Barack  Obama

President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama II was born August 4, 1961. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election, and the first African American to be a major party’s presumptive nominee for President of the United States.

Barack Obama - following a tradition for left-handed presidents

Obama continues a fascinating trend for US Presidents to be left-handed.   He and his rival during the presidential elections John McCain are both left-handers, and follow in the footsteps of southpaw presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Strange as it may seem, this leftie battle for power is by no means unusual in American politics.  In 1992 all three Presidential Candidates, Clinton, Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot were left-handers and in 1996 Clinton won a second term against fellow leftie Bob Dole.

Only 13 per cent of the population are left-handed, making this extraordinary trend hard to dismiss as pure chance.   Analysts are now wondering whether the high instance of left-handers among presidential candidates in recent election campaigns indicates that it could be a key attribute for successful leadership.

A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004, rising to become the junior United States Senator from Illinois.

He also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, he announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate in January 2003. After winning a landslide primary victory in March 2004, Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He was elected to the Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he cosponsored legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the current 110th Congress, he has sponsored legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. During his Presidential term of office, Obama has emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, increasing energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.

Obama was voted Left-Hander of the Year 2008 by members of the Left-Handers Club, just before he became President.

Reasons given by Members with their nominations for him to win:

• He has overcome great odds to represent his party in the US Presidential race and will inspire a future group of left-handers to achieve as much as he has.
• He has made history this year with his bid to be president of the US and if he gets it he will be making even more history.
• No matter what your politics are, you have to admit that this man has taken U.S. politics by storm. He is an incredibly prolific, and gifted man. He is definitely the best choice for Left Hander of the Year