Biography Barack Obama Inaugural Edition DVD

Product Description When he called himself "a skinny kid with a funny name" at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, his star was already rising. By the time he triumphed in the 2004 Illinois Senate race, he was the golden child of a Democratic party in desperate need of a charismatic leader. And in November of 2008, he was the first African-American to be elected President of the United States. BIO narrates the definitive story of BARACK OBAMA, from his childhood in Honolulu to his history-making presidential win. Follow Obama through his teenage struggles for self-identity, his student days at Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and finally, through his political career in Chicago, where he rose to fame through a focus on ethics and political reform. Go behind the scenes of Obama s extraordinarily successful presidential campaign--in which he raised a record-breaking $58 million in six months--and join him in his exciting journey towards the White House. Featuring insightful interviews with friends and family members, as well as previously unreleased footage of Obama s campaign and victory, BARACK OBAMA chronicles the uniquely American story of one man rising up to fight for what he believes in--and, the dawning of a new chapter in American history. Amazon.com This cable-television biography about the life of Illinois senator Barack Obama was made before he began campaigning to be the Democratic party's candidate for the 2008 presidential race. Still, the program suggests Obama has one or another kind of profound, Anerican destiny as a mixed-race activist who never comfortably fit into one or another group, and had to look deep into his own roots to understand his identity. The son of a white American mother and black Kenyan father, Obama was abandoned by the latter when he returned to his native country to work for its improvement. Raised by his mother--whom Obama credits with teaching him many of his values--and his grandmother, Obama lived in Hawaii as a child but moved to Indonesia for a few years when his mom remarried. There, Obama saw cyclical poverty and the underlying factors that perpetuate it before returning to Hawaii. Interviews with childhood friends and his sister describe Obama's restlessness before attending Harvard law school and propelling himself into a life of public service and community activism. Often accused of lacking enough political experience to qualify him for the White House, Obama comes across in this show as a visionary and experienced consensus-builder who can reach across opposing points of view. The program ends with details about Obama's entry into the U.S. Senate and his rise in the Democratic party, and the 2009 Inaugural Edition adds 10 minutes of new footage, Including Obama’s campaign and victory speech. --Tom Keogh