Basic Information
Name: Barack Hussein Obama II
Nicknames: Barry O, The Rock Obama, Brobama
Born: August 4th, 1961
Nationality: American. Definitely American.
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
WORK & EDUCATION
Occupation: Senator, President, Law Professor, Community Organizer
Education: Punahou School, Occidental College, Columbia University, Harvard Law School
FAMILY & FRIENDS
Parents: Ann Dunham, Barack Obama Sr.
Siblings: One Maternal Half-Sister and Five Paternal Half-Siblings
Spouse: Michelle Robinson Obama
Children: Natasha "Sasha" Obama, Malia Obama
Friends: Joe Biden, Craig Robinson, Jay Z, Nancy Pelosi
Foes: John McCain, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump, Dad Jeans
Analysis
The Man of Hope
It's hard to overstate how stoked people were for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2009.
Well, except for his critics. But we'll get to them.
Let's start with the facts that everyone agrees upon. Obama won the presidential election in a landslide on November 4th, 2008—and his road to getting there was pretty meteoric. As a kid, he lived in Indonesia and Hawaii, attended an elite college prep school, and went by the nickname Barry. Seriously—Barry. He didn't see much of his father, who was from Kenya.
Barry started college at Occidental, then transferred to Columbia University. He then spent time working as a community organizer before heading to Harvard Law School, where he served as editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review. Not too shabby of a resume so far, Barry.
After working as a civil rights attorney in Chicago for a while, Obama made his first big splash as a junior U.S. senator from Illinois. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he gave a roof-raising speech called "The Audacity of Hope."
There's that word again.
It's pretty much Obama's catchphrase. In fact, when he ran for president in 2008, his face was emblazoned on a poster that said "hope."
That poster sort of captures the first part of the story. Obama was the man of hope for an entire generation of American voters, who were thrilled that a political candidate actually had a Facebook account. Seriously, though, during a time of recession and war, he made people believe in the American dream again, with himself as the rallying figure. His speaking ability was a big part of that: the man could orate like no other.
And just like Michael Jordan, he backed up his talk with results. Becoming the first African American president definitely represented a remarkable and historic feat. To those who voted for him, anything seemed possible in January 2009, when Obama took the oath of office.
A Left Turn
But what about those who didn't vote for Obama?
In American politics, running for office and holding office are pretty different. The 2009 inaugural address stands as a turning point in Obama's story, when his electoral messiah effect gave way to the realities of politics.
He made some big promises in the speech: he would heal the economy, save the planet, fix health care, end wars, and bring everyone free donuts on Fridays. The next step was turning talk of change into actual change.
He had one distinct advantage: 2008 was a "realignment" election (source). Democrats won big majorities in both houses of Congress. With the support of the legislative branch, it looked like President Obama would actually be able to check off some of the items on his agenda.
In the 2009 inaugural address, he made several subtle criticisms of Republican leadership, declaring the end of an era. Republicans did not take this well. So, after Obama was sworn in, Republican leaders vowed to make sure he only served one term (source).
That didn't work out for them.
The first promise Obama tackled was reforming American health care. During debates over the health care system, things got even more divided. Opposition to the Affordable Care Act was a motivating force for many Republican voters, who didn't want to see the government play a bigger role. In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives.
Now it was on.
Cooling Off
After 2010, Obama spent a lot of time slugging it out with Republican legislators. Speeches with inspiring rhetoric like the 2009 inaugural address gradually gave way to more thoughtful speeches about policy. Obama became more of a cool customer, shrugging off attacks. He also pivoted from his campaign positions on some issues, like mass surveillance and gay marriage. But to be fair, pretty much every politician does their share of pivoting.
So, did Barack Obama really usher in a "new era of responsibility"? Well, the culture of Washington didn't exactly change, like he wanted (source). The political parties didn't start getting along all of a sudden. Instead, they blamed each other for the country's problems. Remember, the president doesn't get to just decide things like a king: there's a whole checks and balances system for that.
But, to quote Andy Dufresne, "hope is a good thing."