness of space programs − * 2009 [[Isaac Asimov Awards|Isaac Asimov Award]] from the [[American Humanist Association]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/cv/honors|title=Assorted Honors|website=Hayden Planetarium|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111065037/http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/cv/honors|archivedate=2010-01-11}}</ref> − * [[4th Critics' Choice Television Awards|2014]] [[Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host]] − − * 2015 [[Public Welfare Medal]] from the [[National Academy of Sciences]]<ref>http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/feb-26-2015-NASawards.html</ref> − + − * 1997 [[York College, City University of New York|York College]], [[City University of New York]]+ − * 2000 [[Ramapo College]], Mahwah, New Jersey − * 2000 [[Dominican College (New York)|Dominican College]], Orangeburg, New York − * 2001 [[University of Richmond]], Richmond, Virginia − * 2002 [[Bloomfield College]], Bloomfield, New Jersey − * 2003 [[Northeastern University]], Boston, Massachusetts − * 2004 [[College of Staten Island]], City University of New York − * 2006 [[Pace University]], New York City − * 2007 [[Williams College]], Williamstown, Massachusetts − * 2007 [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]], Worcester, Massachusetts − * 2008 [[University of Pennsylvania]], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania − * 2010 [[University of Alabama in Huntsville]], Huntsville, Alabama − * 2010 [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]], Troy, New York − * 2010 [[Eastern Connecticut State University]], Willimantic, Connecticut − * 2011 [[Gettysburg College]], Gettysburg, Pennsylvania − * 2012 [[Mount Holyoke College]], South Hadley, Massachusetts − * 2012 [[Western New England University]], Springfield, Massachusetts − * 2015 [[University of Massachusetts-Amherst]], Amherst, Massachusetts − + − * 2000 Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive, ''People Magazine''<ref name=peopleMag>{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20132902,00.html|title=Neil De Grasse Tyson: Sexiest Astrophysicist|accessdate=December 16, 2011|volume=54|number=20|newspaper=People Magazine|date=November 13, 2000}}</ref>+ − * 2001 asteroid named: [[13123 Tyson]], renamed from Asteroid 1994KA by the [[International Astronomical Union]]+ − * 2001 The Tech 100, voted by editors of ''Crain's Magazine'' to be among the 100 most influential technology leaders in New York − * 2004 Fifty Most Important African-Americans in Research Science<ref> − − * 2007 Harvard 100: Most Influential ''Harvard Alumni'' Magazine, Cambridge, Massachusetts − * 2007 The [[Time 100|''Time'' 100]], voted by the editors of ''Time Magazine'' as one of the 100 most influential persons in the world<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1595329_1616157,00.html|title=Neil deGrasse Tyson|author=Michael D. Lemonick|work=The Time 100|accessdate=June 7, 2009|date=May 3, 2007}}</ref> − * 2008 ''[[Discover Magazine]]'' selected him as one of "The 10 Most Influential People in Science"<ref>Kruglinski, Susan; Long, Marion (November 26, 2008). "[http://discovermagazine.com/2008/dec/26-the-10-most-influential-people-in-science The 10 Most Influential People in Science]". ''Discover'' magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2008.</ref> − ==Works==+ − List of works by Tyson:<ref>"[http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/curriculum-vitae Curriculum Vitae], HaydenPlanetarium.org; retrieved May 16, 2014.</ref> − + − * Twarog, Bruce A.; Tyson, Neil D. (1985). "uvby Photometry of Blue Stragglers in NGC 7789". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''90''': 1247. [[doi:10.1086/113833]]+ − * Tyson, Neil D.; Scalo, John M. (1988). "Bursting Dwarf Galaxies: Implications for Luminosity Function, Space Density, and Cosmological Mass Density". ''Astrophysical Journal'' '''329''': 618. [[doi:10.1086/166408]]+ − * Tyson, Neil D. (1988). "On the possibility of Gas-Rich Dwarf Galaxies in the Lyman-alpha Forest". ''Astrophysical Journal (Letters)'' '''329''': L57. [[doi:10.1086/185176]] − * Tyson, Neil D.; Rich, Michael (1991). "Radial Velocity Distribution and Line Strengths of 33 Carbon Stars in the Galactic Bulge". ''Astrophysical Journal'' '''367''': 547. [[doi:10.1086/169651]] − * Tyson, Neil D.; Gal, Roy R. (1993). "An Exposure Guide for Taking Twilight Flatfields with Large Format CCDs". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''105''': 1206. [[doi:10.1086/116505]] − * Tyson, Neil D.; Richmond, Michael W.; Woodhams, Michael; Ciotti, Luca (1993). "On the Possibility of a Major Impact on Uranus in the Past Century". ''Astronomy & Astrophysics (Research Notes)'' '''275''': 630 − * Schmidt, B. P., et al. (1994). "The Expanding Photosphere Method Applied to SN1992am at cz = 14600 km/s". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''107''': 1444 − * Wells, L. A. et al. (1994). "The Type Ia Supernova 1989B in NGC3627 (M66)". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''108''': 2233. [[doi:10.1086/117236]] − * Hamuy, M. et al. (1996). "BVRI Light Curves For 29 Type Ia Supernovae". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''112''': 2408. [[doi:10.1086/118192]] − * Lira, P. et al. (1998). "Optical light curves of the Type IA supernovae SN 1990N and 1991T". ''Astronomical Journal'' '''116''': 1006. [[doi:10.1086/300175]] − * Scoville, N. et al. (2007). "The Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS): Overview". ''Astrophysical Journal Supplement'' '''172''': 1. [[doi:10.1086/516585]] − * Scoville, N. et al. (2007). "COSMOS: Hubble Space Telescope Observations". ''Astrophysical Journal Supplement'' '''172''': 38. [[doi:10.1086/516580]] − * Liu, C. T.; Capak, P.; Mobasher, B.; Paglione, T. A. D.; Scoville, N. Z.; Tribiano, S. M.; Tyson, N. D. (2008). "The Faint-End Slopes of Galaxy Luminosity Functions in the COSMOS Field". ''Astrophysical Journal Letters'' '''672''': 198. [[doi:10.1086/522361]] − ===Books===+ − [[File:Neil deGrasse Tyson.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Signing a copy of his book ''Origins'', [[JREF]]'s The Amazing Meeting 6]] − * ''Merlin's Tour of the Universe'' (1st ed 1989/2nd ed 1998); ISBN 0-385-48835-1 − * ''Universe Down to Earth'' (1994); ISBN 0-231-07560-X − * ''Just Visiting This Planet'' (1998); ISBN 0-385-48837-8 − * ''One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos'' (2000); ISBN 0-309-06488-0 − * ''Cosmic Horizons: Astronomy at the Cutting Edge'' (2000); ISBN 1-56584-602-8 − * ''City of Stars: A New Yorker's Guide to the Cosmos'' (2002)<!-- ISBN added --> − * ''My Favorite Universe'' (a 12-part lecture series) (2003); ISBN 1-56585-663-5 − * ''Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution'' (co-authored with Donald Goldsmith) (2004); ISBN 0-393-32758-2 − * ''The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist'' (1st ed 2000/2nd ed 2004); ISBN 978-1-59102-188-9 − * ''[[Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries]]'' (2007); ISBN 0-393-33016-8 − * ''[[The Pluto Files|The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet]]'' (2009); ISBN 0-393-06520-0 − * ''[[Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier]]'' (2012); ISBN 0-393-08210-5 − + − * ''NOVA: The Pluto Files'': 2010 documentary (presenter)+ − * ''The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries'' (a 6-part lecture series from the Great Courses)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1816|title=The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries|publisher=Thegreatcourses.com|accessdate=2014-03-12}}</ref>+ − * ''[[Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey]]'': 2014 documentary (presenter)+ − * ''[[Gravity Falls]]'': animated children's cartoon (Waddles the pig)<ref>[http://time.com/3432721/neil-degrasse-tyson-gravity-falls-pig "Neil deGrasse Tyson Voices a Pig In Disney's Gravity Falls"]</ref> − {{clear left}} − * ''[[StarTalk (2015 TV series)|StarTalk]]'': Television Series (host) − + − + − + − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + − {{Commons}} − {{Wikiquote}} − * {{Official website}} − * [http://www.planetary.org/about/neil_tyson.html Biography] at [[The Planetary Society]] − * [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/ PBS NOVA scienceNOW with Neil deGrasse Tyson] − * [http://startalkradio.net Star Talk Radio Show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson] − * {{IMDb name|1183205}} − * [http://billmoyers.com/2014/01/10/book-excerpt-the-sky-is-not-the-limit/ Excerpt from ''The Sky is Not the Limit'']. Moyers & Company, January 10, 2014. − {{Neil deGrasse Tyson}}+ − {{Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey}}+ − {{Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host}}+ − {{Authority control}}+ + + + + − {{Persondata+ − |NAME = Tyson, Neil deGrasse+ − |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Tyson, Neil+ − |SHORT DESCRIPTION = Astrophysicist+ − |DATE OF BIRTH = October 5, 1958+ − + − |DATE OF DEATH =+ − |PLACE OF DEATH =+ − + − + − + − [[Category:1958 births]]+ − [[Category:African-American academics]]+ − [[Category:African-American agnostics]]+ − + − + − + − [[Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent]]+ − [[Category:American skeptics]]+ − [[Category:Columbia University alumni]]+ − + − − − − − − − − − − [[Category:Science communicators]]
Reverted edits by Chekmateatheists (talk) to last revision by Aschlafly
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Officeholder
|name=Barack Hussein Obama
|image=President Barack Obama.jpg
|name = Neil deGrasse Tyson
|party=[[Democratic Party]]
|image = Tyson - Apollo 40th anniversary 2009.jpg
|spouse=[[Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama]]; may have had a prior marriage.<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2012/07/was-barack-obama-married-in-college/ Was Barack Obama married in college?], [[WND]]</ref>
|image_size = 250px
|religion=unknown (see [[Obama's religion]])
|offices={{Officeholder/president
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|10|5}}
|country=the United States
|number=44th
|terms=January 20, 2009-Present
|vp=[[Joe Biden]]
|preceded=[[George W. Bush]]
|thesis_title = A study of the abundance distributions along the minor axis of the Galactic bulge
|former=n
|succeeded=
|thesis_year = 1991
}}
|doctoral_advisor = R. Michael Rich
{{Officeholder/senator
|doctoral_students =
|state=Illinois
|terms=January 3, 2005 – November 16, 2008
|influences = [[Isaac Newton]], [[Carl Sagan]], [[Richard Feynman]], [[Albert Einstein]]
|preceded=Peter Fitzgerald
|influenced =
|former=y
|prizes = [[NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal]] <small>(2004)</small><br />[[Klopsteg Memorial Award]] <small>(2007)</small><br />[[Public Welfare Medal]] <small>(2015)</small>
|succeeded=[[Roland Burris]]
|footnotes =
}}
|spouse = Alice Young<br /><small>(1988–present; 2 children)</small>
|signature = Neil deGrasse Tyson signature.svg
}}
}}
'''Neil deGrasse Tyson''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|iː|ə|l|_|d|ə|ˈ|ɡ|r|æ|s|_|ˈ|t|aɪ|s|ə|n|}}; born October 5, 1958) is an American [[Astrophysics|astrophysicist]], [[cosmologist]], author, and [[Science communication|science communicator]]. Since 1996, he has been the [[Frederick P. Rose]] Director of the [[Hayden Planetarium]] at the [[Rose Center for Earth and Space]] in New York City. The center is part of the [[American Museum of Natural History]], where Tyson founded the Department of Astrophysics in 1997 and has been a research associate in the department since 2003.
'''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (reportedly born in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]] on August 4, 1961) is the 44th President of the [[United States]]. Through heavy use of [[early voting]] by the Democrat political machine, Obama was elected president in 2008 with 365 [[electoral vote]]s and 53% of the popular vote. In 2012 he was elected to a second term with 332 electoral votes and 51% of the popular vote, losing 5 million voters from four years earlier. Promoted heavily by [[liberals]], as demonstrated by his unjustified receipt of the 2009 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]], Obama clutched the presidency despite a short and unremarkable political career by outspending his opponent, [[John McCain]], by hundreds of millions of dollars in 2008<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contriball.php?cycle=2008 Candidate Comparison: Top Contributors 2008 Cycle]. OpenSecrets.org.</ref>, and spending more than a billion dollars from special interests to snag reelection in 2012.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/index.php 2012 Presidential Race], Total Contributions, OpenSecrets.org</ref><ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/indus.php?cycle=2012&id=N00009638 Opensecrets.org Barack Obama], 33% Individual contributions, 67% large and corporate.</ref>
The [[liberal claptrap]] that helped elect Obama as president seems silly today. It was claimed, for example, that Obama has millions of followers on Twitter, when allegedly some 70% of them are fake.<ref>[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-has-millions-of-fake-twitter-followers/1#.UDfQVqA2et_ Obama has millions of fake Twitter followers], [[USA Today]]</ref> And although the [[lamestream media]] promoted Obama as a great orator, in fact he relies almost entirely on teleprompters for his speeches and press conferences, and at one point even had teleprompters set up for him in a middle school classroom in order to speak to the media.
Obama is [[pro-abortion]]. In fact, he is the most pro-abortion president yet<ref>[http://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/obama-most-pro-abortion-president-ever Obama: The Most Pro-Abortion President Ever]</ref>. Obama has dedicated himself to promoting abortion—rather than reduce them as he promised. The president has done this by, just to name a few, expanding abortions through Obamacare, appointing many pro-abortion judges and officials, moving to strip medical professionals of rights of conscience, and forcing taxpayers to support the pro-abortion movement around the globe. During his campaigns Obama said that he intended to "[[Redistribution of wealth|spread the wealth around]]" and has been portrayed as saying that entrepreneurs and employers deserve no credit for building their businesses.<ref>Zuckerman, M.B. (2010, July 16). [http://www.usnews.com/opinion/mzuckerman/articles/2010/07/16/obamas-anti-business-policies-are-our-economic-katrina Obama's Anti-business Policies are our Economic Katrina]. ''U.S. News''.</ref><ref>Barnes, F. (2009, July 22). [http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/016/619dvjlm.asp An Anti-Business President]. ''[[The Weekly Standard]]''. Vol. 14, No. 38</ref><ref>Shedlock, M. (2010, August 20). [http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/08/small-businesses-are-not-hiring-why.html Small Businesses are not hiring. Why should they?] Globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com.</ref><ref>Wright, C.E. (2012, February 12). [http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/dear_mr_president_why_we_are_n.html Dear Mr. President: Why we are not hiring]. ''[[American Thinker]]''.</ref> On March 1, 2013 Obama issued [[Executive Order|executive orders]] to implement his [[Budget sequester|sequester]] of budget cuts which<ref>[http://weaselzippers.us/2013/02/27/dnc-boosts-obama-sequester-job-loss-threat-of-750000-to-2-million Obama: The Most Pro-Abortion President Ever]</ref> has been widely criticized for destroying jobs in what was an anemic and fragile recovery.<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-26/news/chi-20130226-foys_briefs_1_sequester-president-obama-press-secretary-jay-carney President Obama's sequester,] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', February 26, 2013.</ref>
Warren L. Dean Jr., an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, wrote:
*{{obama income inequality}}
Obama's bizarre gaffes, or [[Obamaisms]], are frequent and embarrassing, but typically unreported by the [[liberal media]]. Some examples are: spelling respect as R-S-P-E-C-T when he was attempting to sing that line from Aretha Franklin's famous song, spelling Ohio as O-I-H-O, and saying that we build the Intercontinental Railroad instead of the Transcontinental Railroad, saying "How's it going, Sunshine" when he was in the city of Sunrise, Florida. <ref>[http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama-isms.htm Obamaisms]</ref>. Many hardworking American businessmen took offense to a 2012 campaign speech about the economy where, referring to infrastructure improvements, he said "You didn't build that." Obama offended [[Poland]] by referring to the [[Nazi]] death camps there as "Polish death camps." Later Obama apologized.<ref>Sink, J. (2012, June 1). [http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/europe/230419-obama-letter-says-he-regrets-polish-death-camp-gaffe Obama apologizes in writing for 'Polish death camp' verbal gaffe].''The Hill''.</ref>
The number of jihadis worldwide has grown by a factor of 4 or 5 at least, since Obama took the reins of power as Commander-in-Chief.<ref>The number of Islamic extremists susceptible to jihadist recruitment during the George W. Bush administration worldwide was estimated at 12,000; the Islamic State alone by 2015 had estimates of a standing army of jihadis as high as 70,000 to 200,000. </ref> Remarkably, the ''New York Times'' was critical of Obama's incessant boasting about the killing of bin Laden.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/us/politics/critics-pounce-on-obamas-trumpeting-of-bin-laden-death.html?_r=0 Obama Trumpets Killing of Bin Laden, and Critics Pounce],''[[The New York Times]]'' By PETER BAKER and MICHAEL D. SHEAR, April 27, 2012.</ref>
According to a NBC news poll, from August of 2014, Obama's approval rating was a dismal 40%<ref>[http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/poll-americans-dissatisfied-economy Poll: Obama’s approval rating hits all-time low], [[MSNBC]]</ref>, showing that six in ten Americans disapproved of his [[liberal]] policies. Given that liberals frequently engage in [[Liberal lies|deceit]], the actual approval ratings could be much lower.
