25 Facts About Barack Obama

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

GoLocalWorcester Political Team & Graphiq

As the final remaining year of the Obama administration is well underway, the legacy that President Barack Obama will forge in history remains hotly contested. Conservatives argue Obama is the “worst president ever” while liberals have claimed he has “done more good for this country than any president before him.”

He likely will not play the role of a “lame-duck” president, as the administration has yet to slow down. Obama currently finds himself in the middle of a heated standoff with the Republican-led Senate to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. He still pursues a workable plan to close Guantanamo Bay, one of his 2008 campaign promises. As his term nears its end, the passionate, vocal opinions on both sides of the political aisle may reach their crescendo as his legacy becomes ripe for interpretation.

When reflecting on Obama’s time in the White House, the facts beyond the opinions deserve to be examined. Obama has racked up notable historical accomplishments, such as being the first African-American U.S. president. Obama was also the first to use the internet widely in his 2008 campaign and once in office.

The team at InsideGov queried our presidential database to find key data points regarding this controversial sitting president. From pet gorillas and inflation to drone strikes, we explore these facts from smallest to largest figures.

.05 Percent Unemployment Rate Decrease

Obama inherited an economy reeling from the 2008 financial crisis. The unemployment rate peaked at 10 percent in 2009 and has declined, on average, at a monthly rate of .05 percent since the beginning of his term.

1 Nobel Peace Prize

In 2009, Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” with additional emphasis on “Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.” This award garnered controversy, which Obama noted in his acceptance speech. He acknowledged that at the time, he was “at the beginning, and not the end of my labors on the world stage” and the “commander in chief of the military of a nation in the midst of two wars.”

1 Ape

During his time in Indonesia as a child, Obama had a pet ape named Tata. This experience was revealed in his memoir “Dreams from My Father.”

1.5 Percent Inflation

Inflation under the Obama administration has increased an average of 1.5 percent per year. As less than the ideal rate of 2 percent, this is considered low. When Obama assumed the presidency, the economy was experiencing deflation (negative inflation growth), which indicates a stagnant economy and discourages spending.

2 Daughters

President Obama and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Malia and Natasha, who goes by Sasha. They grew up in the national spotlight, since their dad was elected to the White House when they were 10 and 7 years old, respectively.

2 Grammy Wins

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP Images

Obama secured two Grammy Awards, both for Best Spoken Word Album. He first won in 2006 for the narration of his memoir “Dreams from My Father.” In 2008, he won another Grammy for his audiobook "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.” Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter also nabbed Grammys in the Best Spoken Word category.

2.0 Percent GDP Growth

The economy under the Obama administration has experienced, on average, 2 percent annual GDP growth. During the last full year of Obama’s presidency, the economy started on “solid footing,” according to the “Wall Street Journal.”

3 Years of "Birthers"

Rich Pedroncelli / AP Images

Obama publicly released his long form birth certificate on April 27, 2011, after three years of demands from “birthers,” people who believe Obama is not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency. Current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump headed this campaign, and after the official release, stated: “Today, I’m very proud of myself, because I’ve been able to accomplish something that nobody else was able to accomplish.”

3-Pointers

Obama enjoys basketball and said that he “used to play basketball more.” He has been filmed multiple times sinking three-point shots throughout his presidency. Sports Illustrated writer Alexander Wolff published a book about Obama and basketball titled “The Audacity of Hoop: Basketball and the Age of Obama.”

6'1"

Obama stands at just over 6 feet tall, making him one of the tallest presidents.

6.2 Percent Yearly Debt Increase

The federal debt has grown at an average of 6.2 percent annually under Obama. Near the end of 2011, the federal debt exceeded the GDP, which the Congressional Budget Office speculates can have long-term consequences on the economy and policy decisions.

7 Books

Charles Dharapak / AP Images

Obama read all seven books of the Harry Potter series, which he admitted to author J.K. Rowling during a dinner for the G20 summit.

8-Year Ban

Through Executive Order 13505, Obama removed an eight-year President George W. Bush-era ban on federally funded stem cell research.

12 Years

Although he studied law at Harvard, Obama went on to teach as a professor at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992-2004. During that time, he also <a data-cke-saved-href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/01/04/barack-obama-was-once-a-lowly-law-firm-associate/" href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/01/04/barack-obama-was-once-a-lowly-law-firm-associate/" _blank"="">worked at Miner, Barnhill & Galland, ran campaigns for the Illinois state Senate, served as a state Senator and wrote his memoir “Dreams from My Father.”

$21

David Banks / AP Images

Obama’s haircuts cost $21. Zariff, a Chicago barber now known as the First Barber, has been cutting Obama’s hair for over two decades. He invented the “Obama Cut.”

27 Years Old

Obama was 27 years old when he first met Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama. Michelle was assigned as a mentor to Obama, who was a summer associate at the same corporate law firm.

31 Flavors

During his adolescence in Hawaii during the 1970s, Obama worked as an ice cream scooper at Baskin-Robbins. Nowadays, he dislikes ice cream.

47 Years

Obama was 47 at the time of his inauguration in January 2009. This makes him the fifth-youngest U.S. president.

#53

The Portuguese Water Dog is the 53rd most popular dog in the U.S., according to the 2015 American Kennel Club rankings. The Obama family currently owns two Portuguese Water Dogs, named Bo and Sunny.

54 Years Old

In 2011, the CIA-led Operation Neptune's Spear succeeded in killing Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaida. At the time of his death, bin Laden was 54 years old. During his subsequent address to the nation, Obama claimed the success of the operation was a “testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.”

65.5 Percent

Obama’s approval rating peaked at 65.5 percent in 2009 — and then dropped to under 40 percent at the end of 2013. In his book “Polarization and the Presidency: From FDR to Barack Obama,” San Francisco State University professor Robert Smith reflected on the source of these low approval ratings. “Obama's race and his Ivy League background and the sense of his elitism, all of those come together to make his case the worst we've seen,” Smith wrote.

90 Miles

Starting in 2009, Obama facilitated the re-establishment of relations with Cuba, separated from the U.S. by 90 miles of ocean. Relations initially were severed in January 1961 during the height of the Cold War. According to the White House, the two countries will commit to “improved human rights conditions and democratic reforms in Cuba.”

147 Prisoners

As of March 2016, 147 detainees received transfer from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility during Obama’s time in the White House. Approximately six detainees released under Obama re-engaged in terrorism or militant activities. Ninety-one detainees are still held.

372 Drone Strikes

Since 2009, there have been 372 CIA drone strikes in Pakistan. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism records that at least 108 drone strikes in Yemen and at least 18 strikes in Somalia have occurred under the Obama administration.

21,000 Troops

Obama began his presidency with an order to send 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. This marked the beginning of the surge in Afghanistan. Promises of the eventual withdrawal have been repeatedly pushed back. Currently, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is scheduled to end in 2017.

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