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2.22.25 - Part 2 · Children's Hour

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Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Radioized Children's Story Hour as a
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reminder raised a reading service intended for people are blind
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or of other disabilities that make it difficult to read
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prima material. Today we will be reading from various books
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on black Americans. The reader today is dying. We will
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continue with the book Who Is Barack Obama? It was
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published by Penguin Workshop and imprint of Penguin Random House
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as a copyright year of twenty ten to twenty seventeen,
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and the author of our book is referred to Edwards.
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One time a young mother came to see Barack. She
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lived in an apartment building that offered low rents for
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poor families. The building was not well kept. Worse, she
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worried that there might be asbestos in the walls of
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her apartment. Asbestos was used to construct buildings until it
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was found to be harmful to tar loans. The landlord said,
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test have been done and there was a no no
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asbestos in these apartments. However, when the young woman asks
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you the test results, no copee could be found. Barock
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organized a group that included the young women and other
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mothers with small children. They went to the landlord's office
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and found that Indeed, no test for asbestos had ever
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been done. The landlord was afraid that there would be
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newspaper stories about him, so he started tests that day.
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The result there was asbestos and the building got emergency
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clean up money. Was satisfying to see change happen. However,
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the more time he spent in Chicago, the more Veracally,
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the best way to change the lives of the poor
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was through the law. Lawyers can bring cases to court.
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Lawyers get to know people in power. Lawyers can even
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work to pass new laws. To be a lawyer, Barock
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needed to go to law school, so he applied to
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Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. Harvard is one of
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the greatest law schools in the United States. Barack was
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accept but before class to started in the fall, there
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was a trip he had to take. A trip had
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been on his mind for many years. That July, he
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flew to Kenya, in Africa. Barack would finally meet his
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father's family. Barack had many half brothers and half sisters.
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Now they would become more than simple names to him.
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Chapter six, Coming Home. When Barrock got off the plane
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in Kenya, his suitcase was lost. It wasn't a good
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start to the troop. But then something nice happened. The
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bag handler heard Barack's name and asked if he was
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related to the famous doctor of Barack Obama. Barack felt
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so proud. Kenya's a fairly big country, yet his father's
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name was well known and respected. The Obamas came from
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a small village called Cogulo in the western Partident country.
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Some people were who Some people there still lived in huts.
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Barock stage in the apartment of one of his half sisters.
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Her name was Almah. Outside in her yard, monkey's played,
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but they weren't pets like Tata. These monkeys were free.
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Kenya was not like any place Brock had ever seen.
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In parks, in the marketplace, and in stores, most people
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were black. Yes, he sees some white people, but only
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a small number. At last, Barrock did not feel like
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an outsider. When he first met one of his hands,
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she said, welcome home. There was a party for Brock.
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He met more relatives over the years. Barrock's father had
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had four wives. There were lots of relatives. It turned
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out his half brother, Bernard, was as crazy about basketball
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as Baroq was. Barack met his grandmother. She told him
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stories about his father that Rock's mother had no way
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of knowing. Grannie described his father as a child, smart, restless,
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and eager to make the most of his life. In
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her backyard were the graves of both his father and grandfather.
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When Barack kneeled down to pass herds specs, he cried.
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There were good kinds of crying and bad kinds of crying.
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This was a good kind. By the time he left
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two weeks later, Barack really felt as though he was
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part of the family. As for the people in Kenya,
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they too felt that Barack Obama was now part of
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their family. On election Day two thousand and eight, American
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flags flew all across the country. When the news came
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that Obama had won, people poured out of their houses, singing, dancing,
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and waving posters of Obama. Barack's grandmother threw a big
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outdoor party for everyone in the village. There was a
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feast with beef, lamb and goat, which considered very special.
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A public holiday was declared for the whole country two
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days later. Although not born in Kenya, Barack Obamas thought
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of as a native son. Chapter seven, Michelle. Even when
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all the smart students in Harvard law, Barack Obama stood out.