==Biography==
===Birth===
{{TOC right}}
:''Main article : [[Early life and career of Barack Hussein Obama]]''
:''See also : [[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage]]''
Obama claims to have been born in Hawaii to Stanley Ann Dunham and [[Barack Obama Sr.]] - who had married just six months prior - on August 4, 1961 in [[Honolulu, Hawaii]].<ref name=msnbc>''[[MSNBC]]'' (2008, February 20). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23257295/ns/msnbc_tv-documentaries/t/obama-becomes-rising-star-among-democrats/ Obama Becomes Rising Star Among Democrats]."</ref> Some contend that this story is a complete fabrication. After many leading conservatives -- including the leadership of this site and [[Donald Trump]] -- called for Obama to release his birth certificate he produced a document that he claimed was his birth certificate on April 27, 2011. Sheriff [[Joe Arpaio]] of Maricopa County in Arizona conducted an investigation of Obama's eligibility and questioned whether the alleged "birth certificate" was a fake; however, no charges have been filed. [[Obama]] was reportedly assigned a social security number whose area code was assigned to applications coming from zip codes in Connecticut.<ref>Beginning in 1972, all [[Social Security]] numbers were issued from a central office in Baltimore, Maryland.[http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/geocard.html]</ref>
As an interesting side note, the Hawaii Official (Loretta Fuddy, State Health Department Director) Who Verified Barack Obama’s Birth Certificate Died in Plane Crash.<ref>[http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20131211_Small_aircraft_crashes_off_Kalaupapa.html?id=235500801 State Health Director killed in plane crash, 8 others survive]</ref> Besides Fuddy, Health Department Deputy Director Keith Yamamoto was also on board. The plane's engine had failed right after take off and crashed about a half-mile off Molokai's north shore on Dec 11, 2013 at about 4:00 p.m. Interesting enough, Health Director Loretta Fuddy was the only death of the nine people on board, she died of 'cardiac arrhythmia'.
The original claims that Obama was born in [[Kenya]] come from the Obamas themselves. In 1991, Obama's literary agent, Acton & Dystel, published a promotional booklet that stated that Obama was born in Kenya. <ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/17/The-Vetting-Barack-Obama-Literary-Agent-1991-Born-in-Kenya-Raised-Indonesia-Hawaii The Vetting - Exclusive - Obama's Literary Agent in 1991 Booklet: 'Born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'], [[Breitbart.com]]</ref><ref>[http://www.examiner.com/article/publisher-s-1991-booklet-says-barack-obama-was-born-kenya Publisher's 1991 booklet says Barack Obama 'was born in Kenya']</ref> The claim that Obama was born in Kenya remained on the agent's web site until 2007. <ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/17/Obama-pamphlet-in-use-2007 Obama's Lit Agency Used 'Born in Kenya' Bio Until 2007], [[Breitbart.com]]</ref> Internet archives confirm this information. <ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070403190001/http://www.dystel.com/clientlist.html Dystel and Goderic Literary Management - Client List]</ref> In addition to the information from literary agents, Michelle Obama stated in an interview that Kenya is Obama's "homeland".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLzJz2A2N1c Michelle Obama: Kenya is Barack Obama's homeland!]</ref>
Barack Obama Sr. was not a [[Natural born citizen|citizen of the United States]]. At the time of Obama's birth, Kenya was a British colony, meaning that not only was Obama Sr. a British subject, but he passed that status on to his son. When Kenya gained independence, Obama and his father both ceased to be British subjects and became Kenyan citizens. Barack Obama was a dual citizen of the United States and Kenya until his Kenyan citizenship automatically expired in 1984, as he had failed to renounce US nationality and swear loyalty to Kenya. Even if he had been born with US citizenship through his mother, it has been argued that as he was born with dual nationality, he is not a natural-born citizen of the United States, and thus constitutionally ineligible to become President. Despite this, no court that has considered such arguments has accepted the proposition that Obama is not a natural-born citizen.<ref>See [http://www.scribd.com/doc/88910250/Purpura-Moran-Initial-Decision-of-ALJ-Masin Initial Decision by Jeff S. Masin] in ''Purpura and Moran v. Obama'' at 7 ("Thus, accepting for the point of this issue that Mr. Obama was born in Hawaii, he is a “natural born Citizen” regardless of the status of his father."), Tisdale v. Obama (E.D.Va 2012) Order at 2 ("It is well settled that those born in the United States are considered natural born citizens." (citing ''United States v. Wong Kim Ark'', 169 U.S. 649)), ''aff'd per curiam'' by 4th Cir., ''Ankeny v. Governor of the State of Indiana'', 916 N.E.2d 678, 685 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) ("With regard to President Barack Obama, the Plaintiffs posit that because his father was a citizen of the United Kingdom, President Obama is constitutionally ineligible to assume the Office of the President....we hold that the Plaintiffs' arguments fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted")</ref>
==Career==
===Early Life===
[[File:Tyson & students.jpg|thumb|Tyson with students at the 2007 [[American Astronomical Society]] conference.]]
Obama's birth parents divorced in 1963 when his mother discovered Barack Obama Sr. was already married to a woman living in Kenya.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-2024819/Barack-Obamas-father-Bigamist-drunk-wife-beater.html Barack Obama's father: Bigamist, drunk and wife-beater], By Ian Birrell, 12 August 2011. dailymail.co.uk This is one of the first misleading statements about Barack Obama when he was introduced to America as Keynote Speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Advance publicity billed him as the "son of Kenyan economist" when infact Obama Sr. was forced out of the graduate program at Harvard because of his bigamy. He returned to Kenya. Obama at the age 9 once briefly met his father who served in the corrupt Kenyan socialist regime's Department of [[Economic Planning]]. Obama Sr. killed himself in a drunken car accident.</ref> When Obama was 2 years old his mother married Lolo Soetoro, an [[Indonesian]] geologist. At age 6 his mother and adoptive father took him to Jakarta, Indonesia for 4 years while his mother pursued a Ph.D. in Anthropology requiring fieldwork there.<ref name="db mother">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-03/a-singular-woman-by-janny-scott-review-by-stacy-schiff/#|work=[[The Daily Beast]]|format=HTML|language=English|title=Dreams of His Mother|author=Stacy Schiff}}</ref> His mother then abandoned him in Hawaii with his grandparents (Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, who had moved to Hawaii in 1959) <ref name=revealed>Malveaux, Suzanne (2008, August 20). "[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0808/20/se.02.html Barack Obama Revealed]." ''[[CNN]]''.</ref> so she could return to Indonesia after her divorce. Obama's grandfather arranged for his friend, the noted communist writer [[Frank Marshall Davis]], to serve as a mentor and role model for an impressionable African-American youth.
Other siblings of Obama's include his half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng and 7 other children born to his father by 4 different women.<ref name=raisingobama>Purdum, Todd (2008, March). "[http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/03/obama200803 Raising Obama]." ''Vanity Fair''.</ref> For much of his early life, prior to his transfer to Columbia University, he went by his nickname, "Barry." In the summer of 1988, before attending Harvard Law School (he'd just been accepted), he visited Kogelo, Kenya, to learn more about his father's family. When his mother died in 1995, he and his sister Maya scattered her ashes over Hawaii's south shore.<ref name=revealed />
===Personal Life===
[[Image:Michelle Obama.jpg|frame|right|Michelle (Robinson) Obama, wife of Barack Obama.]]
Barack Obama met his future wife, an attorney named Michelle Robinson, herself a recent Harvard Law School graduate, while he was an intern and she was on staff at Sidley Austin LLP, a prestigious corporate law firm.<ref name=msnbc /> Despite company policy prohibiting relations between staff and interns, the two started dating. The two continued dating long-distance while he finished law school, and on October 18, 1992,<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/obama-anniversary-20-years-married_n_1935840.html Obama Anniversary: Barack & Michelle Celebrate 20 Years Of Marriage (PHOTOS)], [[Huffington Post]] says it was October 3, 1992.</ref> were married by Reverend [[Jeremiah Wright]] at Trinity United Church.<ref name=revealed /> In 1999, their first child was born, Malia, and in 2001, another daughter, Natasha (often called Sasha).<ref name=msnbc />
Obama attended Reverend Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church from 1984-1988 during his time as a [[community organizer]] (''See [[Barack_Obama#1984-1988.2C_Community_Organizer|1985-1988, Community Organizer]] section''). Obama credits Wright with his alleged conversion to Christianity, and had both his daughters, Sasha and Malia, baptized there.<ref name=revealed />
===Education===
At age 6, Obama attended schools in Indonesia, the first a Catholic School while he was in Kindergarten, and later a public school. The school had mostly Muslim students (since most Indonesians are Muslim). In ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams from My Father]]'', Obama writes, "In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to my mother that I had made faces during [[Koran]]ic studies."<ref>''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams from My Father]]'', by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996. [http://www.ontheissues.org/Archive/Dreams_From_My_Father_Principles_+_Values.htm]</ref> ''Insight Magazine'' first reported [[Hillary Clinton]]'s organization had "questions about Obama’s Muslim background: ''Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a [[Madrassa]] as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?"''<ref>[http://www.debbieschlussel.com/2899/hillary-clinton-agrees-with-schlussel-obama-suspicious-deceptive-on-muslim-background/ Hillary Clinton Agrees With Schlussel: Obama Suspicious, Deceptive on Muslim Background], By [[Debbie Schlussel]], January 19, 2007.</ref>
In 1971, at age 10, Barack Obama moved to Hawaii, and his grandparents helped him gain entrance to the prestigious Punahou Academy in Honolulu where he began substance abuse and illegal drugs.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/25/obama-pot-smoking-details_n_1545904.html Obama Pot-Smoking Details Revealed In David Maraniss Book], ''[[The Huffington Post]]'', By Luke Johnson, 05/25/2012 . </ref> He was accepted through a scholarship for disadvantaged minorities while he was in 5th grade.<ref name=revealed /> At this elite high school with 1,200 students he was just 1 of 3 black students, and couldn't make the starting lineup of the state champion basketball team his senior year. He wrote a poem for the school's literary magazine, ''Ka Wai Ola''.<ref name=raisingobama />
In 1979, he began a 2-year stint at Occidental College college in Los Angeles,<ref name=msnbc /> and then transferred to Columbia University in New York, which he graduated from in 1983.<ref name=pragmatic>Scott, Janny (2007, July 30). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> During this time he published an anti-military tirade embracing Soviet General Secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]]'s <ref>Obama supported CPSU General Secretary Brezhnev's foreign policy over both Presidents [[Jimmy Carter]] and Ronald Reagan's decision to deploy the MX Missile in Europe. [http://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1124/112439.html Brezhnev offers Schmidt moratorium on nuclear missiles], Elizabeth Pond, ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', November 24, 1981. See also ''[[The New York Times]]'' [http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/nytint/docs/obama-s-1983-college-magazine-article/original.pdf Breaking the War Mentality], Barack Obama, Columbia ''Sundial'', March 10, 1983.</ref> proposal for a nuclear freeze in the campus newspaper and allegedly spoke at an Anti-Apartheid rally,<ref name=revealed /> although several prominent student leaders said they did not remember him there. Professor Michael L. Baron was impressed by Obama and wrote him a recommendation for Harvard Law School.<ref name=differs>Scott, J. (2007, October 30). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html?pagewanted=all Obama's Account of New York Years Often Differs From What Others Say]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> In the winter of 1988 Barack Obama decided to attend Harvard Law School, and left Chicago for Cambridge, Massachusetts. In his 2nd year a power struggle broke out among the dominant white liberals over control of the ''[[Harvard]] Law Review''. Obama was elected its first black president as a compromise candidate largely with help of conservatives following a "marathon voting session" in which he finally won on the 19th ballot.<ref name=raisingobama /> This led to national attention and numerous job offers, which Obama passed up, at age 30, to pursue his political career in Chicago.<ref name=msnbc /><ref name=revealed />
===Early Employment===
====1983-1984, Financial Analyst and Writer====
In 1984 Obama worked as a writer and financial analyst for Business International Corporation to help pay off some of his student loans. Business International Corporation was a small newsletter-publishing and research firm which aided multinational companies understand overseas markets. Obama served as a writer/researcher for a company reference service, Financing Foreign Operations, and wrote for their newsletter, ''Business International Money Report''. His supervisor was Cathy Lazere. <ref name=differs /><ref>Henig, J. (2008, June 21). "[http://www.factcheck.org/2008/06/obama-polishes-his-resume-2/ Obama Polishes His Resume]." ''FactCheck.org''. [http://www.analyzethis.net/2005/07/09/barack-obama-embellishes-his-resume/ Barack Obama Embellishes His Resume] ''analyzethis.net''. </ref>
In May 2009, Tyson launched a one-hour radio talk show called ''StarTalk'', which he co-hosted with comedienne [[Lynne Koplitz]]. The show was syndicated on Sunday afternoons on [[KEIB|KTLK AM]] in Los Angeles and [[WJFK (AM)|WHFS]] in Washington DC. The show lasted for thirteen weeks, but was resurrected in December 2010 and then, co-hosted with comedians [[Chuck Nice]] and [[Leighann Lord]] instead of Koplitz. Guests range from colleagues in science to celebrities such as [[Gza]], [[Wil Wheaton]], [[Sarah Silverman]], and [[Bill Maher]]. The show is available via the Internet through a live stream or in the form of a [[podcast]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://startalkradio.net/|title=StarTalk Radio Show|accessdate=2011-05-30}}</ref>
====1984-1988, Community Organizer====
In 1984, Obama was hired by the New York Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit organization promoting environmental, consumer, and government reforms. He also was paid just under $10,000 annually as a full-time organizer for Harlem's City College to mobilize student volunteers.<ref name=differs />
From 1985-88, Obama worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago <ref>The Developing Communities Project (DCP) of the Calumet Community Religious Conference (CCRC)</ref> funded with a $25,000 grant by [[Bill Ayers]]' Woods Fund. ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported he was paid $1,000 a year, with $2,000 extra for a car<ref name=revealed /><ref name=streetwise>Scott, Janny (2007, September 9). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html?pagewanted=all In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> however stories vary wildly. Jerry Kellman, who hired him, says it was "$10,000 a year and a $2,000 car allowance". Obama himself gave different numbers; his memoir says $10,000 (as well as the car), in his Wesleyan speech he gave it as "$12,000 a year plus $2,000 for an old, beat-up car", and when he announced his candidacy for president, it was "a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year".
