Barack Obama's election to the U.S. Senate in 2004 is one of the most interesting and colorful political campaigns in recent history. His rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that same year made his name a household word. The Obama for Illinois crusade offers important insights into American politics. The authors explore the role of money, political party, ethnicity, religion, and the issues facing our society today. Obama's straightforward policy recommendations, message of hope and inclusion, and charismatic style propelled him to the national spotlight. Obama has the potential to shape America and to reshape U.S. politics as he campaigns for the White House.
Obama's state senate career and his decision to enter the U.S. Senate race are examined in this book. Despite a primary field of six competitors, Obama received more than half of the Democratic vote, defeating a multimillionaire and the state comptroller, a well-known figure in the Democratic Party. The general election imploded for the Republicans in the first few weeks of the campaign when it was revealed that their candidate was embroiled in a sex scandal. Alan Keyes, the ultraconservative, outspoken African American who had run for president twice and for the U.S. Senate from Maryland, was recruited to challenge Obama. But Obama, whose skill with the media and whose ability to raise funds was evident even in those early days of his career, easily won the race with 70 percent of the vote. The authors analyze Obama's ability to speak to the concerns of multiple constituencies by appealing to a coalition of voters that transcends race, class, and gender. At the start of his presidential run, Obama gives new meaning to the American dream.
Presidential candidate Obama is the only African American in the U.S. Senate. Here, Dupuis (political science, Univ. of Central Florida) and Boeckelman (politics, Western Illinois Univ.) show how his stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, his policy recommendations, and his charismatic style have put him in the national spotlight.
NicholasOyugiOdhiambo
Posted December 24, 2008
I Also Recommend:
The first in a series that purposes to explore the impact of minorities¿ and women¿s involvement in American politics, this volume rightly features an individual who, even by the time of the book¿s publication on December 27th 2008 ,which was way before the end of the 08¿ democratic primaries, already showed promise as the candidate to beat at both the party nomination and the general election level.<BR/>Decidedly biographical the books describes and explores the political life of now presidential-elect Barack Obama from the time of his successfully run for the state senate in 1996 (chapter one), through his drama-filled campaign for the US Senate seat vacated by Senator Peter Fitzgerald (chapters two, three, four, five and six) and subsequent decisive victory over Alan Keyes (chapter seven), to his announcement of candidacy for the President of the United States on February 12, 2007, in front of the old state capital in Springfield, Illinois.<BR/>The book will impress and benefit anyone who is interested in tracing or re-reading President Obama¿s life story and accomplishments. It also offers insights into Obama¿s thinking and philosophy on issues such as the role of government and the meaning of the American Dream through its analysis of his speeches and its discussion of his voting pattern in the senate.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
Barack Obama's election to the U.S. Senate in 2004 is one of the most interesting and colorful political campaigns in recent history. His rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention that same year made his name a household word. The Obama for Illinois crusade offers important insights into American politics. The authors explore the role of money, political party, ethnicity, religion, and the issues facing our society today. Obama's straightforward policy recommendations, message of hope and ...