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At twenty seven. He was older than the other udents
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and more mature in class. He wasn't only interested in
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answering questions, he liked listening to other people's opinions. It
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takes three years to earn a law degree. After his
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first year, Barock returned to Chicago for the summer. He
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was hired at a big law firm. He couldn't show
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up in jeans and sneakers, so Barrock had to go
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out and buy new clothes for some her job. The
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pay was very good. Still, Barock did not plan to
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work at a farm like this after law school. He
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held onto his dream of helping the poor. A beautiful
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young woman showed him around the offices on her first day.
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Her name was Michelle Robinson. She had lived in Chicago
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aur life. Even though she was two years younger than Barack,
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she was already a lawyer. That was because Michelle had
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gone straight to law school after college. She too went
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to Harvard Law. They had lunch together for the first day.
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Right away, Baroq was drawn to Michelle. She was so
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smart and striking looking. Most six feet tall, Michew was
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only a couple of thenches shorter than Baroq. She had
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a quick sense of humor, and she wasn't shy about
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telling people exactly what was on her mind. But Michelle
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was only interested in being friends, or so she said.
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She thought dating in which the firm was tacky. Even so,
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by the time he returned to Harvard, Baraka Michelle had
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fallen in love. The romance continued long distance while Barack
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finished law school. During his last year at law school,
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Baroque was elected president of the Harvard Law Review. The
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Harvard Law Review is a magazine with articles on important
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questions of law. The president is the top editor. It
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was a very big honor, and because Barrock was the
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first African American ever chosen, newspapers rang stories about him.
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Then an editor saw the stories and asked him to
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write a book. Baroq's book, Dreams from My Father came
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out in nineteen ninety five. In it, Baroq talks about
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growing up without a father and being raised by his
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white relatives. The book describes the struggle to find a
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place for himself in the world. It is beautifully written.
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If roc had not chosen a life in politics, he
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might have become a famous writer. Chapter eight, putting down Roots.
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In nineteen ninety one, after law school, Barock returned to
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Chicago and Michelle. They were married. The following year, he
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took a job at a law firm. The firm handled
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many civil right cases. He also taught evening classes at
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the University of Chicago Law School. His class was about
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the Constitution. As Michelle's husband, Baroque was now part of
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a strong, close family, the Robinsons had deep roots in Chicago.
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Michelle's parents still lived there, so did her older brother, Craig.
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When Michelle was a child, her parent's idea of fun
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on a Saturday night was to stay home and play
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board games with their kids. Baroque had always wanted to
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grow up in a family like that. His own family
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was going through a very difficult time. Gramts had died
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and his mother was suffering from cancer. She moved back
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to Hawaii to be in yoritute and died on November seventh,
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nineteen ninety five. Barock was not with her. To this day,
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he says that remains the biggest regret of his life.
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Why did he stay in Chicago Because he had just
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been in his very first campaign for public office, just
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as unite. State Congress passes laws that defect the whole country.
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Each state has a government that passes state laws. In
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nineteen ninety five, Barock decided to run for one of
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the state senate seats in Illinois. Barock was a Democrat.
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He was running in an area where most voters were
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Democrats and also black. He won the election by many votes.
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Baroq was thirty five years old. It was the start
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of his political career. State governments work in the state capitals.
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The capital of Illinois Springfield, a city about one hundred
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and seventy miles from Chicago. As a state senator, Brock
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had spent part of every week in Springfield. That meant
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being away from Michelle, whose job kept turned Chicago. It
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was lonely for them both. After their daughter, Maliah was
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born in nineteen ninety eight, being a part became twice
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as hard. Maliah means calm in Hawaiian and queen in Sualiau.
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Michelle was now working for the University of Chicago. With
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Barock often gone, the care of the baby fell on
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her and her alone. Her own mother had been a
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state home mom when the show and her brother were children,
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but that was the nineteen sixties, when only about thirty
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percent of women with young children had full time jobs.
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Now is in the nineteen nineties, almost seventy percent of
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mothers of young children worked full time. Like most people,
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the Obamas depend on two salaries to make a decent
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life for their family. Although he felt guilty about being away,
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Barrock found his work fascinating. Different parts of the state
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had such different problems and needs. Most of the members
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of the Illinois Senate, besides being white and republic represented
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districts where many voters were farmers. State centers from these
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areas might, for example, push for tax breaks on farmland. Barock,
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on the other hand, represented people who lived in a
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huge city. They needed more jobs, better housing, and safe neighborhoods.