Ryan Lizza at ''[[The New Republic]]'' reported that "Jean Rudd of the Woods Fund...had provided Kellman with his original $25,000 to hire Obama". Ari Berman reported in ''The Nation'' that the "[Woods Fund] gave a $25,000 grant to the Developing Communities Project, which hired Obama". CBS Channel 2 in Chicago ran a story with a document showing that Obama's proposed salary in 1987 was $25,000, a number that the Obama campaign confirmed while insisting at the same time his original salary was $13,000.<ref>[http://theobamafile.com/obamaworks.htm Community Organizing], The Obama File. http://theobamafile.com.</ref>
During this time Obama joined Reverend Wright's Trinity United Church because in the words of Suzanne Malveaux of ''[[CNN]]'', "It was the church to join if you wanted to be one of Chicago's black movers and shakers." At the time, community organizing involved close affiliation with churches, which was how Obama met Wright. Obama abandoned the fight against asbestos contamination in the Altgeld Gardens housing project to pursue personal interests and a career by enrollment at Harvard Law School in the winter of 1988.<ref name=revealed />
====1988-1996, Law Practice====
In 1988 Obama gained work as a Summer Associate at one of the most prestigious corporate law firms in the world, Sidley Austin LLP<ref name=austin>Lattman, P. (2007, May 11). "[http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/05/11/sidley-austin-when-barack-met-michelle/ When Barack Met Michelle]." ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref><ref name=revealed />, owned by Newton Minow, thanks to the recommendation of Minow's daughter Martha, a professor at Harvard Law School. It was at Minow's law firm that Obama would meet Michelle Robinson, his future wife.<ref name=raisingobama /> From 1993-96 he practiced civil rights law including suing Citibank to force them into making [[Subprime loan|subprime mortgage]]s to unqualified minority borrowers.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/03/community-reinvestment-act-mortgages-housing-opinions-contributors-peter-schweizer.html A Poisonous Cocktail: Expanding the Community Reinvestment Act], Peter Schweizer, ''[[Forbes]]'', 10.05.09. In ''Selma S. Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank'', lead attorney Obama alleged that although his clients had been denied mortgages "because of delinquent credit obligations and adverse credit," they were really victims of institutional racism. The suit was brought about by the Community Reinvestment Act, so called affirmative action mortgage lending. The plaintiffs won $60,000, Obama and two other attorneys were paid $950,000.</ref> After graduating from Harvard he was hired by Miner, Barnhill, & Galland, a small politically-connected law firm.<ref name=austin /> It was at Miner, Barnhill, & Galland that he would meet influential real estate developer Tony Rezko.<ref name=revealed />
==Views==
====1991-1992, Project Vote====
In 1991 Obama was recruited by Sandy Newman to head the Chicago chapter of Project Vote!<ref name=revealed />, and in 1992 was the Executive Director, overseeing a voter registration drive which registered 125,000 black voters and was credited with defeating an incumbent Democrat in the primary and electing U.S. Senator Carol Mosely Braun.<ref name=raisingobama /><ref name=pragmatic />
===Spirituality===
====1995, Nation of Islam====
According to the ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', prior to the information being scrubbed from its website in mid-April 2008 during the Democratic Presidential Primaries, Obama was one of three prominent organizers of the [[Nation of Islam]]'s [[Million Man March]] on Washington, D.C.<ref>[http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2008/04/wright-obama-helped-organize-march-with-louis-farrakhan/ Wright & Obama Helped Organize March With Louis Farrakhan], [[Gateway Pundit]]</ref>
====1992-2004, Lecturer at University of Chicago====
Obama taught part-time at the University of Chicago Law School<ref name=raisingobama /> from 1992-2004. Though Obama erroneously describes himself as a "constitutional law professor"<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-complains-of-being-constrained-by-a-system-founding-father-put-place Obama complains of being 'constrained by a system' Founding Fathers put in place]</ref>, he was actually only a senior lecturer and the class he taught the most times was called "Current Issues in Racism and the Law".<ref>[http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/09/20/obamas-favorite-course-to-teach-at-the-university-of-chicago-revealed/ Obama’s Favorite Course to Teach at the University of Chicago Revealed], [[The Blaze]]</ref> He was a Lecturer from 1992-96, teaching 3 courses per year<cite>, and a senior lecturer from 1996-2004. After Obama was criticized for lying about his job title, the University of Chicago released a statement stating that senior lecturers are considered Law School faculty and regarded as professors but not full-time or tenured. Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time, tenured track position several times during this period but declined each time.<ref>"[http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media Media Inquiries: Statement Regarding Barack Obama]." ''[[University of Chicago]] Law School''.</ref>
In March 2014, philosopher and secularism proponent [[Massimo Pigliucci]] asked Tyson "What is it you think about God?" Tyson replied "I remain unconvinced by any claims anyone has ever made about the existence or the power of a divine force operating in the universe." Pigliucci asked him why then did he express discomfort with the label "atheist" in his Big Think video. Tyson replied by reiterating his dislike for one-word labels, saying "That's what adjectives are for. What kind of atheist are you? Are you an ardent atheist? Are you a passive atheist? An apathetic atheist? Do you rally, or do you just not even care? So I'd be on the 'I really don't care' side of that, if you had to find adjectives to put in front of the word 'atheist.'" Pigliucci contrasted Tyson with scientist [[Richard Dawkins]]: "[Dawkins] really does consider, at this point, himself to be an atheist activist. You very clearly made the point that you are not." Tyson replied: "I completely respect that activity. He's fulfilling a really important role out there."<ref name="Rationally Speaking podcast">{{cite web|last=Tyson|first=Neil deGrasse|title=Interview with Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef|url=http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs103-neil-degrasse-tyson-on-why-he-doesnt-call-himself-an-a.html|work=Rationally Speaking podcast|accessdate=2014-04-11|date=March 9, 2014}}</ref>
====1995, Author====
In 1995 Obama published ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams From My Father]]'' about his life and family background.<ref name=msnbc />
===Personal Awards===
====2009 Nobel Peace Prize====
On October 9, 2009 Barack H. Obama became the third sitting U.S. President<ref name=wilsons>Wilson, Scott (2009, October 10). "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100900914.html President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize]. ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref> to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "''for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples''".<ref>NobelPrize.org (2009, October 9). "[http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/press.html The Nobel Prize for 2009: Press Release]." Oslo, Norway. Accessed May 13, 2012.</ref> Obama stated that he was "surprised and deeply humbled" to receive the unexpected award,<ref>(2009, October 9). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2009-10-09/world/nobel.peace.prize_1_norwegian-nobel-committee-international-diplomacy-and-cooperation-nuclear-weapons?_s=PM:WORLD Obama: Nobel Peace Prize is 'Call to Action']." ''[[CNN]]''.</ref> and also said, "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who have inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace".<ref name=wilsons /> The award was widely criticized given Obama's then lack of accomplishments.<ref>Chazan, G. & MacDonald, A. (2009, October 11). "[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125509603349176083.html Nobel Committee's Decision Courts Controversy]." ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.<br>(2009, October 9). "[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/10/09/obamas-peace-prize-draws-criticism-liberals/ Obama's Peace Prize Draws Criticism, Even From Some Liberals]." ''[[Associated Press]]''.</ref>
===Race and social justice===
==1996-2003, Illinois State Senate==
In an undated interview at [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]], Tyson talked about being black and one of the most visible and well-known scientists in the world. He told a story about being interviewed about a [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] burst from the sun on a local [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] affiliate in 1989. "I'd never before in my life seen an interview with a black person on television for expertise that had nothing to do with being black. And at that point, I realized that one of the last stereotypes that prevailed among people who carry stereotypes is that, sort of, black people are somehow dumb. I wondered, maybe ... that's a way to undermine this sort of, this stereotype that prevailed about who's smart and who's dumb. I said to myself, 'I just have to be visible, or others like me, in that situation.' That would have a greater force on society than anything else I could imagine."<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtMWvJiFR9E</ref><ref>http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/watch/2008/05/16/pursuing-a-science-career</ref>
===1996 Election===
{{main article|Radical roots of Barack Hussein Obama}}
In 1995 a cadre of like minded individuals gathered for a fundraising event in the early career of Barack Obama hosted by [[Weather Underground]] (WUO) [[terrorist]] [[William Ayers|William "Bill" Ayers]]. Besides Obama, those in attendance were Ayers wife [[Bernardine Dohrn]],<ref>Georgie Anne Geyer and Keyes Beach "Cuba: School for U.S. Radicals", ''Chicago Daily News/[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' five part series October 1970, excerpted in [http://foia.fbi.gov/filelink.html?file=/weather/weath1c.pdf FBI file Weather Underground Organization (Weatherman),] Part 1c pp. 5-7 pdf (113-115 in original). [http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/clandestine-agents-of-the-cuban-government-ayers-dohrn-myers/]</ref> and Carl Davidson, veterans of [[guerrilla warfare]] training in [[Cuba]] just prior 1968 Democratic National Convention riots. Ayers and Dohrn have taken credit for, and never denied, bombing the [[U.S. Capitol]], the [[Pentagon]] and the [[State Department]].
Ayers and Dohrn used their celebrity status among [[leftist]]s to launch Obama's career. Ayers, Dohrn and [[Jeff Jones]]<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106653 ''Obama's 'green jobs czar' worked with terror founder] [[Van Jones]] served on board of activist group where ex-Weatherman serves as top director'', By Aaron Klein, [[WorldNetDaily]], August 13, 2009.</ref> are authors of ''[[Bill_Ayers#Prairie_Fire_Organizing_Committee_and_Maoist_thought|Prairie Fire: The Politics of Revolutionary Anti-imperialism]],'' the title taken from ''The Sayings of Mao Zedong.''<ref>[http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/works/red-book/ Quotations from Mao Tse Tung]</ref> The book declares "we are [[communist]] men and women."<ref>Harvey Klehr, ''Far Left of Center: The American Radical Left Today'' (Transaction Books, New Brunswick, 1988), 109.</ref> Ayers later jokingly, publicly admitted to ghostwriting Obama's book, ''[[Dreams From My Father (autobiography)|Dreams From My Father]]''<ref>Cashill, J. (2011, March 28). [http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/03/ayers_affirms_he_wrote_dreams.html Ayers Affirms He Wrote Dreams From My Father]. ''[[American Thinker]]''.</ref> and Obama was to appoint several openly avowed Maoists to prominent White House and Executive Branch positions.<ref>Fund, J. (2009, October 21). [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704597704574487431322664964.html From Mao to Obama]. ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref>
====Knocking Candidates Off the Ballot====
Barack Obama ran for the Illinois state senate in 1996. He was initially supported by incumbent [[Alice Palmer]], who declared she would run for the U.S. Congress. However, when her bid for Congress failed on November 28, 1995, she tried to run for her old seat in the March 1996 election. Her supporters asked Obama to step aside, although whether this was with her permission remains uncertain.<ref name=pragmatic /> Not only did Obama not step down, he gathered a team of high-priced lawyers, including fellow Harvard Law School graduate Thomas Johnson, to challenge his opponent's petition signatures on technicalities after the filing deadline had passed. Such tactics are legal and frequently used in Chicago; in 2006 they eliminated 67 of the 245 aldermanic candidates;<ref name=bareknuckle>Jackson, David & Long, Ray (2007, April 4). "[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-0704030881apr04-archive,0,1523598,full.story Barack Obama: Showing His Bare Knuckles]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> yet nevertheless led to the term "hardball" by ''[[The New York Times]]''<ref name=pragmatic /> and "cutthroat" by David Mendel as reported by both ''CNN''<ref name=revealed /> and ''[[MSNBC]]''.<ref name=msnbc /> The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' declared Obama had mastered "the bare-knuckle arts of Chicago electoral politics", noting "The man now running for president on a message of giving a voice to the voiceless first entered public office not by leveling the playing field, but by clearing it."<ref name=bareknuckle /> As one of Obama's four opponents, eliminated through his ballot challenges, would put it: {{cquote|"Why say you're for a new tomorrow, then do old-style Chicago politics to remove legitimate candidates? He talks about honor and democracy, but what honor is there in getting rid of every other candidate so you can run scot-free? Why not let the people decide?"
-Gha-is Askia, 1996 Illinois Senate candidate<ref>Jackson, David & Long, Ray (2007, April 3). "[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5297304,full.story Obama Knows His Way Around a Ballot]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref>}} Mark Ewell, another candidate, filed 1,286 signatures, and Obama's challenges left him 86 short of the minimum requirement (757<ref name=spivak>Spivak, Todd (2008, February 28). "[http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-02-28/news/barack-obama-screamed-at-me/ Barack Obama and Me]." ''Houston Press''.</ref>). Ewell filed a federal lawsuit contesting the election board's decision but Tom Johnson intervened, and Ewell's case was dismissed just a few days later. Ewell and other Obama opponents were using early 1995 polling sheets to verify signatures of registered voters, but city authorities had just purged 15,871 unqualified people from the 13th district list, and Obama's challenges used the more recent, updated list. Askia was left 69 signatures short of the requirement. If names were printed instead of signed in cursive, they were declared invalid. If they were good but the person registering the signatures wasn't a registered voter (e.g. underage) they were invalid.<ref name=hardball>Griffin, Drew & Johnston, Kathleen (2008, May 29). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2008-05-29/politics/obamas.first.campaign_1_obama-campaign-barack-obama-chicago-politics?_s=PM:POLITICS Obama Played Hardball in First Chicago Campaign]." ''[[CNN]]''.</ref> Palmer had according to Obama campaign consult Ronald Davis, used two children to help gather her petition signatures. To this day Palmer denies the challenges were valid, and maintains she could have overcome the objections with more time and resources.<ref name=bareknuckle /> Thanks to his lawyers, Obama would win the election without a single other candidate on the ballot.
===NASA===
===2000 Election===
: ''Main Article: [[Illinois 1st congressional district election, 2000]]''
In 2000, Obama lost his only political election when he chose to run against experienced incumbent and former [[Black Panther]] and Bobby L. Rush for the U.S. Congress in a 65% black district. Rush's name recognition began at 90%, Obama's at 11%. Michelle Obama opposed taking on an such an iconic figure dear to the community and threatened divorce.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2145035/Michelle-Obama-prepared-divorce-papers-separate-Barack-leaving-suicidal.html New book claims Michelle Obama prepared divorce papers to separate from Barack], By Daniel Bates, 16 May 2012. [[Daily Mail]]</ref> Establishment Democrats considered Obama "a white man in blackface".<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-politics/choice-2012/transcript-29/ The Choice 2012], [[PBS]] Frontline Transcript</ref> Rush said of Obama, “He went to Harvard and became an educated fool,” adding, “We’re not impressed with these folks with these eastern elite degrees.”<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/28/bobby-rush-in-2000-obamas-a-harvard-educated-fool-who-thinks-he-knows-all-about-the-civil-rights-protests/ Bobby Rush in 2000: Obama a Harvard ‘educated fool’ who ‘thinks he knows all about’ the ‘civil rights protests’], [[Daily Caller]], 03/28/2012.</ref>Todd Spivak would give voice to this impression of Obama, noting that{{cquote|"My view of Obama then wasn't all that different from the image he projects now....One thing I can say is, I never heard him launch into the preacher-man voice he now employs during speeches. He sounded vanilla, and activists in his mostly black district often chided him for it."<ref name=spivak />}}Rush would go on to win the Primary with 61.02% of the vote; Obama received 30.36%.<ref name=streetwise /> The loss led to Obama considering dropping out of politics altogether, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, since his name sounds similar to "Osama bin Laden".<ref name=msnbc />
===State Senate Voting Record===
[[File:O-2002-antiwar-rally-davidson.jpg|right|thumb|250px| Obama speaking at the October 2002 [[War on Terror|anti-War rally]] in Chicago organized by [[Carl Davidson]].<ref>Davidson is a longtime [[Mao]]ist and champion of the ''Thought of Mao Tse Tung.'' Davidson's anti-Trotskyite polemic, [http://www.wengewang.org/read.php?tid=10925 ''Left in Form, Right in Essence''] defends Maoist doctrine.<br> </ref> Unlike Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Obama took the rather unpopular position against "dumb wars".]]
Obama entered the Illinois Senate promising change to a corrupt system. He mixed often radical votes with more pragmatic agreements. Possibly one of his most radical votes was against requiring medical care for aborted children who survive [[abortion|the procedure]] - in fact the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council ascribed him a 100% rating for his consistently pro-choice votes.<ref name="cbs illinois">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/17/politics/main2369157.shtml|title=Obama Record May Be Gold Mine For Critics|work=[[CBS News]]|format=HTML|language=English|last=Clark|first=Amy S.|date=Jan. 17, 2007}}</ref> He was criticized for using the statehouse as a stepping stone for a more illustrious career: Steven J. Rauschenberger, a [[Republican]], said prior to Obama's election as president: “He is a very bright but very ambitious person who has always had his eyes on the prize, and it wasn’t Springfield. If he deserves to be president, it is not because he was a great legislator.”<ref name="nyt illinois">{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd|last=Scott|first=Janny|format=HTML|language=English|date=July 30, 2007|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html}}</ref>
The statehouse was majority Republican, so the Senator was sometimes forced to compromise. He formed allegiances across party lines to pass [[campaign finance]] reform that banned most gifts by lobbyists, prohibited spending campaign money for legislators’ personal use and required electronic filing of campaign disclosure reports.<ref name="nyt illinois"/> Obama also helped pass a so-called “driving-while-black bill”, which required the police to collect data on the race of drivers they stopped as a way to monitor [[racial profiling]].<ref name="nyt illinois"/>
Obama established himself as a chief spokesperson in opposition to the [[War on Terror]] during an October 2002 rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago<ref>The rally was organized by Chicagoans Against War in Iraq (CAWI) later renamed Chicagoans Against War and Injustice. [http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?page_id=2 About CAWI] by Carl Davidson, Nov 02 2006. Retrieved from Chicagoans Against War and Injustice, March 15, 2010.</ref> [[community organizing|organized]] by veteran [[Mao]]ist and webmaster of [[Progressives for Obama]],<ref>[http://www.linkedin.com/in/carldavidson Carl Davidson,] LinkedIn.com, retrieved March 13, 2010.</ref> [[Carl Davidson]].
===2003 Emil Jones Deal===
: ''Main Article: [[2003 Barack Obama deal with Emil Jones]]''
When Illinois' U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald announced he would be retiring in April 2003, Obama jumped at the opportunity, declaring that he would be a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004.<ref name=msnbc /> To boost his chances Obama approached the newly crowned president of the Illinois Senate, Emil Jones Jr., with a proposal. According to Jones, whom Obama has since called his "godfather"<ref name=godfather>''[[Associated Press]]'' (2009, June 18). "[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamas-political-godfather-in-illinois/ Obama's Political 'Godfather' In Illinois]."</ref> the conversation went as follows:
{{cquote|"After I was elected president, in 2003, he came to see me, a couple months later. And he said to me, he said, ‘You’re the senate president now, and with that, you have a lot of pow-er.’ And I told Barack, ‘You think I got a lot of pow-er now?,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you got a lot of pow-er.’ And I said, ‘What kind of pow-er do I have?’ He said, ‘You have the pow-er to make a United States sen-a-tor!’ I said to Barack, I said, ‘That sounds good!’ I said, ‘I haven’t even thought of that.’ I said, ‘Do you have someone in mind you think I could make?,’ and he said, ‘Yeah. Me.’ "<ref name=raisingobama /><ref name=pragmatic />}}
Because of the deal, Obama's entire Illinois Senate legislative record was, as longtime Obama reporter Todd Spivak put it, built in a single year. During his 7th and final year in the Illinois Senate, Obama sponsored an incredible 26 bills into law, including many he now points to when criticized as inexperienced<ref name=spivak /> - as ''CNN's'' Suzanne Malveaux observed, "With help from on high, Obama got his name on hundreds of bills that he pushed through."<ref name=revealed /> Jones not only had Obama craft legislation addressing daily tragedies to raise his political profile<ref name=godfather />, he also appointed Obama head of almost all high-profile legislation in the Illinois Senate, angering other state legislators with more seniority who'd spent years supporting the bills.<ref name=spivak /> Illinois State Senator Rickey Hendon, the original sponsor of the famous racial profiling bill requiring videotaped confessions in police interrogations, complained bitterly about Jones' decision.<ref name=revealed /><ref name=intheblack>Spivak, Todd (2004, March 25). "[http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-922-in-the-black.html In the Black]." ''Illinois Times''.</ref> Jones' influence had a major impact on Obama's chances in the 2004 elections, preventing major political players from backing Obama's opponents. To quote Emil Jones,{{cquote|"He knew if he had me in the run for the Senate, it would put a block on the current mayor. The current mayor and the father of the controller, which was Dan Hynes, they were roommates in Springfield when the mayor was a state senator, so they had a relationship. Another big financial backer for the governor was Blair Hull. Barack knew if he had me it would checkmate the governor, ’cause the governor couldn’t come out and go with Blair Hull, ’cause the governor needs me. Same with the mayor. So he had analyzed and figured all of that out. He knew I could help him with labor support. And I could put a checkmate on some of the local politicians that didn’t know him, but they couldn’t really go against me."
