Thanks, Obama: a look back over the past eight years
“It has been the honor of my life to serve you.” – President Barack Obama
Under the reign of President Barack Obama, America reversed a great recession, rebooted the auto industry, and unleashed the longest stretch of job creation in our history. We began a new chapter with Cuba, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, and took out the mastermind behind 9/11. We won marriage equality and secured the right to health insurance for 20 million citizens.
November 4, 2008 – Election
Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona, becoming the 44th president of the United States of America and the first African-American to be elected to that office.
March 23, 2010 – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
After a long and bitter legislative fight, Obama achieved what several of his Democratic predecessors failed to do. The Patient Protect and Affordable Care Act — dubbed Obamacare — provided the largest expansion of health care coverage for the American people in a generation.
May 2, 2011 – Operation Neptune Spear
The infamous leader of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, responsible for the attacks of September 11, 2001, was eliminated in a United States raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
November 6, 2012 – Re-election
Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term in the White House.
March 7, 2013 – Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is the cornerstone of our nation’s response to domestic and sexual violence. However, though VAWA has improved our nation’s response to violence, not all victims had been protected or reached through earlier iterations of the bill. VAWA 2013 reauthorized and improved upon lifesaving services for all victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking — including Native women, immigrants, LGBT victims, college students and youth, and public housing residents.
October 16, 2013 – The Continuing Appropriations Act
Amended and passed by the Senate in October 2013, The Continuing Appropriations Act appropriated amounts for continuing operations, projects, or activities which were conducted in FY2013 through January 15, 2014 and increased the debt limit through February 7, 2014, thus ending the government shutdown and debt-cieling crises of 2013.
April 3, 2014 – Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act
Gabriella Miller was a fifth grader and childhood cancer awareness advocate from Leesburg, VA. During her 11-month battle with brain cancer, she urged lawmakers to take up the cause of pediatric cancer research. Less than six months after Gabriella died of a brain tumor, a federal pediatric medical research bill named in her honor was signed into law.
This bill was enacted to [eliminate taxpayer financing of political party conventions and] reprogram savings to provide for a 10-year pediatric research initiative.
June 26, 2015 – Obergefell v. Hodges
President Obama has led the fight to protect everyone — no matter who you are, what you look like, or who you love. In 2009, only four states recognized marriage equality. Today, in every state in America, you are now free to marry the person you love.
In a landmark United States Supreme Court case, the court held in a 5-4 decision that the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license and recognize same-sex marriage.
January 10, 2017 – Farewell Address
On Tuesday, January 10, President Obama returned to where it all started in Chicago and said his grateful farewell. In parting he spoke, “I’m asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours.”