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Barack really enjoyed the give and take of working in
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the Senate. He was good at reaching agreements and knowing
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when to compromise. He was able to get laws passed
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to help the people in the Chicago district. These included
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laws to create after school programs, removed dangerous led from homes,
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and limit how politicians raise money. Barock was ambitious, and
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he was also impatient. He was in a hurry to
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get ahead. He hadn't realized that before, he certainly knew
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it now. Staying in the State Senate forever was not
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his stream. He thought about running for mayor of Chicago,
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but instead he decided to run for a seat in
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the U House Representatives in two thousand. The district was
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in Chicago, where most voters were Black Democrats. However, the
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current congressman was a famous civil rights leader. Next to him,
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Barock seing too young and two unknown. Barock lost, and
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lost big, by thirty percentage points, so he returned to
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work in Springfield. He remained a state Senator until two
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thousand and five, Chapter nine. A growing family. In two
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thousand and one, Melia became a big sister. On June tenth,
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Barack and Michelle's second daughter, Natasha Sasha for short, was born.
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Mischau and Barock set onto their life as working parents
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of young children. Michelle was on stay at the University
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of Chicago's hospitals. She was in charge of setting up
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health clinics for the poor. Her salary was much higher
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than Baroqu's. It helped paid off their loans from law school.
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Barock remained in the Illinois Senate. He was so popular
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among voters that in two thousand and two elections and
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no one ran against him. Then on September eleventh, two
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thousand and one, the world changed suddenly for the Obamas,
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just as it did for everyone in America. Terrorists flew
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planes into the World Trade Center in New York City
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and the Pentagon Building in Washington, d C. The terrasts
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belonged to a Muslim group called al Qaeda. In early
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two thousand and two, the United States declared war in Afghanistan,
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were of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda,
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was thought to be hiding. A year later, the country
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went to war in Iraq. Once again. Barack started thinking
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about running for a higher office. At such an important time,
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he wanted to be in Washington helping decide the questions
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of the day. For example, the US Congress had back
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President George W. Bush in the decision to wage war
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against Iraq. The President claimed that Iraq had weapons that
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could destroy the United States. Barack Obama, however, was not
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convinced that these weapons existed. It turned out than indeed
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they didn't. Barack thought finding a som van London was
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more important than starting to warn a rock. Early on
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he was one of the few politicians who spoke out
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against the war. Like all states, Illinois has two U S. Senators,
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one of them, a Republican named Peter Fitzgerald, decided not
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to run again in the two thousand for election. Barack
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wanted to win a Senate seat very baily. He spent
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two years planning his campaign. Michelle was not eager for
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Barack to run. If Barock won, he would be working
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in Washington, d c. Either the family would have to
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move or Baroq would be away from home. Even more Yet,
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she backed her husband in pursuit of his dream. By
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the summer of two thousand and four, it seemed very
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likely that Barack would win the Senate race. That same summer,
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both Republicans and Democrats were holding conventions to pick a
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candidate for president. The Democrats asked Barack Obama to give
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an important speech called the King Notes Speech at their
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convention in Boston. Usually someone famous as the keynote speaker,
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but Barack was chosen. He was young, smart African American
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and an outspoken critic of President Bush. Barock's speech was
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seen by millions of people across the country. He talked
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about his dreams for himself and his dreams for America.
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Only an America, said, could a skinny kid with a
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funny name be running for Senator. His hope was for
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all Americans, Republican, Democrat, white, black, owding young to work
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together to make our country stronger and better. Overnight, Barack
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Obama became famous Chapter ten Bigger Dreams. That November, Barack
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Obama won the Senate election in Illinois. More than one
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hundred and twenty five years only two other African Americans
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had been elected to the US Senate. Now at forty three,
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who was also one of the youngest senators ever, he
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took office on January fourth, two thousand than five, with
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the Michelle and both his daughters at his side, but
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his family was not going to move from Chicago to Washington.
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Michelle still worked for the University of Chicago Hospitals. The girls,
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now six and three, were busy with school and friends.