-Emil Jones<ref name=raisingobama />}}
==2004-2008, U.S. Senate==
:''See also: [[Early_life_and_career_of_Barack_Hussein_Obama#U.S._Senate_.282004-2008.29|Barack Obama:U.S. Senate (2004-2008)]], [[United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004]]''
[[Image:obama.jpg|thumb|left|Senator Barack Obama]]
===2004 Primary Election===
Despite initially trailing in the polls to frontrunner [[Blair Hull]]<ref name=intheblack />, Obama greatly benefited from what the ''Chicago Tribune'' called "the most inglorious campaign implosion in Illinois political history"<ref name=mendell>Mendell, David (2004, March 17). "[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-03-17/news/0403170332_1_blair-hull-gery-chico-blacks-and-liberal-whites Obama Routs Democratic Foes]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> when pressure from journalists and opposing candidates, just weeks before the election, forced the unsealing of Hull's messy divorce files.<ref name=blairhull>Voegeli, William (2004, March 19). "[http://www.claremont.org/publications/pubid.339/pub_detail.asp The Rise and Fall of Blair Hull]." ''[[Claremont Institute]]''.</ref> The files revealed Hull's ex-wife's accusations of verbal and physical abuse.<ref name=spivak /> Hull would afterwards criticize the media, stating, "As for the press, I will never read the newspaper the same way again."<ref name=mendell /> Obama would go on to win the Primary with 53% of the vote.<ref name=blairhull /> Obama's unexpected victory led to him being termed a "rising star" by the media.<ref>Howlett, Debbie (2004, March 18). "[http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-03-18-obama-usat_x.htm Dems See a Rising Star in Illinois Senate Candidate]." ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref>
===2004 General Election, Jack Ryan===
Once again Obama found himself trailing to popular frontrunner [[Jack Ryan]], and once again a candidate's campaign imploded thanks to media intervention. In an unprecedented move, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' and local TV station WLS sued to force the unsealing of Ryan's divorce files, despite opposition from both Ryan and his wife, Jeri Ryan, who in the files accused Jack Ryan of trying to coerce her to perform sex acts in public. Though Ryan advisors told him he could still win if using a negative attack on Obama, Ryan refused to engage in what he considered dirty politics.<ref name=abandon>''[[Associated Press]]'' (2004, June 26). "[http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/state/2004-06-25-ryan_x.htm Jack Ryan Abandons Senate Bid]."</ref> Ryan then dropped out of the race (per request by the Illinois GOP<ref name=idealist>Sangwan, Rahul (2004, October 1). "[http://www.dartmouthindependent.com/archives/2004/10/jack_ryan_81_th.html Jack Ryan '81: The Conservative Idealist]." ''Dartmouth Independent''.</ref>), following which the Illinois GOP scrambled to find a replacement, leaving Obama uncontested for weeks to campaign and build up public support. On top of all this, Obama was selected to give the keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (July 27<ref>''[[Washington Post]]'' (2004, June 26). "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19751-2004Jul27.html Illinois Senate Candidate Barack Obama]."</ref>), catapulting him into the national spotlight, and leading to further media publicity terming him a "rising star".<ref>Page, Susan & Despoignes, Peronet (2004, July 28). "[http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-28-obama-speech_x.htm Rising Star Brings Democrats to Their Feet]." ''[[USA Today]]''.</ref>
===2004 General Election, Alan Keyes===
: ''Main Article: [[Obama born alive controversy]]''
After a number of candidates including former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka declined to run<ref>''[[CNN]]'' (2004, August 9). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2004-08-09/politics/il.keyes_1_senate-candidate-senate-race-illinois-senate?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS Keyes Challenges Obama for Illinois Senate Seat]."</ref>, the Illinois GOP finally settled on fiery [[Alan Keyes]], a former Ambassador to the Economic and Social Counsel of the United Nations<ref name=spivak />, with less than 3 months left before the November 2004 election.<ref name=msnbc /> His sudden entrance into the state for the election was initially attacked in the press as "carpetbagging".<ref>''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. "[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-08-06/news/0408060313_1_mr-keyes-judy-baar-topinka-alan-keyes The GOP's Rent-A-Senator]."</ref><ref>''[[Washington Post]]'' (2004, August 9). "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50885-2004Aug8.html Mr. Keyes the Carpetbagger].</ref><ref name=pearson>Pearson, Rick (2004, September 5). "[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-09-05/news/0409050304_1_selfish-hedonist-alan-keyes-illinois-republican-party Keyes, State GOP Gearing Up Blame Campaign]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> Keyes repeatedly claimed his primary motivation for entering a race he had seemingly no chance of winning was his disgust at Obama's votes on the popular [[Born Alive]] bills.<ref>Keyes, Alan (2004, August 18). "[http://www.mail-archive.com/newsandviews@chuckmuth.com/msg00699.html How You Can Help Alan Keyes for Senate!]." ''Keyes2004 Inc.''</ref> Keyes, from his first day of arriving in Illinois (August 9, 2004)<ref name=assails>''Associated Press'' (2004, August 9). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5654128/ Keyes Assails Obama's Abortion Views]."</ref>, accused Obama of having voted against bills mandating medical care for newborn children, and supporting "infanticide" (the term twice used in the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act<ref>''United States Congress'' (2003, March 13). "[http://news.findlaw.com/wp/docs/abortion/2003s3.html S.3: Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003]."</ref>) where hospitals left newborn infants to die like garbage.<ref>Smiley, Tavis (2004, August 31). "[http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=341 Alan Keyes on the Tavis Smiley Show]." ''[[NPR]]''.</ref><ref>''CBS2 Chicago'' (2004, August 30). "[http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=337 Alan Keyes on CBS2 Chicago This Morning]." This Morning.</ref> Obama in a debate on October 13, 2004, defended himself against Keyes' accusations of infanticide by claiming that Illinois law was already sufficient.<ref>''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' (2004, October 13). "[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-10-13/news/0410140004_1_alan-keyes-senate-race-first-of-three-debates Debate or Discussion?]"</ref>
However, Keyes' rhetoric, calling Obama's votes "the slaveholder's position"<ref name=assails /> and saying "Jesus Christ would not vote for Obama"<ref>Thomas, Scott (2004, September 7). "[http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=348 Alan Keyes on the Scott Thomas Show (AM1160 - WYLL)]." ''Scott Thomas Show''. Chicago, Illinois.</ref> was widely ridiculed by the press. Keyes' unabashed criticism of homosexuality as "selfish hedonism" was also targeted.<ref name=pearson /><ref>''[[Associated Press]]''. "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5897569/ Keyes: Cheney's Gay Daughter Practicing Selfish Hedonism]."</ref><ref>Pallasch, Abdom M. (2004, September 2). "[http://web.archive.org/web/20071017122135/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040902/ai_n12560727 Topinka Says He Should Apologize for 'Idiotic' Comment]." ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''.</ref> Obama would ultimately win the election, 70% to 27%.<ref>''[[CNN]]''. "[http://cnn.hu/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/IL/S/01/index.html Election Results: U.S. Senate/Illinois]." Election 2004.</ref>
===U.S. Senate Voting Record===
Obama's incomplete term in the U.S. Senate was largely not noteworthy. In voting against raising the [[debt limit]] in 2006 Obama famously said, "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. ... I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit."<ref>''Washington Post'' FACT CHECKER, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/annotating-obamas-2006-speech-against-boosting-the-debt-limit/2013/01/14/aa8cf8c4-5e9b-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html Annotating Obama’s 2006 speech against boosting the debt limit], [[Washington Post]], Glenn Kessler, 01/15/2013.</ref><ref>Kaplan, R. (2011, April 11). [http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/04/obama-once-opposed-debt-ceiling-hike/237129/ Obama Once Opposed Debt Ceiling Hike]. ''The Atlantic''.</ref> In 2008 as candidate for president Obama called George W. Bush's request to raise the debt limit "irresponsible" and "unpatriotic".<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kuTG19Cu_Q Obama says adding $4 trillion to debt is unpatriotic.] YouTube.</ref>
The ''National Journal'' ranked him the most liberal senator in 2007.<ref name="ranked">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-502163_162-3775451-502163.html|title=National Journal: Obama Most Liberal Senator In 2007|author=Brian Montopoli|date=January 31, 2008|work=[[CBS News]]}}</ref>
Obama frequently used the [[filibuster]] to obstruct the operations of government,<ref>O'Keefe, E. (2010, February 4). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303801_pf.html Obama criticizes Senate Republicans for delaying confirmation votes]. ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref> and voted against the [[minimum wage]] bill<ref>[http://uspolitics.about.com/od/legislatio1/a/HR2206.htm HR 2206 - Emergency Appropriations], Kathy Gill, Your Guide to U.S. Politics: Current Events. May 26 2007.<br>[http://more.gov.mtopgroup.com/2007/05/votes-hr-2206-iraq-supplemental.html Votes - H.R. 2206: Iraq Supplemental], May 28, 2007. Retrieved from Deeper Inside the Mountain, June 4, 2007.</ref> he introduced because it included a provision to pay active duty U.S. troops. He voted for the $700 billion TARP program to bailout the big banks after receiving more than $120,000 in contributions from [[Fannie Mae]], a government sponsored entity<ref>more than any other political candidate for office since 1989. [http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2008/09/update-fannie-mae-and-freddie.html Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Invest in Lawmakers], By Lindsay Renick Mayer, September 11, 2008. opensecrets.org</ref> taken into conservatorship for mismanaging its affairs and responsible for all the big bank's problems.
According to Opensecrets.org, of the 671,269 contributions to Obama during his time in the Senate, [[Goldman Sachs]], JP Morgan, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley were among the top 20 biggest money donors to his campaigns. <ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00009638&cycle=2008 Top 20 Contributors, 2007-2008]</ref><ref>[http://www.votesmart.org/finance.php?can_id=9490 Barack Obama II's Campaign Finances ]</ref> All four subsequently received approximately $70 billion in taxpayer assisted [[bailout]] money from the [[TARP]] program he voted for.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/10/14/business/14bailout.graphic2.html ''Beneficiary Banks'', ''[[The New York Times]]''. 2008-10-14.]</ref> UBS AG, a foreign bank and the 12th largest donor to Obama,<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638 Top 20 Contributors, 2007-2008]</ref> was fined $780 billion in February 2009 in a U.S. Federal Court on charges it helped thousands of Americans evade taxes.<ref>[http://www.investmentnews.com/article/20090219/FREE/902199983 ''UBS fined $780 million in tax evasion scandal,''] Investment News, February 19, 2009.</ref>
==2008 Presidential Election==
{{main article|Barack Hussein Obama 2008 Presidential campaign}}
Unlike Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, Obama's hands were not "stained" with the Iraqi war resolution; a number of Democrats wanted to punish candidates for acting [[bi-partisan]] and called for his candidacy. His only career accomplishment til then had been delivery a speech at the 2004 [[Democratic National Convention]].
Former [[Democrat]] Presidential candidate [[Joe Lieberman]] endorsed Obama's opponent [[John McCain]] in 2008 and declined to endorse Obama for the [[Presidential Election 2012|2012 presidential election]].<ref>Lillis, M. (2012, April 22). [http://thehill.com/video/campaign/222929-lieberman-declines-to-endorse-in-presidential-race Sen. Lieberman declines to endorse in presidential race]. ''The Hill''.</ref>
===Awards===
===Primary Election===
In 2007-08, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton competed for the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton cleverly resurrected the "Born Alive" controversy surrounding Obama that had lain largely dormant since 2004 (notwithstanding the continuing mentions by [[Jill Stanek]]), by accusing Obama of not being pro-choice for voting "Present" on a number of abortion-related bills<ref>Bettelheim, Adriel (2008, February 13). "[http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/feb/13/obamas-present-tension/ Obama's 'Present' Tension]." ''PolitiFact''.</ref> - including the Born Alive ones,<ref name=clinton>Berman, Russell (2008, January 17). "[http://www.nysun.com/national/clinton-obama-should-vote-no-on-abortion-issue/69700/ Clinton: Obama Should Vote 'No' On Abortion Issue She Backed]." ''[[New York Sun]]''.</ref><ref>Hernandez, Raymond & Drew, Christopher (2007, December 20). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?pagewanted=all It's Not Just 'Ayes' and 'Nays': Obama's Votes in Illinois Echo]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> and cowardly ducking the votes.<ref>''Politi-Fact''. "[http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/feb/13/hillary-clinton/yes-but-its-complicated/ Response to Hillary Clinton Comment for January 21st, 2008]." Truth-o-Meter.</ref><ref>Dorning, Mike (2007, December 20). "[http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/12/criticism_of_obama_present_vot.html Clinton Camp Criticizes Obama 'Present' Votes]." The Swamp. ''Chicago Tribune''.</ref> This led to criticism of Obama by two pro-choice organizations, Emily's List, and the National Organization for Women.<ref>Dorning, Mike (2008, January 14). "[http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/01/obama_campaign_mounts_defense.html The Swamp: Obama Campaign Defends His Abortion-Rights Record]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref><ref>Dorn, Michael (2008, February 6). "[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_voting_record_on_aborti_1.html Obama's Voting Record on Abortion]." ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref><ref>Newton-Small, Jay (2008, January 14). "[http://swampland.time.com/2008/01/14/obama_campaign_defends_present/ Obama Campaign Defends 'Present' Abortion Votes]." ''[[Time Magazine]]''.</ref> However, Pam Sutherland, the long-time head of Illinois Planned Parenthood, came to Obama's aid, criticizing Clinton for making the attack, and stating repeatedly that Obama's present votes were part of a broader strategy used by Planned Parenthood to keep Illinois voters from knowing their state senators were voting against the controversial and popular bills.<ref>Hernandez, Raymond & Drew, Christopher (2007, December 20). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20cnd-obama.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin Obama's Vote in Illinois Was Often Just 'Present']." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref><ref>Follmer, Max (2008, March 28). "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/14/obama-emphasizes-prochoic_n_81460.html Obama Emphasizes Pro-Choice Voting Record as Clinton Questions 'Present' Votes]." ''[[Huffington Post]]''.</ref>
{{cquote|"He came to me and said: ‘My members are being attacked. We need to figure out a way to protect members and to protect women. A ‘present’ vote was hard to pigeonhole which is exactly what Obama wanted. What it did was give cover to moderate Democrats who wanted to vote with us but were afraid to do so" because of how their votes would be used against them electorally. A ‘present’ vote would protect them. Your senator voted ‘present.’ Most of the electorate is not going to know what that means."
