| − | '''Barack Hussein Obama II''' (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"] (betw. September-November 2013). OpenSecrets.org website.</ref> and spending more than a billion dollars from special interests to snag reelection in 2012.<ref>Multiple references: | + | '''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"] (betw. September-November 2013). OpenSecrets.org website.</ref> and spending more than a billion dollars from special interests to snag reelection in 2012.<ref>Multiple references: |
| | *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/index.php "2012 presidential race/Overall spending"] (betw. August-September 2015). OpenSecrets.org website. This count of over $1 billion has decreased since August-Sept. 2015, but is incomplete (compare, for example, University of California contributions uncounted from the previous reference) and has every chance of remaining close to its later total of $964 million. | | *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/index.php "2012 presidential race/Overall spending"] (betw. August-September 2015). OpenSecrets.org website. This count of over $1 billion has decreased since August-Sept. 2015, but is incomplete (compare, for example, University of California contributions uncounted from the previous reference) and has every chance of remaining close to its later total of $964 million. |
| | *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/candidate.php?cycle=2012&id=N00009638 "Barack Obama (D): Candidate summary, 2012 cycle/Source of funds"] (betw. March-June 2013). Opensecrets.org website. 34% Individual contributions, 67% large and corporate.</ref> | | *[http://www.opensecrets.org/pres12/candidate.php?cycle=2012&id=N00009638 "Barack Obama (D): Candidate summary, 2012 cycle/Source of funds"] (betw. March-June 2013). Opensecrets.org website. 34% Individual contributions, 67% large and corporate.</ref> |