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Barack once again would live apart from his family for
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part of each week. In the Senate, the newer senators
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had far less powered than longtime senators, yet Barack quickly
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began working on the issues that had been important to
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him for so long. Fair housing, affordable health care and
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better schools. Other Democrats saw him as a young man
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with a great future ahead of him. Still, many people
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were surprised when, only two years later, in February two
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thousand and seven, Barack Obama announced he was going to
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run for president. The next election would be on November fourth,
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two thousand and eight. Yes, Barack was smart and hard working.
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Yes he was a wonderful speaker. Yes he had been
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an early critic of the Iraq War. And yes, more
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and more Americans now agreed with him that the war
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was a mistake. But he was forty five, he'd only
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been serving in the US Senate for two years. A
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lot of people had no idea who he was. They
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thought his name was Barack Yomama or BARACKA. Alabama. Those
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who had heard of him wondered if he was ready
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to leave the entire country. And of course there was
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the issue of race. The United States had never had
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a black president. Was there any chance that Barack Obama
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could win in two thousand and seven? No one was
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sure who would be the Republican candidate for president. George W.
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Bush could not run again because he had already served
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two full terms. As for the Democrats, many thought Hillary
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Clinton would be their party's candidate. The wife of former
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President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton was the center from New York.
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She was famous. Everyone knew who she was. She was
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also very smart and hard working. Barack and Hillary agreed
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on most issues, but she had goted with President Bush
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to go to war in Iraq. The war was unpopular
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and kept dragging on year after year, and Hillary Clinton
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was a woman. Was the country ready for a female president?
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The first six months of two thousand and eight, the
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two met in debates that were broadcast on TV. They
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went from state to state giving speeches to get voters
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behind them. State contests known as primaries and caucuses, begin
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in January of two thousand and eight. By early June,
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it was clear that Barack Obama had the support of
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more Democrats than Hillary Clinton. Barack accepted the nomination the
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Democratic Convention in Denver. He spoke outdoors from Mile High
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Stadium to eighty thousand people. He said, government cannot solve
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all of our problems, but what it should do is
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that which we cannot do for ourselves. Protect us from harm,
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and provide every child with a decent education, keep our
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water clean, and our toys, safe invest to new schools
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and new roads, and new science and technology. It was
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all August twenty eighth, two thousand and eight. The date
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is important why exactly forty five years earlier, Martin Luther
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King Junior had given his famous I Have a Dream
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speech at a huge civil rights rally in Washington, d C.
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Now the general election began. Barock's Republican opponent was John McCain,
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a longtime center from Arizona. He was a Vietnam War
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hero who spent five years as a prisoner of war
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camp the seventy two McCain was one of the oldest
18:29
men to run for president. As for the war in Iraq,
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he still believed there could be a victory. He was
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against many of the government programs that Barack wanted to fund.
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These two men and the running mates crisscrossed the country
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for several months. Some days Barrock would speak at three
18:47
or four rallies, each in a different state. He did
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take a couple of days off hoever, to visit two
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She was very sick, and Barock needed to see his
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grandmother one last time. He was not going to make
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the same mistake he had made with his mother over
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the summer, the sky hay prices of gasoline were on
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every voter's mind. Suddenly, that fall, the economy tanked. People
19:09
could not afford to pay their mortgages. They were losing
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their homes. Banks no longer had named to give loans,
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so businesses closed. That meant people were out of jobs.
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The Republicans had been in powers since two thousand and one.
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Maybe it was time for a change. In fact, that
19:25
was Barack Obama's model. Change we can believe. In November fourth,
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two thousand and eight, one hundred and twenty five million
19:34
Americans whinch the post Sally Barack's grandmother was not one
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of them. She died only two days before the election.
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The news was in before midnight Barack Obama would be
19:45
the next president of the United States. When he Michelle
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and mcgirl's greed a crowd of one hundred and twenty
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five thousand people in the Chicago Park, he exclaimed, what
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a scene, what a crowd. Wow, Chapter eleven. Change has come.
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Change has come to America, Obama told the Chicago crowd.
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On election night, the headline of the front page of
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the New York Times was only one word. That word
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said all Obama almost sixty seven million people voted for him,
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eight and a half million more votes than John McCain received.