-Pam Sutherland, President/CEO of Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, 1980-2012<ref>Davis, Teddy (2007, July 17). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20130414215754/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2007/07/obama-abortion/ Obama Abortion Dodges Blessed by Planned Parenthood], ''[[ABC News]]''.</ref>}}As the contest in Iowa drew near and the former First Lady's inevitability was being usurped by a challenger, Hillary Clinton organizers began circulating rumors that Obama was secretly a Muslim.<ref>[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/barackemail/ Obama Under the Clinton Microscope], By JEFF ZELENY, ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 10, 2007</ref><ref>[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/12/06/clinton-volunteers-anti-obama-e-mail-causes-stir/ Clinton volunteer's sending of anti-Obama e-mail causes stir]. December 6, 2007. [[CNN]]</ref><ref>[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=92143 Hillary Clinton Press Release - Sen. Obama Rewrites History], December 2, 2007, references Obama in the Muslim school in Indonesia in 3rd grade, quoting the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 3/15/07</ref><ref>[http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/americas/article1995587.ece Obama ‘was educated in madrassa’], Tim Reid and Tom Baldwin, ''[[The Times of London]]'', January 20, 2007.</ref> Clinton also made the claim repeatedly that while Obama was leading in Delegates she was winning the Popular Vote<ref>Koffler, Daniel (2008, May 28). "[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-koffler/hillary-clinton-and-the-p_b_103913.html Hillary Clinton and the Popular Vote: Not Wrong, but Meaningless]." ''[[Huffington Post]]''.<br>Barone, Michael (2008, March 28). "[http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/barone/2008/03/28/projection-clinton-wins-popular-vote-obama-wins-delegate-count Projection: Clinton Wins Popular Vote, Obama Wins Delegate Vote]." ''U.S. News''.</ref>, though this was in part because Obama hadn't been registered in Michigan.<ref>Romano, Andrew (2008, August 2). "[http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/blogs/stumper/2008/06/02/clinton-s-popular-vote-claim-close-but-not-quite.html Clinton's Popular Vote Claim? Close--But Not Quite*]." ''[[Newsweek]]''.</ref><ref>''[[RealClearPolitics]]''. "[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/democratic_vote_count.html 2008 Democratic Popular Vote]."</ref> Obama's advantage with super-delegates over Clinton was about 2-to-1.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Superdelegate endorsements for Friday 6/6|work=Democratic Convention Watch|url=http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/2008/06/superdelegate-endorsements-for-friday.html}}</ref> Obama was able to attract the support of [[liberals]] by pointing out that he had come out against the [[Iraq War]] "from the beginning" whereas Clinton had voted in favor of the war in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-31-democrats-debate_N.htm|title=Obama, Clinton stress differences on Iraq, issues|author=David Jackson|work=[[USA Today]]|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> On June 7, 2008, Hillary Clinton withdrew from the Primaries, conceding the race and endorsing her opponent<ref>''Associated Press''. "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24993082/ns/politics-decision_08/t/clinton-ends-historic-bid-endorses-obama/ Clinton Ends Historic Bid, Endorses Obama]." [[MSNBC]]</ref>, when Obama passed the 2,118 Delegates required; winning 2,201 delegates to Clinton's 1,896.<ref>''[[CNN]]''. "[http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/scorecard/#D Election Center 2008].</ref>
* 2014 Dunlap Prize<ref>http://dunlap.utoronto.ca/about/dunlap-prize/ Dunlap Prize</ref>
===Honorary doctorates===
===Born Alive Record Resurfaces===
On June 30, 2008, Obama's voting record on the "Born Alive" bills came once more to the forefront when CNN gave voice to the growing controversy and revealed the defense Obama had been using since 2004-2008, that the Illinois bills he'd voted against were different from the federal bill, was false, since he'd brought up for a vote a bill word for word identical to the federal bill in the Health and Human Services Committee he chaired, and voted against it, defeating it.<ref>''[[CNN]]''. "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPZCXcTwZPY How He Really Voted on Abortion: Obama's Record Under Attack]." ''The Situation Room''. Uploaded to ''YouTube'' by [[Jill Stanek]].</ref><ref>''[[CNN]]''. "[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0806/30/sitroom.02.html Transcripts: June 30, 2008]." The Situation Room.</ref> This led in August to a confrontation between Obama and the [[NRLC]].<ref>''[[National Right to Life Committee]]''. "[http://www.nrlc.org/news/2008/NRL08/ObamaCoverup.html Obama Cover-up Revealed on Born-Alive Abortion Survivor's Bill]." NRL News, Vol. 35, Issue 7-8, pg. 5.</ref> After Obama accused critics of 'lying'<ref>Brody, David (2008, August 16). "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Skq5M1Ksp_c McCain/Obama Forum]." ''[[CNN]]''. Uploaded to ''YouTube'' by [[Jill Stanek]].<br>David Brody (August 16, 2008). "[http://blogs.cbn.com/thebrodyfile/archive/2008/08/16/obama-gets-heated-on-born-alive-infant-protection-act.aspx Obama Gets Heated on Born Alive Infant Protection Act]." ''[[CBN]] News''. The Brody File.</ref> the NRLC challenged the assertion, and the Obama campaign conceded he "misspoke" and had voted against an identical bill to the "federal bill that everybody supported" but focused on Obama's new claim, that Illinois law was already sufficient to protect newborn children.<ref>Berman, Russell (2008, August 18). "[http://www.nysun.com/national/obama-facing-attacks-from-all-sides-over-abortion/84059/ Obama Facing Attacks From All Sides Over Abortion Record]." ''[[New York Sun]]''.</ref> The NRLC promptly declared "Senator Barack Obama's four-year effort to cover up his full role in killing legislation to protect born-alive survivors of abortions continues to unravel."<ref>Johnson, Douglas (2008, August 18). "[http://www.nrlc.org/ObamaBAIPA/Obamacoveruponbornalive.htm Obama Cover-up on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Continues to Unravel After Sen. Obama Says NRLC is 'Lying']." ''[[National Right to Life Committee]]''.</ref>
===Honors===
===Jeremiah Wright===
:''See also: [[Barack Obama and Liberation Theology]]''
One major dilemma that arose for Obama during his campaign was his connection to his preacher [[Jeremiah Wright]]. Obama and his wife (raised a Baptist) were members of the Trinity [[United Church of Christ]]<ref>[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1776246/posts Trinity United Church of Christ Website (Barack Hussein Obama's Church)]</ref> in Chicago, a church that embraced [[black liberation theology]] and its emphasis on empowering so-called "oppressed groups" against "establishment forces". This denomination was the first in America to ordain gays as ministers.<ref>[http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/31079.html Obama's church pushes controversial doctrines], March 20, 2008</ref> Church pastor Jeremiah Wright had been making inflammatory comments and posting his sermons online for sale. These include the statement "G-d damn America," and in describing the September 11th attacks, "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=4443788 Obama's Pastor: G-d Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11], [[ABC News]]</ref> In addition, Rev. Wright blamed America saying "We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being [[anti-Semitic]]."
"50 Of the Most Inspiring African Americans" (ed. Patricia Hinds), 2002, Essence Books (New York), p. 145.</ref>
In April 2008, after 20 years in the church, candidate Obama made public statements poised to set him at odds with the man who conducted his wedding and baptized his children. With the negative publicity persisting, a month later Obama ended the friendship, left Wright's church, and blamed the media.<ref>[http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/31/obama-resigns-church-membership-in-chicago/ Obama Drops Church Membership in Chicago], [[Fox News]] May 31, 2008</ref> Obama claimed “It’s not fair to the other members of the church who seek to worship in peace...", and distanced himself from Wright's sermons as "a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in the truth."<ref>[[USA Today]], [http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080430/1a_offlede30_dom.art.htm ''Obama breaks with former pastor, Candidate cites rants on U.S. role in terror, AIDS''], by Kathy Kiely and David Jackson</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081211092533/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080430.htm ''Obama Says He Is Outraged By Wright's "Rants"'']</ref>
===Research publications===
===Result===
Obama made an effort to portray John McCain as similar to George W. Bush, drawing attention to McCain's refusal to criticize the unpopular president. McCain was particularly criticized for saying of how many years we should be willing to stay in Iraq, "Make it a hundred."<ref>Dobbs, Michael (2008, April 2). "[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/mccains_100year_war.html FactChecker: McCain's '100-Year War']." ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref>{{cquote|"John McCain went on television and said that there has been great progress economically over the last seven-and-a-half years. John McCain thinks our economy has made great progress under George W. Bush? How could somebody who has been traveling across this country, somebody who came to Erie, Pennsylvania, say we’ve made great progress?"
-Barack Obama<ref>Zeleny, Jeff (2008, April 18). "[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/obama-criticizes-mccain-on-economic-stance/ Obama Criticizes McCain on Economic Stance]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>}} On August 22nd, Obama selected [[Joe Biden]] as his running mate for the vice presidency<ref>''[[CNN]]'' (2008, August 23). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2008-08-23/politics/biden.democrat.vp.candidate_1_biden-john-mccain-barack-obama?_s=PM:POLITICS Obama Introduces Biden as Running Mate]."</ref>, which would be contrasted one week later with John McCain's selection of [[Sarah Palin]].<ref>Cooper, Michael & Bumiller, Elisabeth (2008, August 29). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/us/politics/29palin.html?pagewanted=all Alaskan is McCain's Choice; First Woman on G.O.P. Ticket]. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>
On November 2, 2008, Barack Obama won the presidential election with 365 electoral votes to John McCain's 173.<ref>(2008, November 14). "[http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/explorer.html Electoral Explorer]." Election Results 2008. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> Obama received 53% of the popular vote to John McCain's 46%.<ref>(2008, November 17). "[http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/ President]." Election Center 2008. ''[[CNN]]''.</ref>
==Filmography==
==2009-: U.S. Presidency==
{{main article|Obama administration}}
[[File:Obama and George H. W. Bush.jpg|thumb|right|300px|President Barack Obama meets with former President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office, Feb. 15, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).]]
Five years into Obama's presidency the number of people holding jobs still was 3 million below the all time high of 138 million<ref>The effectiveness of [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009|Stimulus]] and deficits: [http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=112811 Job growth under President Obama's first term;] Source: [[United States Department of Labor]].</ref> workers - despite an increase of 10 million people in population over the same period of time.<ref>[https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=112809 U.S. Population growth during Obama's first four years in office.] Source: [[U.S. Census Bureau]].</ref> Under Obama and Senate Democrats<ref>The Democratic controlled Senate did not propose, vote on, or pass a budget for nearly five years. [http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/23/politics/senate-budget-bill/index.html Senate passes its first budget proposal in four years,] Ted Barrett and Alison Harding, [[CNN]], March 23, 2013.</ref> budget management, the United States suffered its largest [[Federal budget deficit|deficit]]s<ref>Edwards, B. et. al. (2009, November 6). [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/107xx/doc10708/11-06-mbr.htm Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2009]. ''[[Congressional Budget Office]]''.<br>Delisle, E.C. et. al. (2010, November 5). [http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/118xx/doc11873/NovemberMBR.pdf Monthly Budget Review: Fiscal Year 2010]. ''[[Congressional Budget Office]]''.</ref> in history and its credit-worthiness downgraded from [[Standard and Poor's]]. Obama assured Americans that unemployment would not rise above 8% if his [[economic stimulus]] program was adopted, however it rose and stagnated in the 8-10% range<ref>Di Leo, L & Lynch, S.N. (2010, August 20). [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704476104575439172480870774.html Jobless Claims Jump in New Sign Recovery is Sputtering]. ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref><ref>[[United States Bureau of Labor Statistics]]. [http://data.bls.gov/PDQ/servlet/SurveyOutputServlet?data_tool=latest_numbers&series_id=LNS11300000&years_option=specific_years&include_graphs=true&to_month=1&from_month=2 Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey]. ''[[United States Department of Labor]]''. Data extracted on: July 19, 2010 (4:31:11 PM).</ref> for the entirety of his first term.
==References==
Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen, writing in the [[Wall Street Journal]], noted, "Rather than being a unifier, Mr. Obama has divided America on the basis of race, class and partisanship." The commentators also note Obama's approach to governance has encouraged radical leftists to pursue a similar strategy on his behalf. Mary Frances Berry, former head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, acknowledged that the [[Obama administration]] has taken to polarizing America around the issue of race as a means of diverting attention from other issues, saying, "Having one's opponent [[race card|rebut charges of racism]] is far better than discussing [[Unemployment|joblessness]]."<ref>Berry, M.F. (2010, July 20). [http://www.politico.com/arena/perm/Mary_Frances_Berry_91E3D9D5-C40D-440C-9D48-1C50CBC60C87.html Energy Arena, Driving the Conversation: Contracting Out U.S. Security? And will Branding Tea Party Racist Work?] ''[[Politico]]''.</ref> Caddell and Schoen, who worked for President Carter and Clinton, respectively, further stated, "Mr. Obama has also cynically [[class warfare|divided the country on class lines]]. He has taken to playing the populist card time and time again. He bashes Wall Street and insurance companies whenever convenient to advance his programs, yet he has been eager to accept campaign contributions and negotiate with these very same banks and [[corporation]]s behind closed doors in order to advance his political agenda... President Obama's divisive approach to governance has weakened us as a people and paralyzed our political culture."<ref>Caddell, P.H. & Schoen, D.E. (2010, July 28). [http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748703700904575391553798363586.html Our Divisive President]. ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref>
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
===Domestic policy===
<ref name="AJ2233">
====Economic policy====
{{cite journal|last1=Wells|first1=L.A.|display-authors=etal|year=1994|title=The Type IA supernova 1989B in NGC 3627 (M66)|volume=108|issue=6|page=2233|journal=[[The Astronomical Journal]]|bibcode=1994AJ....108.2233W|doi=10.1086/117236}}</ref>}}
[[File:Keynes.jpg|thumbnail|right|190px|[[Barack Obama]] advocates the use of discredited [[Keynesian economics|Keynesian economic concepts]]<ref>[http://centurean2.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/fabian-john-maynard-keynes-the-stealthy-enemy-of-human-freedom/ John Maynard Keynes the stealthy enemy of human freedom]</ref><ref>[http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-02-22/deathbed-of-keynesian-economics-will-be-in-u-k-matthew-lynn.html Deathbed of Keynesian Economics will be in the UK]</ref><ref>[http://www.iwf.org/inkwell/show/23102.html Will the G8 Repudiate the Philosophy of Living Beyond Our Means?]</ref><ref>[http://www.keynesatharvard.org/book/KeynesatHarvard-ch09.html KEYNES AT HARVARD Economic Deception as a Political Credo BY ZYGMUND DOBBS]</ref>]]
{{see also|Obamunism|American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009}}
Critics of the Obama administration have coined the word "[[Obamunism]]" to describe Barack Obama's [[socialism|socialistic]] and "[[fascism]] light" [[economic planning]] policies.<ref>[[Benito Mussolini]] defined fascism as the wedding of state and corporate powers. Accordingly, trend forecaster [[Gerald Celente]] labels [[Obama administration corporate bailouts|Obama's corporate bailouts]] as being "fascism light" in nature.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/daily-intel/2009/07/20/obamunism-inc|work=The Big Money|publisher=[[Washington Post]].[[Newsweek]] Interactive Co. LLC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obamunism, Inc.|author=David Sessions|date=July 20, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/gerald-celente-6944|author=Jim Blasingame|title=Is the government creating a bailout bubble?}}</ref> Obamunism can also refer to Obama's [[Obama administration fiscal policy|ruinous fiscal policies]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|reckless monetary policies]].<ref name="gerard">{{cite web|url=http://seekingalpha.com/article/120883-monetary-policynot-obama-s-stimulusis-what-needs-watching|title=Monetary Policy-Not Obama's Stimulus-Is What Needs Watching|author=Gerard Jackson|date=February 16, 2009|work=Seeking Alpha}}</ref><ref name="bam">{{cite web|work=[[New York Post]]|date=May 17, 2009|url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/05172009/postopinion/editorials/bams_wise_words_169731.htm|title=BAM'S WISE WORDS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/|title=Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures|work=The Foundry|publisher=[[Heritage Foundation]]|author=Conn Carroll|date=March 24th, 2009}}</ref> As seen in his own actions, Barack Obama instructed his advisors to find loopholes that would enable the president to act as a [[dictator]] by pushing through legislation and increases in spending without congressional authority.<ref>Naked Emperor News (2011, October 12). [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/executive-dictatorship-obama-instructs-advisers-to-push-through-stimulus-projects-without-pesky-congressional-authorization/ Exclusive Dictatorship: Obama Instructs Advisors to Push Through Stimulus Projects Without Pesky 'Congressional Authorization']. ''[[The Blaze]]''.</ref>
Nevertheless, budgets passed under President Obama have included the smallest average annualized growth of federal spending (1.4%) since before President Reagan. Federal spending grew an average of 8.7% per year during Reagan's first term and an average of 8.1% per year during George W. Bush's second term.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/05/24/who-is-the-smallest-government-spender-since-eisenhower-would-you-believe-its-barack-obama/|title=Who Is The Smallest Government Spender Since Eisenhower? Would You Believe It's Barack Obama?|publisher=[[Forbes]]|author=Rick Ungar|date=May 24th, 2012}}</ref>
[[Wall Street]] firms and banks that were bailed out were among Obama's biggest campaign supporters.<ref>''OpenSecrets.org''. [http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638 Barack Obama: Top Contributors]. The Center for Responsive Politics.</ref> Therefore, the Obama administration bailouts of corrupt, unproductive, and reckless Wall Street firms was hardly surprising, and many argue that it was not helpful in making the United States economy more productive and prosperous by encouraging more risk taking through letting banks off with a slap on the wrist. Others argue that bailing out the banks kept credit flowing and prevented a much deeper recession and a total collapse of the financial system. The government will recoup some though not all of its capital infusions over time. A 2005 study found that government corporate bailouts are often done for mere political considerations and the economic resources allocated exhibit significantly worse economic performance than resources allocated using purely business considerations.<ref>Faccio, M. et. al. (2005, March 1). [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=676905 Political Connections and Corporate Bailouts]. ''Social Science Research Network''.</ref> Proponents of [[free market]] capitalism said Bernanke should not have bailed out failing firms and instead should have allowed free market capitalism to quickly recover as it did in the depression of 1920 without government intervention (free market capitalists assert that government intervention drags out economic recessions and depressions).<ref>Woods, T.E. (2009, April 10). [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czcUmnsprQI Why You've Never Heard of the Great Depression of 1920]. ''[[Ludwig von Mises Institute]]''. Hosted on ''YouTube''.</ref>
The Obama administration has been sharply criticized for [[Obama administration deficit spending|its massive deficit spending]] and [[Obama administration monetary policy|its reckless monetary policy]] via vast increases in the [[money supply]], although inflation under Bernanke has been below the historic mean.<ref name="gerard"/><ref name="bam"/><ref>Carroll, C. (2009, March 24). [http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/ Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures]. ''The Foundry''. [[Heritage Foundation|The Heritage Network]].</ref> Celente predicts that if a "second American Revolution" occurs in a peaceful and productive manner, it may include a [[Third Party System|third party movement]] of governance that will advocate a more [[free market]] [[capitalism]] approach to the American economy and a more strict interpretation of the [[United States Constitution|United States constitution]] as far as the authors' [[original intent]].
During what the [[White House]] billed as [[Recovery Summer]], one half million workers per week continued losing their jobs. His signature legislative achievement, [[ObamaCare]],has been found to be [[unconstitutional]]<ref>Schoenberg, T. & Fisk, M.T. (2010, December 13). [http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-13/u-s-health-care-law-requirement-thrown-out-by-judge.html Obama's Health-Care Law Ruled Unconstitutional Over Insurance Requirement]. ''Bloomberg''.</ref> by several judges and constitutional by others, and is credited as a major cause of uncertainty, high [[unemployment]],<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33220 Obamacare: Unemployment You Can Believe In], [[Human Events]]</ref> lagging job creation,<ref>Foster, J.D. (2010, August 5). [http://blog.heritage.org/2010/08/05/it%E2%80%99s-official-medicare%E2%80%99s-finances-shadowed-by-uncertainty/ It’s Official: Medicare’s Finances Shadowed by Uncertainty]. ''The Foundry''. [[Heritage Foundation|The Heritage Network]].</ref> and risk of a credit default crisis.<ref>Samuelson, R.J. (2010, March 29). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/28/AR2010032802353.html With health bill, Obama has sown the seeds of a budget crisis]. ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref><ref>Cramer, J. (2010, March 19). [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeff-poor/2010/03/19/mad-money-cramer-health-care-passage-will-topple-stock-market 'Mad Money' Cramer: Health Care Passage 'Will Topple the Stock Market']. ''[[Newsbusters]]''.</ref>
His 2012 Budget plan has been roundly criticized in the mainstream and liberal press as not a serious effort to deal with the nation's economic crisis.<ref>[http://www.republican.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/blog?ID=1551d6f5-2ac9-4b8d-97ab-74def354024e Newspapers Call Out White House: ‘What Would That Path Be, Mr. President?’]</ref>
[[Jeffrey Tucker]] wrote, "President Obama's economic policy has been catastrophic for liberty, enterprise, and the American dream—the very archetype of what not to do to end recession." <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118186176/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=anncoulter-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1118186176 Debacle: Obama's War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future]</ref>
=====Stimulus=====
:''See also: [[Recovery Summer]]''
In early 2009, Obama lobbied Congress and the public to pass a sweeping Stimulus package<ref>(2009, January 3). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28479998/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-urges-congress-pass-stimulus-plan/ Obama Urges Congress to Pass Stimulus Plan]." ''[[Associated Press]]''.<br>Parsons, C. & Nicholas, P. (2009, February 10). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28479998/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-urges-congress-pass-stimulus-plan/ Barack Obama Sternly Urges Congress to Pass Economic Stimulus]." ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''.</ref> known as ''The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009'' (H.R. 1).<ref>"[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1: Bill Text Versions: H.R. 1]." 111th Congress (2009-2010). ''[[Library of Congress]]''.<br>"[http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204335,00.html The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Information Center]." ''[[IRS]]''.</ref> The report of the Congressional Budget Office mandated by law stated that the legislation would ultimately harm the economy.<ref>Dinan, S. (2009, February 4). "[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/04/cbo-obama-stimulus-harmful-over-long-haul/ CBO: Obama Stimulus Harmful Over Long Haul]." ''U.S. News''.</ref> Contrary to his promise of bipartisanship,<ref>Dinan, S. (2009, March 28). "[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/mar/28/mccain-obama-breaks-campaign-promises-shuns-bipart/?page=all McCain: Obama Breaks Promise of Bipartisanship]." ''[[Washington Times]]''.</ref> the bill passed the House 244-188 on January 28, 2009 with 11 Democrats voting with the entire Republican caucus against,<ref>Calmes, J. (2009, January 28). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/us/politics/29obama.html House Passes Stimulus Plan With No G.O.P. Votes]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> and received just 3 Republican votes when passing the Senate 61-37.<ref>Herszenhorn, D.M. (2009, February 10). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/washington/11web-stim.html Senate Approves Stimulus Plan]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> One third of the massive $838 billion bill consisted of [[Backdoor_spending_authority#Backdoor_tax_expenditures|backdoor tax expenditures]]<ref>(2009, February 11). "Senate Passes $838 Billion Stimulus Bill]." ''[[Associated Press]]''.</ref> and the rest direct [[new spending]] on "just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years."<ref>(2009, January 28). "[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310466514522309.html A 40-Year Wish List]." ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> In responding to criticism of the broken bipartisanship promise at the time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously quipped, "We won the election. We wrote the bill."<ref>Kane, P. (2009, January 23). "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012203961.html Stimulus Plan Meets More GOP Resistance]." ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref> On February 18, 2009, the Stimulus was signed into law by Obama.<ref>(2009, February 17). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29231790/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-stimulus-lets-americans-claim-destiny/ Obama: Stimulus Lets Americans Claim Destiny]." ''[[Associated Press]]''.</ref> In August 2009, Republicans and Democratic Senator David Obey drew attention to mistakes on the Recovery.gov site claiming millions of Stimulus jobs created that didn't exist. Obama responded by saying the errors just indicate his accounting is an "inexact science".<ref>(2009, November 18). "[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/18/obama-calls-stimulus-data-errors-issue-says-focus-job-growth/ Obama Calls Stimulus Data Errors 'Side Issue,' Says Focus Is on Job Growth]." ''[[Fox News]]''.</ref>
=====[[Sequestration]]=====
According to [[Pulitzer Prize]] winning journalist [[Bob Woodward]] of the ''[[Washington Post]]'', Obama misled the American people in a Presidential debate only two weeks before the 2012 election when he said, "The sequester is not something that I’ve proposed,”<ref>[http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-22/opinions/37238840_1_jack-lew-treasury-secretary-rob-nabors Obama’s sequester deal-changer,] By Bob Woodward, ''[[Washington Post]]'', February 22, 2013.</ref> when in fact his chief budget negotiator and current Chief of Staff, [[Jack Lew]], made a call to Democrat [[Harry Reid]] at 2:30 pm on July 27, 2011 with the proposal after clearing it with Obama,<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/22/fact-check-woodward-wrote-that-obama-administration-proposed-sequester/ Fact-check: Woodward wrote that Obama administration proposed sequester]. [[The Daily Caller]]</ref> as fully documented in Woodward's book, ''The Price of Politics''. Federal Reserve Chairman [[Ben Bernanke]] warned of immediate jobloss of about 750,000 jobs - about the same level as under George W. Bush<ref>[http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=109262 Monthly Jobloss under George W. Bush, Jan 2007 - Jan 2009]. See also [http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/fredgraph.png?graph_id=109266 Initial Unemployment Claims] over the same period, annualized. Source: [[U.S. Department of Labor]], Bureau of Labor Statistics.</ref> - if Obama's budget and economic plans were allowed to take effect.<ref>[http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/26/news/economy/bernanke-burden-recovery/ Bernanke: Spending cuts add 'significant' burden to recovery,] By Annalyn Kurtz, [[CNN]] February 26, 2013.</ref>
Woodward, who's reporting on [[Watergate]] is credited with toppling the administration of [[Richard Nixon]], told Wolf Blitzer of [[CNN]] he was told by a senior White House official he'd regret talking about the President Obama's positions on the sequester.<ref>[http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-woodward-obama-sequester-white-house-reporting-price-politics-2013-2 Bob Woodward: White House Threatened Me On Sequester,] businessinsider.com </ref>
=====Spreading the poverty=====
Following the 2011 debt ceiling standoff between Obama and House Republicans,<ref name=Swann-Aug>{{cite web|url=http://www.standardandpoors.com/servlet/BlobServer?blobheadername3=MDT-Type&blobcol=urldata&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3DUS_Downgraded_AA%2B.pdf&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobheadername1=content-type&blobwhere=1243942957443&blobheadervalue3=UTF-8 |title=United States of America Long-Term Rating Lowered to 'AA+' on Political Risks and Rising Debt Burden; Outlook Negative |publisher=[[Standard and Poor's]] |date=August 5, 2011 |accessdate=April 3, 2013}}</ref> the United States Government's credit rating was, for the first time in its history, downgraded from AAA to AA+, and [[poverty]]<ref>[http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/incpovhlth/2009/pov09fig04.pdf Figure 4: Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate: 1959-2009]. ''[[U.S. Census Bureau]]''. Current Population Survey, 1960 to 2010 Annual Social and Economic Supplements.</ref> increased markedly. By and large his programs, said to combat the recession, unemployment, slow growth, and deficits, have failed<ref>"The vast majority (73%) of respondents reported the fiscal stimulus enacted in February 2009 has had no impact on employment to date. While 68% also believe a jobs bill, such as the one recently enacted into law, will have no impact on payrolls, 30% do believe it will boost payrolls moderately".<br>[http://www.nabe.com/press/ind1004.pdf Industry Survey], ''National Association for Business Economics'', April 2010, p. 2.</ref> leaving the the country saddled with an $18 trillion [[national debt]] and climbing.<ref>During Obama's first two years in office, the rate of new U.S. federal debt added per year to its total tripled the rate of new debt accumulated by Bush to place the U.S. on a war footing, and during Obama's first six years in office, the total National Debt has nearly doubled ($7.5 trillion added). See [[National Debt]].</ref> One of his most well known tactics is blaming someone else, such as George W. Bush, for all his failures instead of taking responsibility. Also on the domestic front, Obama passed an expensive [[health care]] bill in 2010 with no national consensus or [[bipartisan]] support and 34 Democrats dissenting. Recently, the [[Congressional Budget Office]] wrote an open letter to [[John Boehner]], the Speaker of the House, outlining the effects of repealing [[Obamacare]] and explaining why net loss of over 100 billion dollars would occur from the repeal. <ref>[http://cbo.gov/publication/43471 Letter to the Honorable John Boehner providing an estimate for H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare Act], [[Congressional Budget Office]]</ref>
====Healthcare mandates====
{{main article|Obamacare}}
On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the unpopular Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The act originated in the [[Democratic]]ally controlled House and was amended and passed the Senate just prior to Sen. [[Ted Kennedy]]'s death largely along party lines with a significant number of Democrats voting to oppose. In what was construed as a de facto rejection of the bill, [[Massachusetts]] voters elected a [[Republican]] candidate, [[Scott Brown]], who promised to vote against the bill if given the chance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/scott-brown-wins-massachusetts-senate-race.html|work=[[Washington Post]]|author=Chris Cillizza|date=January 19, 2010|title=Scott Brown wins Massachusetts Senate special election race|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> After Obama made a promise to issue an [[executive order]] that would ultimately prohibit the use of taxpayer subsidies to pay for [[abortion]] services,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/22/nation/la-na-healthcare-passage22-2010mar22/3|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes historic healthcare overhaul|date=March 22, 2010|author=Noam N. Levey and Janet Hook}}</ref> the Democratic [[House of Representatives]] would pass the bill as it left the Senate 219-212, with 34 Democrats and all other parties dissenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-21/politics/health.care.main_1_health-care-entire-house-democratic-caucus-pre-existing-conditions?_s=PM:POLITICS|date=March 21, 2010|author=Alan Silverleib|work=[[CNN]]|format=HTML|language=English|title=House passes health care bill on 219-212 vote}}</ref>
Amongst other things, the act mandated that everyone purchase health care coverage or face punitive tax measures, and was upheld by the [[Supreme Court]].
====Regulatory reform====
Obama criticized the "revolving door" of government and business.<ref>"We need to close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely, and lets them use their time in public service as a way to promote their own interests over the interests of the American people when they leave." [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-welcoming-senior-staff-and-cabinet-secretaries-white-house REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN WELCOMING SENIOR STAFF AND CABINET SECRETARIES TO THE WHITE HOUSE,] January 21, 2009. [[White House]]</ref> After appointing [[Peter Orszag]] his first Budget Director to dole out the stimulus cash, Orszag resigned to become Citigroup's Vice Chairman of Global Banking. Citigroup was the recipient of $476 billion in [[bailout]] money - more than any other bank - after the disastrous [[Financial crisis of 2008]].<ref>[http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/03/citibank_received_more_bailout.html Citigroup Received More Bailout Money Than Any Other Bank,] By Nitasha Tiku, 3/16/11. </ref> Before the bailout, Orszag's expert opinion of the chances of a mortgage meltdown were 1 in 500,000.<ref>[http://www.pierrelemieux.org/stiglitzrisk.pdf Implications of the New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Risk-based Capital Standard,] by Joseph E. Stiglitz, Jonathan M. Orszag and Peter R. Orszag. Fannie Mae Papers, Volume 1, Issue 2, March 2002, Conclusion p.6. </ref>
====Environment and energy====
{{main article|Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster}}
President Obama authorized offshore oil drilling in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0430/Gulf-of-Mexico-oil-spill-imperils-Obama-s-offshore-drilling-plan Gulf of Mexico oil spill imperils Obama's offshore drilling plan,] By Mark Clayton, ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', April 30, 2010.</ref> stating, "oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills"<ref>White House Press Release, [http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-a-discussion-jobs-and-economy-charlotte-north-carolina Remarks by the President in a Discussion on Jobs and the Economy in Charlotte, North Carolina,] Office of the Press Secretary, April 02, 2010. Retrieved from whitehouse.gov 3 May 2010.</ref> and was widely criticized for his mishandling of the "[[Gulf oil spill disaster|worst environmental disaster]] in US history."<ref>[http://www.examiner.com/x-33986-Political-Spin-Examiner~y2010m4d29-Worst-environmental-disaster-in-US-history-Oil-slick-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-is-set-on-fire Worst environmental disaster in US history,] Maryann Tobin, ''Examiner'', April 29, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/the-oil-spill-is-obamas-fault/?src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman Conscience of a Liberal: The Oil Spill Is Obama’s Fault,] Paul Krugman, ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 30, 2010.</ref>
====Reverses Clinton gay discrimination rule====
{{main article|Don't Ask Don't Tell}}
Candidate Obama promised to repeal a policy that originated with President Clinton and passed by a Democratically controlled Congress that prohibited inquiries into military personnel's [[sexual orientation]] while barring openly gay [[homosexuals]] from serving in the military. [[Liberals]] expressed anger when time passed and no effort to repeal the law was seen;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/|work=[[Washington Times]]|format=HTML|title=Obama to delay ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal|language=English|author=Rowan Scarborough|date=November 21, 2008}}</ref> in fact, Obama's [[justice department]], as part of their duty to defend all laws passed by any administration, filed a brief arguing against the [[Supreme Court]] granting a [[writ of certiorari]] to a gay soldier challenging the law (the writ was not granted). In response, the soldier, James Pietrangelo II, a former Army infantryman and lawyer, said, “[Obama's] a coward, a bigot and a pathological liar. This is a guy who spent more time picking out his dog, Bo, and playing with him on the White House lawn than he has working for equality for gay people."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Time Magazine]]|publisher=Time Inc.|format=HTML|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1903545,00.html?imw=Y|title=Dismay Over Obama's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Turnabout|author=Mark Thompson|date=Jun. 09, 2009}}</ref>
On December 15th, 2010, a bill was introduced in the [[House of Representatives]] to repeal the law - it passed a day later by a vote of 250-175;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll638.xml|title=FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 638|format=HTML|work=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives}}</ref> it passed the Senate three days later 65-31.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00281|work=The U.S. Senate|title=U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Session|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 on December 22nd.<ref name="g dadt">{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/22/obama-repeals-dont-ask-dont-tell|work=[[The Guardian]]|format=HTML|language=English|title='Don't ask, don't tell' repealed as Obama signs landmark law|date=22 December 2010}}</ref> The [[Pentagon]] itself could not immediately implement the repeal and questioned whether it would hurt combat readiness.<ref name="g dadt"/>
====Labor law and compensation to 9/11 first responders====
Obama's first act of office was to sign the [[Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (2009)|Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act]] - effectively nullifying the [[Supreme Court]] case ''Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'', which ruled that Ledbetter had to have filed a pay [[discrimination]] suit within 180 days of the first time Ledbetter was paid less than her male peers;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|format=HTML|language=English|title=Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation|author=Sheryl Gay Stolberg|date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> the law made corporations subject to suit within 180 days of each time the employee was unfairly paid.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://writ.news.findlaw.com/grossman/20090213.html?=features|work=FindLaw|author=Joanna L. Grossman|date=Feb. 13, 2009|format=HTML|language=English|title=The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009}}</ref>
On January 2, 2011, Obama signed the James Zadroga [[9/11]] Healthcare and Compensation Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/jan/02/obama-signs-zadroga-act-law/|publisher=New York Public Radio|title=Obama Signs Zadroga Act into Law|author=Fred Mogul|date=January 02, 2011|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> The act, which afforded 9/11 first responders who were sickened by the dust from the collapse of the [[World Trade Center]] health care and compensation, passed [[Congress]] after its sponsors agreed to scale down the pricing from 7.4 to 4.2 billion dollars.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/dec/22/zadroga-911-bill-passes-senate/|publisher=New York Public Radio|work=wNYC|format=HTML|language=English|title=Congress Approves 9/11 Health Bill|date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>
===Foreign policy===
Unlike Presidents [[Abraham Lincoln]] and [[Franklin Roosevelt]], Barack Obama has shown scant concern about the revival of [[slavery]] which took place on his watch shortly after his "apology tour", intended to diminish U.S. influence in the world.<ref>[http://womensenews.org/story/international-policyunited-nations/150527/un-sex-violence-envoy-focusing-syria-iraq UN Sex Violence Envoy: Focusing on Syria, Iraq]</ref><ref>[http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/06/barack-obamas-top-10-apologies-how-the-president-has-humiliated-a-superpower Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower], [[Heritage Foundation]]</ref> Obama, who was raised a Muslim<ref>[http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2007/01/was_obama_blood.html Was Obama bloodied by madrassa story?]</ref><ref>[http://www.danielpipes.org/11952/obama-muslim-childhood Obama's Muslim Childhood]</ref> and is not a descendent of slaves, criticized Christians and the Crusades as reports of thousands of women and girls being captured, sold, and raped flooded in.<ref>[http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/579393/ISIS-Michelle-Obama-prostitute-justifies-raping-slave-girls-Koran ISIS calls Michelle Obama a PROSTITUTE and justifies raping slave girls with the KORAN]</ref><ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-speech-at-prayer-breakfast-called-offensive-to-christians/2015/02/05/6a15a240-ad50-11e4-ad71-7b9eba0f87d6_story.html Critics pounce after Obama talks Crusades, slavery at prayer breakfast], [[Washington Post]]</ref>
====Commander-in-chief====
As Senator, Obama was highly critical of President Bush and promised change. As President, Obama has tripled down in Afghanistan, widened the war into Pakistan, multiplied drone attacks, bombed Yemen and Somalia, and started an undeclared NATO war in Libya. On presidential war powers, surveillance questions, Guantanamo, detention policy and habeas corpus, Obama has similarly stayed the course, or expanded Bush's precedents. In a speech on May 19, 2011 Obama fully embraced the [[Bush Doctrine]] of preventative war.<ref>Krauthammer, C. (April 19). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-news-in-obamas-speech/2011/05/19/AF4dFN7G_story.html The News in Obama's Speech]. ''[[Washington Post]]''.</ref>
From the Boston Globe:
<blockquote>
'The New America Foundation, which tracks the strikes, has listed 23 raids since the beginning of April, 2011, all but one in Pakistan’s tribal regions of North and South Waziristan. A June 20 attack was reported in Kurram, an area north of North Waziristan along the Afghanistan border.'