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On January twentieth, two thousand and nine, on the steps
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of the Capitol Building, Barack Obama took the oath of office,
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who put his hand on the same Bible that Abraham
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Lincoln had when he sworn in as president. The stretched
20:36
for two miles to watch this morning in history, so
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the largest crowd that had ever gathered in Washington, DC.
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That afternoon, the Obama's moved into the White House. It's
20:45
been a long time since young Chiltern had lived in
20:48
the mansion. Newspapers and magazines went wild over the new
20:52
first family. Michelle planted a vegetable garden. Michelle's mother also
20:56
moved in to health care for the girls, so in
20:58
all the country had a first grandma too. For perhaps
21:02
the biggest news of all was the arrival in April
21:04
two thousand and nine of the girl's Portuguese water dog, Bow.
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The second port Geese water dog, Sonny, joined the family
21:13
in twenty thirteen. No matter how big it is, any
21:17
family can live very comfortably in the White House. It
21:19
has one hundred thirty two rooms, but Michelle one of
21:22
the girl's lives to stay as normal as possible. In fact,
21:25
she told the staff not to make their beds or
21:28
clean their rooms. That was their job. Barack Obama jumped
21:33
into his job as president. He picked his cabinet, the
21:36
men and women who advised him on how to run
21:37
the government. When the most important cabinet posts the Secretary
21:41
of State. For that, Obama picked Tillery Clinton. She was
21:44
now in charge of dealing with other countries, especially war
21:48
torn areas like Iraq in the Middle East. Barack Obama
21:52
began his presidency as one of the most difficult tie
21:55
at one of the most difficult times in the country's history.
22:00
Enomy was in danger of collapsing, and the United States
22:02
was still at war in in Rock and in Afghanistan.
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Very quickly, Obama put forth plans to keep thanks in business,
22:10
to aid the auto industry, and to help people who
22:13
were in danger of losing their homes. He also worked
22:16
to pass the law that made health care affordable and
22:19
available to all Americans. By the end of twenty eleven,
22:22
he had pulled troops out of Iraq. A president's days
22:26
or long. The pressure is fierce, but Barock stayed True
22:29
to his nickname No Drama, Obama always appeared calm, even
22:33
as he ordered a team of US Navy seals to
22:36
raid a compound in Pakistan or Osama bin Laden, the
22:40
man who was behind the terrorist attacks as September eleventh,
22:43
was hiding. On the evening of May one, twenty eleven,
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President Obama announced to the country that ben Laden had
22:50
been killed. Despite the new successes, Obama had more work
22:55
to do. He asked the American people for their vote
22:58
in twenty twelve. His republic An opponent was Mint Romney,
23:02
a businessman and former governor of Massachusetts. On November six,
23:06
twenty twelve, more than sixty two million Americans voted to
23:09
give Barack Obama for more years in the White House prison.
23:13
Obama faced challenges in his second term. The economy was
23:16
growing but slowly. Republicans controlled Congress, and they would not
23:20
pass many of the laws Obama proposed. There were challenges
23:24
overseas to a new terrorist group called ISIS had gained
23:27
strength in a rock. Obama sent troops back to Iraq
23:31
to help fight the terrorists, who ordered airstrikes on the
23:34
terrorists in the neighboring country of Syria. Iran another Middle
23:37
East country, was close to building a nuclear weapon. Under
23:41
Obama's leadership, United States, along with five other nations, worked
23:45
with Irene to curb their nuclear program. In twenty fifteen,
23:49
prison Obama restored relations with the island nation of Cuba.
23:53
The next shear, he became the first US president since
23:56
nineteen twenty eight to visit the country. It was a
23:59
historic ocasion, jouren Obama's eight years as president, the country
24:03
added nearly ten million jobs, more than twenty million Americans
24:06
gain health insurance, and the President took important steps to
24:10
protect the environment. America is a better, stronger place than
24:14
it was when we started, Obama said during his farewell
24:17
speech in twenty sixteen. But he reminded the crowd. Change
24:21
only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and
24:25
come together to demand it. This concludes the children's story
24:32
our for today. Please join us next time as we
24:34
read more stories, fables and fairy tales. Thank you for listening,
24:38
and please stay tuned for the Lexing Hair Leader on
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Radio I