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
'The drone program has become increasingly controversial as the Obama administration has expanded its use beyond the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lethal missiles have been launched from unmanned aircraft in at least five countries in addition to Pakistan: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and, most recently, Somalia. The military’s Joint Special Operations Command used a drone last June to attack what officials said were two senior members of the Al Shabab militant group on the Somali coast.' <ref>DeYoung, K. (2011, July 4). [http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2011/07/04/cia_halts_drone_launches_from_pakistan_base/ CIA Halts Drone Launches From Pakistan Base]. ''[[The Boston Globe]]''. </ref>
</blockquote>
A commentator says:
<blockquote>
'Obama is commendable when he says he wants to avoid war. His policies, however, favor war by destabilizing the Middle East making it extremely hostile and favoring radical Islam over America’s ally, Israel, and American interests in the region... The president has chosen a very dangerous path for every American and one that promises great difficulty for Israel.' <ref> [http://www.thejerusalemconnection.us/blog/2012/03/14/obamas-words-disguise-his-israel-foreign-policy-actions.html Obama's words disguise his Israel foreign policy actions.] </ref>
</blockquote>
By Obama's third year as Commander-in-Chief, over 1200 American troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan - significantly more than the number who died during President [[George W. Bush]]'s term of office. And growing numbers of civilian contractors also have fallen. In the first half of 2010, 250 contractors reportedly died in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than the 235 military personnel who fell during the same period.<ref>http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/05/24/114662/what-price-war.html#ixzz1Nz07pg5O</ref>
====National Defense====
President Obama signed into U.S. law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), only after his administration successfully lobbied to remove language from the bill that would have protected American citizens from being detained indefinitely without trial.<ref>Aaron Dykes. [http://www.infowars.com/president-obamas-ndaa-signing-statement-i-have-the-power-to-detain-americans-but-i-wont/ Obama’s Signing Statement on NDAA: I have the power to detain Americans… but I won’t], Infowars.com, January 1, 2012. </ref> After the legislation cleared Congress, the ACLU commented that if President Obama signed the bill it "will damage both his legacy and American’s reputation for upholding the rule of law," while executive director of the ''Human Rights Watch'' blasted the President for being ‘on the wrong side of history,’ noting that "Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law."<ref>President Decides to Sign Ill-Conceived National Defense Authorization Act. [http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/12/14/us-refusal-veto-detainee-bill-historic-tragedy-rights US: Refusal to Veto Detainee Bill A Historic Tragedy for Rights], ''[[Human Rights Watch]]'', December 14, 2011. </ref><ref>[http://www.aclu.org/national-security/white-house-backs-away-defense-bill-veto-threat White House Backs Away from Defense Bill Veto Threat], ''[[ACLU]]'', December 14, 2011.</ref>
Section 1031 of the NDAA bill, which itself defines the entirety of the United States as a “battlefield,” allows American citizens to be snatched from the streets, carted off to a foreign detention camp and held indefinitely without trial. As reported by Infowars.com, the bill states that “any person who has committed a belligerent act” faces indefinite detention, but no trial or evidence has to be presented, the White House merely needs to make the accusation.<ref>Paul Joseph Watson. [http://www.infowars.com/obama-administration-demanded-power-to-indefinitely-detain-u-s-citizens/ Obama Administration Demanded Power To Indefinitely Detain U.S. Citizens], Infowars.com, December 12, 2011.</ref><ref>S.1867 [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c112:2:./temp/~c1122VN0Iv:e548990: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Engrossed in Senate [Passed Senate] - ES)], ''[[Library of Congress]]'' THOMAS, 112th Congress (2011-2011), Accessed January 25, 2012.</ref><ref>Text of S.1867 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012. [http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1867/text?version=es&nid=t0:es:281 Sec. 1031. Affirmation of authority of the Armed Forces of the United States to detain covered persons pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force.], [[U.S. Congress]], ''OpenCongress.org'', (Accessed January 25, 2012).</ref>
====More deaths in "dumb wars"====
American deaths in [[Afghanistan]] more than doubled in Obama's first few years compared with the preceding eight years of George Bush <ref>Chesser, S.G. (2012, July 12). [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R41084.pdf Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians - CRS Report for Congress]. Pg. 3. ''Congressional Research Service'''.</ref> as he increased troop strength for no discernible purpose and to "win" unstated objectives. Against his own Defense Secretary's advice, Obama [[Libyan uprising 2011|attacked Libya]] and forced regime change without Congressional authorization in violation of the post-Nixon era reform measure, the [[War Powers Act]].
After he took personal credit for killing [[Osama bin Laden]], the [[U.S. State Department]] warned of increased risk to the lives and safety of Americans.<ref>''KABC-TV/DT'' (2011, July 27). [http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8273909 Risk of anti-US violence up after Osama bin Laden's death]. On ''ABC7 News''.</ref> Bin Laden's successor, [[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] confirmed the [[Benghazi Attack]] which took place on the anniversary of 9/11 and killed more Americans, was motivated by al-Qaeda's desire for revenge.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/12/world/africa/libya-attack-jihadists/index.html Pro-al Qaeda group seen behind deadly Benghazi attack], By Nic Robertson, Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister, [[CNN]], September 13, 2012.</ref> Bin Laden's death, as Obama's advisers warned, freed up jihadis who swore an oath of allegiance to the 9/11 mastermind to swear allegiance to rival and competing factions. The competing factions advocated the immediate establishment of the Islamic State, rather than after the overthrow of the Saudi monarchy and retaking of Mecca. As was well known, bin Laden always held a controversial and minority position among jihadis on the strategy for global jihad by attacking the United States first. Bin Laden's killing, intended as an election year gimmick, brought Obama no improvement in approval ratings and spawned unprecedented growth in global terror and jihadi recruiting.
====Al Qaeda and Libya====
{{main article|Libyan uprising 2011}}
In February 2011, the political unrest that spread through the Arab world showed up as protests in Libya. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, leader of Libya for 41 years, responded to the violence<ref>[http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28376.htm There Was No Libyan Peaceful Protest, Just Murderous Gangs and Nic Robertson]</ref> with legitimate steps.<ref name="nyt libya">{{cite web|url=http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/libya/index.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|publisher=The New York Times Inc.|format=HTML|language=English|title=Libya — Protests and Revolt (2011)}}</ref> The [[United Nations Security Council]] voted to impose [[sanctions]], and later passed a resolution to protect civilians. Obama, without approval from Congress and over the objections of his own National Security staff,<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gates-libyan-no-fly-zone-means-attacking-libya/ Gates: Libyan no-fly zone means attacking Libya], [[CBS News]]</ref> directed American forces to take out Libya's air defense system.<ref name="nyt libya"/> Secretary of Defence [[Robert Gates]], National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough, and [[White House]] counterterrorism chief [[John O. Brennan]] all opposed the action. Obama later said, "if we waited one more day Benghazi, a city nearly the size of Charlotte, could suffer a massacre that would have reverberated across the region and stained the conscience of the world."<ref>{{cite web|author=Barack Obama|url=http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134935452/obamas-speech-on-libya-a-responsibility-to-act|title=Obama's Speech On Libya: 'A Responsibility To Act'|date=March 28, 2011|publisher=National Public Radio ([[NPR]])|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> [[Alan J. Kuperman]], in an editorial for the ''[[Boston Globe]]'' - suggested this statement was false, writing, "intervention did not prevent genocide, because no such bloodbath was in the offing. To the contrary, by emboldening rebellion, US interference has prolonged Libya’s civil war and the resultant suffering of innocents."<ref name="kuperman">{{cite web|author=Alan J. Kuperman|work=The Boston Globe|url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions|title=False pretense for war in Libya?|date=April 14, 2011}}</ref> Kuperman, a professor of public affairs at the University of Texas who authored a book called ''The Limits of Humanitarian Intervention'', further stated that the rebels had tricked the world into thinking a bloodbath was at hand and that Obama had lied to the American people in order to act on this theory.<ref name="kuperman"/>
<blockquote>
Gaddafi [never] threaten civilian massacre in Benghazi, as Obama alleged. The “no mercy’’ warning, of March 17, targeted rebels only, as reported by ''The New York Times'', which noted that Libya’s leader promised amnesty for those “who throw their weapons away.’’ Gaddafi even offered the rebels an escape route and open border to Egypt, to avoid a fight “to the bitter end.’’ <ref> [http://politicalcartel.org/2011/04/17/libya-and-the-obama-doctrine/ Libya and the “Obama Doctrine”.] </ref>
</blockquote>
Gaddafi wrote to Obama and told him he bore no ill will. "We have been hurt more morally than physically because of what had happened against us in both deeds and words by you," he wrote. "Despite all this you will always remain our son whatever happened. We still pray that you continue to be president of the USA. We endeavour and hope that you will gain victory in the new election campaign."<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/06/gaddafi-obama-nato-libya?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 Gaddafi begs Obama to halt 'unjust war' ], [[The Guardian ]]</ref>
=====Aid to violent Islamists=====
A March 29, 2011 article in the ''[[Washington Post]]'' included these paragraphs:
{{Cquote|"It’s almost a certitude that at least part” of the Libyan opposition includes members of al-Qaeda, said Bruce Riedel, a former senior CIA analyst and adviser to President Obama. Riedel said that anti-Gaddafi elements in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi have had “very close associations with al-Qaeda” dating back years....I would hope that we now have a good sense of the opposition in Libya and can say that this is 2 percent, not 20 percent,” Riedel said. “If we don’t, then we are running the risk of helping to bring to power a regime that could be very dangerous.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/libyan-opposition-includes-a-small-number-of-al-qaeda-fighters-us-officials-say/2011/03/29/AFRlXWyB_story.html Libyan opposition includes a small number of al-Qaeda fighters, U.S. officials say], [[Washington Post]]</ref>}}
This set off a fierce debate in the [[Obama administration]] over the wisdom of arming terrorists.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/africa/30diplo.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Washington in Fierce Debate on Arming Libyan Rebels], [[The New York Times]]</ref> It is now known sometime prior to March 31, 2011,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/world/africa/31intel.html?_r=2&hp C.I.A. Agents in Libya Aid Airstrikes and Meet Rebels], [[The New York Times]]</ref> at the urging of Hillary Clinton<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/19/world/africa/19policy.html?_r=3&hp& Obama Takes Hard Line With Libya After Shift by Clinton], [[The New York Times]]</ref> and over the objections of his National Security Council, Obama signed a Presidential Finding authorizing support for the rebel jihadis.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/30/us-libya-usa-order-idUSTRE72T6H220110330 Exclusive: Obama authorizes secret help for Libya rebels], [[Reuters]]</ref>
By October 2011, [[Libyan rebel fighting group]]s with support from [[NATO]] overtook the capital and toppled the government. Gaddafi was captured and brutally and sadistically murdered.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPzeLLL9V-c Leading from behind - a critique of Obama foreign policy]</ref> The jihadis were immediately recognized by the U.S. and the U.N. as the new legitimate government. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, chairman of the National Transitional Council, announced [[Sharia]] will be the source for all legislation and all laws conflicting with Sharia are null and void.<ref name="Sharia">[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8861608/Libya-Al-Qaeda-flag-flown-above-Benghazi-courthouse.html Libya: Al Qaeda flag flown above Benghazi courthouse] - [[Daily Telegraph]]</ref> Abdel Rahim al-Kib, the country's interim prime minister, echoed Jalil's words days later.<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail/207953.html New Libyan PM backs Islamic sharia law]</ref> The al Qaeda flag was flown above the Benghazi courthouse, and reports surfaced that the Libyan jihadis had imposed Sharia law in some parts of the country even earlier.<ref name="Sharia" /> By February 17, 2013, four foreign nationals were arrested for distributing Christian literature, a charge that could carry the death penalty<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/17/libya-arrests-suspected-foreign-missionaries Libya arrests foreign 'missionaries' Four foreign nationals accused of distributing Christian literature] a charge that could carry the death penalty, Chris Stephen [[The Guardian]], Sunday 17 February 2013.</ref>
=====Terrorist attack on American soil=====
:{{main|Benghazi Attack}}
With several U.S.embassies besieged on the anniversary of the [[September 11 attacks]], White House Press Secretary [[Jay Carney]] declared there was no reason to believe the attack on the sovereign territory of the United States consulate in Benghazi, less than two months before the [[2012 Presidential election]] which killed Americans, was a terrorist attack.
{{Cquote|The unrest that we’ve seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims, find offensive.}}
This became the official White House line. Between laughs with [[Jon Stewart]] on ''[[Comedy Central]]'', Obama said the death of Americans was "not optimal".<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/10/18/Obama-Benghazi-murders-not-optimal Interview with Jon Stewart of the ''Daily Show''], [[Breitbart.com]]</ref> When pressed by reporters, who pointed out evidence that the violence in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, Press Secretary Carney argued “the unrest around the region has been in response to this video.”
Leading suspected jihadis in the murders and terrorist attack were the local Benghazi branch of Ansar al-Shariah, known to have ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121023114113/http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/10/19/when-an-obama-adviser-called-benghazi-an-al-qaeda-hotbed/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway When an Obama adviser called Benghazi an al-Qaeda hotbed]</ref> A commander of the terrorist group boasted jovially about the attack over drinks with reporters for the ''[[New York Times]]'' in Benghazi<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/world/africa/election-year-stakes-overshadow-nuances-of-benghazi-investigation.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world Election-Year Stakes Overshadow Nuances of Libya Investigation], [[The New York Times]]</ref>.<ref>[http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/frappe-libya-attack/ Frappe-Sipping Libyan Militant Laughs at U.S. Manhunt for Benghazi Killers], [[Wired (magazine)]]</ref>
=====[[Al Qaeda in the Maghreb]]=====
Two more Americans were killed, along with 35 others, after being taken hostage by rebel jihadists in Mali shortly after the Libyan upheaval.<ref>[http://world.time.com/2013/01/21/algeria-37-foreigner-hostages-killed-in-attack/ Algeria: 37 Foreigner Hostages Killed in Attack], Associated Press, Jan. 21, 2013. ''[[Time Magazine]]''.</ref>
Hillary Clinton testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the wake of the Benghazi murders under her stewardship, that weapons and fighters equipped by the Obama administration made their way to [[Mali]] and [[Algeria]]:
{{cquote|There is no doubt that the Algerian terrorists had weapons from Libya. There is no doubt that the Malian remnants of AQIM [Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb] have weapons from Libya.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/clinton-says-militants-used-weapons-libya-algeria-attack-154222664.html Clinton says militants used weapons from Libya in Algeria attack] [[Reuters]], Jan 23, 2013.</ref>}}
====Afghanistan====
{{main article|Afghanistan War}}
Obama escalated troop strength<ref name="pbs">{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/themes/strategy.html#ixzz1LhWNImZp|title=Obama's New Strategy (March '09)|author=George Packer, Seth Jones, David Kilcullen, Rory Stewart, Andrew Exum, Col. Andrew Bacevich (Ret.)|work=[[PBS]]|language=English|format=HTML}}</ref> and defense costs in Afghanistan from $43.5 billion in George Bush's last year to $113.7 billion for 2011.<ref>Congressional Research Service, quoted in Gregory Anthony, ''What price war?''</ref> Adviser to General [[Stanley McChrystal]] David Kilcullen wrote, "One of the big strategic shifts is the use of language now which talks about Pakistan and Afghanistan as the same theater. Now we talked about Af-Pak long before the Obama administration came about, but the public use of that term, and the description of it as the Afghanistan-Pakistan campaign, sends a new message to people about how the administration is going to think about Afghanistan and Pakistan."<ref name="pbs"/> T
====Mexico====
[[File:Eric Holder.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Eric Holder]] resigned as Attorney General in light of Fast & Furious<ref>[http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/10/fast_and_furious_in_a_rotten_nutshell.html#ixzz27iRBCN28 Fast and Furious in a Rotten Nutshell], Ronald Kolb, ''[[American Thinker]]'', October 7, 2011,</ref> and other scandals.]]
:''Main article:'' '''[[Operation Fast and Furious]]'''
In May of 2010, President Obama promised Mexican President [[Felipe Calderon]] that his administration would assist Mexico in curbing drug cartel violence, which has led to 30,000 deaths in Mexico. "President Calderon and I . . . stand together against the drug cartels that have unleashed horrific violence in so many communities," Obama said on May 19. "Mexico can count on the United States as a full partner in this effort."
The ''[[Washington Post]]'' has reported however that White House officials stopped a requirement for gun dealers to report bulk sales of high-powered semiautomatic rifles commonly used by illegal drug cartels. [[Justice Department]] officials had asked for White House approval to require thousands of gun dealers along the border to report the purchases to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives. ATF investigators expected to get leads on suspected arms traffickers. Senior law enforcement sources said the proposal from the ATF was held up by then White House chief of staff [[Rahm Emanuel]].<ref>Horwitz, S. & Grimaldi, J.V. (2010, December 17). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/17/AR2010121706598.html White House Delayed Rule Meant to Stop Gun Flow to Mexico]. ''The [[Washington Post]]''.</ref> Gun dealers have been required for decades to report the sales of multiple handguns to the ATF.
====Guantanamo Bay====
{{main article|Guantanamo Bay}}
One of Obama's campaign promises was that he would close the American detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba - detainees would be flown to other countries while the ones awaiting trial would enter the American court system. Two days after taking office he signed an order directing the military to do so.<ref name="salon">{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/25/obama_guantanamo_rhetoric|work=Salon|title=The Obama/Gitmo timeline|author=Natasha Lennard|format=HTML|language=English}}</ref> But, in November 2009 Obama admitted that his self imposed deadline of January 2010 would be missed, and in March 2011 the president went back on his campaign promise, signing an executive order to create a formal system of indefinite detention for the prisoners.<ref name="salon"/>
====Russia====
Obama criticized president of [[Russia]], [[Vladimir Putin]] for carrying out a referendum for the seizure of [[Crimea]] to Russia.<ref>[http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-calls-rethinking-crimea-vote Obama calls for a 'rethinking' on Crimea vote]. [[Cybercast News Service]]</ref>
==2012 Presidential Campaign==
: ''Main article: [[Presidential Election 2012]]''
===2011: Birth Certificate Released===
: ''Main article: [[Barack_Obama_Controversies#Birth_Certificate]]''
On April 27, 2011<ref>CNN Political Unit (2011, April 27). "[http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/27/white-house-releases-obama-birth-certificate/ White House Releases Obama Birth Certificate]." ''[[CNN]]''</ref>, a long-running controversy surrounding Obama's birth was largely put to rest<ref>Winter, J. (2011, April 29). "[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/29/expert-says-obamas-birth-certificate-legit/ Expert: No Doubt Obama's Birth Certificate is Legit]." ''[[Fox News]]''.<br>Tuchman, G. (2011, April 25). "[http://articles.cnn.com/2011-04-25/politics/birthers.obama.hawaii_1_birther-controversy-obama-opinion-research-corporation?_s=PM:POLITICS Obama Birther Claims Have No Merit]." ''[[CNN]]''.<br>(2011, April 27). "[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42779923/ns/politics-white_house/t/obama-releases-detailed-us-birth-certificate/ Obama Releases Detailed U.S. Birth Certificate]." ''[[MSNBC]]''.</ref> when Obama had his long-form birth certificate posted at WhiteHouse.gov.<ref>"[http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/birth-certificate-long-form.pdf Certificate of Live Birth]." State of Hawaii. Retrieved from ''WhiteHouse.gov''.</ref> Donald Trump, who had attacked Obama on the Birth Certificate issue and was then leading Republicans in polls for the upcoming GOP primary<ref>James, F. (2011, April 15). "[http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/04/15/135446314/poll-donald-trump-birther-darling-leads-gop-field-at-26 Donald Trump, Birther In Chief? Poll Has Him Leading GOP Field with 26 Percent]." ''[[NPR]]''.</ref>, was effectively knocked out of the race because of this.<ref>Kapur, S. (2011, May 10). "[http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/10/trumps-popularity-tanks-after-obama-releases-long-form-birth-certificate/ Trump's Popularity Tanks After Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate]." ''RawStory.com''.</ref>
The following is a timeline of previous events leading up to the release:
* In June 2008 the Obama campaign allowed FactCheck.org to look at his “Certificate of Live Birth” and take photos.<ref>Henig, J. (2008, August 21). [https://web.archive.org/web/20080823190312/http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html Born in the U.S.A.], FactCheck.org.</ref>
* In July 2008 a blogger discovered a birth announcement from the Honolulu Advertiser from August 13, 1961 for Barack Obama. It has since been discovered another newspaper, the Star Bulletin, also documented the birth.<ref>[[Snopes.com]]. [http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthcertificate.asp Barack Obama Birth Certificate]</ref>
* PolitiFact went to extreme lengths to verify Obama’s citizenship, attaining scanned copies of his 1992 marriage certificate from Cook County, IL, his driver’s license record, and his registration and disciplinary record. PolitiFact also addressed a number of concerns about the documentation.<ref>Hollyfield, A. (2008, June 27). [http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jun/27/obamas-birth-certificate-part-ii/ Obama’s birth certificate: Final chapter], PolitiFact.</ref>
* In October 2008 Hawaii’s Department of Health released a statement by Dr. Chiyome Fu.kino verifying that Obama’s birth certificate was on record.<ref>[http://hawaii.gov/health/about/pr/2008/08-93.pdf Hawaii Department of Health. News Release: Statement by Dr. Chiyome Fu.kino.]</ref>
* In August 2009 it was revealed that an alleged Kenyan birth certificate for Obama was a hoax.<ref>[[Snopes.com]]. [http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/birthers/kenyacert.asp Kenyan Mistake]</ref> Another website allows you to create your own imitation Kenyan birth certificates online.<ref>[http://kenyanbirthcertificategenerator.com/ KenyanBirthCertificateGenerator.com], Blue Collar Industries.</ref>
===2011: Death of Osama bin Laden===
On May 1, 2011, Obama misled the public when he announced <ref>Obama, B. (2011, May 2). "[http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead Osama Bin Laden Dead]." ''[[White House]]''.</ref><ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf1SLhNoUNY Nobel Prize Winner with a kill list].</ref> that Osama bin Laden was "killed in a firefight" after a U.S. special operations group infiltrated a compound in [[Abbottabad raid|Abottobad]], Pakistan.<ref>Baker, P., Cooper, H., & Mazzetti, M. (2011, May 1). "[Bin Laden is Dead, Obama Says]." ''[[The New York Times]]''.<br>"[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Osama_Bin_Laden/ Target Bin Laden: The Death of Public Enemy #1]." ''ABC News''.<br>''[[NPR]]''. "[http://www.npr.org/series/135908383/osama-bin-laden-dead Special Series: Osama Bin Laden Killed]." </ref> Attacks, murders, and kidnappings of Americans have since escalated as reprisals for bin Laden's death. [[Al Qaeda]], once broken and on the run, operates openly as the jihad has now become global. Relations with Pakistan, a longtime ally throughout the Cold War and War on Terror, became strained. The government of Pakistan denied White House claims it allowed Americans to kill Muslims on its territory.<ref>''[[Associated Press]]'' (2011, May 10). "[http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/05/10/pakistani-president-claims-bin-laden-deal/ Former Pakistani President Claims There Was Never Bin Laden Deal With U.S.]." Retrieved from ''[[Fox News]]''.</ref> For all his duplicity and criticism of the War on Terror, Obama experienced only a temporary blip in approval ratings.<ref>Dao, J. & Sussman, D. (2011, May 4). "[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05poll.html For Obama, Big Rise in Poll Numbers After Bin Laden Raid]." ''New York Times''.<br>''Pew Research Center'' (2011, May 2). "[http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/03/public-relieved-by-bin-ladens-death-obamas-job-approval-rises/ Public 'Relieved' by Bin Laden's Death, Obama's Job Approval Rises]."<br>Jones, J.M. (2011, May 5). "[http://www.gallup.com/poll/147437/obama-approval-rallies-six-points-bin-laden-death.aspx Obama Job Approval Rallies Six Points to 52% After Bin Laden Death]." ''Gallup''.</ref><ref>''[[CBS News]]/[[Associated Press]]'' (2012, May 1). "[http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57424622/1-year-after-osama-bin-laden-killed-still-no-answers-from-pakistan/ 1 Year After Osama bin Laden Killed, Still No Answers from Pakistan]."</ref>
An NBC investigation revealed Obama was informed of bin Laden's whereabouts one full year before he attempted to use it as an election year issue. NBC further reported that there was no "firefight" at all, contradicting what the president told the nation.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3077864/NBC-investigatin-says-bama-DID-edit-role-Pakistan-killing-Bin-Laden-change-facts-credit.html NBC investigation claims Obama knew where bin Laden was ONE YEAR before 2011 raid and backs Seymour Hersh's claim Pakistan intelligence hid al-Qaeda chief], [[Daily Mail ]]</ref> As early as the day after bin Laden was executed, it was learned bin Laden was not armed in the alleged "firefight" that Obama claimed took place.
=== 2012: Possible Ties to ACORN ===
According to Stanley Kurtz - author of ''Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism'' (2010) Obama in 1995 sought and obtained the endorsement of a left-wing third party, the [[New Party]] in his quest to be elected to the Illinois State Senate.<ref>Kurtz, S. (2012, June 7). [http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/302031/obamas-third-party-history-stanley-kurtz Obama's Third-Party History]. ''[[National Review Online]]''.</ref> Obama's "Fight the Smears" campaign has denied this, as has Politico's Ben Smith.<ref name=pollack>Pollack, J.B. (2012, June 7). [http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/07/Obama-Caught-Lying-Again-He-WAS-Member-of-New-Party-Says-Kurtz Obama Caught Lying Again: He WAS Member of 'New Party', Says Kurtz]. ''[[Breitbart.com]]''<br>Smith, B. (2008, October 25). [http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1008/The_dread_New_Party.html The Dread New Party]. ''[[Politico]]''.</ref> Others who claim he was affiliated with the New Party/ACORN include [[The Blaze]]'s Billy Hallowell<ref>Hallowell, B. (2012, June 7). [http://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-new-documents-show-obama-was-a-member-of-the-far-left-new-party/ News Docs Reportedly Show Obama Was a Member of the Far-Left 'New Party']. ''[[The Blaze]]''.</ref>, Breitbart's Joel Pollack, Human Events' Erick Erickson<ref>Erickson, E. (2008, June 10). [http://www.humanevents.com/2008/06/10/obama-and-the-new-party/ Obama and the New Party]. ''[[Human Events]]''.</ref>, Newsbusters' P.J. Gladnick<ref>Gladnick, P.J. (2008, October 12). [http://newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/10/08/will-msm-report-obama-membership-socialist-new-party#ixzz21JfE3z1z Will MSM Report on Obama Membership in Socialist New Party?] ''[[Newsbusters]]''.</ref>, Rick Moran at AmericanThinker.com<ref>Rick Moran. [http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/06/obamas_alliance_with_marxists.html Obama's Alliance with Marxists], ''[[American Thinker]]'', June 03, 2008.</ref>, and various writers at [[Discover the Networks]] (which include Kurtz and Erickson).<ref>[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=7434 NEW PARTY (NP)], ''[[Discover the Networks]]''.</ref>
Kurtz in 2012 has claimed to find minutes of the New Party Chicago chapter that say, "''Barack Obama, candidate for State Senate in the 13th Legislative District, gave a statement to the membership and answered questions. He signed the New Party 'Candidate Contract' and requested an endorsement from the New Party. He also joined the New Party.''"<ref name=pollack /> Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod responded to Kurtz with silence and when asked if that meant "yes or no", Axelrod stated, "You can take that as I have no idea what you are talking about."<ref>Pollack, J.B. (2012, June 7). [http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/06/07/Exclusive-Axelrod-Plays-Dumb-on-Obama-and-Socialist-New-Party Exclusive: Axelrod Plays Dumb on Obama and Socialist New Party]. ''[[Breitbart.com]]''</ref>
===2012: "You didn't build that" Controversy===
{{main|You didn't build that}}
On July 13, 2012, at a campaign event in [[Virginia]], Obama gave a speech that immediately stirred up controversy. Speaking about the government's role in the success of private business, he said:<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/13/remarks-president-campaign-event-roanoke-virginia Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event in Roanoke, Virginia], [[White House]]</ref>
{{cquote|If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business - you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.}} The [[Romney]] campaign has used "If you’ve got a business - you didn’t build that" in ads to show America that Obama believes it is government that creates business rather than hard-working individuals. The Obama campaign has alternatively stated that the sentenced was poorly worded since he was not giving a scripted speech and that when Obama said "that" he was referring to roads and bridges. Obama points to a later portion of his speech in which he said, "The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together," to support his claim.
===Results===
On November 6, 2012 Barack Obama won reelection with 332 electoral votes to Mitt Romney's 206.<ref>[http://www.politico.com/2012-election/results/map/ 2012 Presidential Election], [[Politico]]</ref> Obama received 51% of the popular vote (65,899,660 votes) to Romney's 47% (60,932,152 votes).<ref>[http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012presgeresults.pdf Official 2012 Presidential General Election Results], [[Federal Election Commission]]</ref>
==See also==
*[[Political positions of Barack Obama]]
*[[Barack Obama and uncharitableness]]
*[[Barack Obama and abortion]]
*[[Essay:Born Outside the U.S.A.!]]
*[[Essay: The Special Interests Candidate]]
*[[Lobbyists ties to the Obama administration]]
*[[Obama doublespeak]]
*[[Obama inauguration]]
*[[Religion of Barack Hussein Obama]]
*[[The Honorable James David Manning]]
*[[Al Qaeda in the Maghreb]]
*[[Essay:The Obama Manifesto]]
*[[Obama syndrome]]
*[[Barack Obama's past dog meat eating and 2012 election campaign]]
*[[Barack Obama's "Last chance at dinner" fundraising letter]]
*[[Essay: Does Barack Hussein Obama care if America defaults on credit?]]
*[[Essay:The lie that we are safer under Obama]]
*[[Essay: Foes Want Obama to Fail, A Republican Perspective]]
*[[Essay:Impeach Obama]]
*[[Obama's second term agenda]]
*[[ObamaRail]]
*[[Obama sequester]]
*[[Obama (disambiguation)]]
*[[Essay: President's speech after the defeat of two tyrants]]
* [[Unconstitutional]] [[Executive amnesty]] via Obama [[Executive Order]]s
* [[Universal health care]] for [[Illegal immigration|illegal aliens]] via [[ObamaCare]]
==External links==
==External links==
*[http://barackobamadoubletalk.com/ Barack Obama Doubletalk]
*[http://hotair.com/archives/2013/07/03/national-journal-obama-facing-crisis-over-incompetence/ National Journal: Obama facing crisis over incompetence]
*[http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/6130/ The New Cult of Personality]
*[http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/06/23/che-obama-and-the-revolutionary-agenda/ Che, Obama, and the Revolutionary Agenda]
*[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/09/americas-first-muslim-president/ GAFFNEY: America's first Muslim president?] Washington Times
*[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-l-esposito/barack-obama-and-islam_b_212519.html Barack Obama and Islam.] by [[John L. Esposito]].
*[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78931 Democrat: Obama's grandma confirms Kenyan birth.]
*[http://www.ontheissues.org/barack_obama.htm Barack Obama on the issues.]
==References==
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