Why did Barack Obama get into politics?

Answer 1

According to newspaper accounts, it began when he first worked as an advocate for the poor, and then a civil rights attorney in Chicago. He came to believe he could do more good for people if he were in politics, since politicians often made the decisions that affected the lives of the poor. He decided to run for state senator, and once he got elected, he continued on in politics.

Answer 2

According to his writings, he did not plan to become a politician, although he had long been interested in politics and had a degree in Political Science from Columbia University. But his work as an advocate for the poor and as a civil rights attorney convinced him that he could do more and make more of a difference if he had some impact on the governmental policies that affected the poor and working-class. So, in 1996, he left his law practice and his work as a professor of constitutional law and focused on running for the Illinois state senate. He was elected, and that is how his political career began.

Answer 3

He won the 2008 United States Presidential election by getting the most electoral votes, and he received a huge majority of popular votes as well. Some say the reason so many people voted for him is that he offered hope instead of fear. Another explanation is that the Republicans, who had been in charge for eight years, were now very unpopular thanks to the quagmire in Iraq, various scandals (including one where a Republican congressman not only had to resign, but went to jail), and President Bush's handling of the economy. Republican candidate John McCain was seen by the public as representing four more years of Bush policies, while Barack Obama was seen as representing something new and better than what President Bush had done.

Answer 4

By most accounts, it began when he first worked as an advocate for the poor, and then a civil rights attorney in Chicago. He came to believe he could do more good for people if he were in politics, since politicians often made the decisions that affected the lives of the poor. He decided to run for state senator, and once he got elected, he continued on in politics.

Answer 5

Before he was president, Barack Obama worked for a charitable organization run by the Catholic church in Chicago. He was a community organizer and an advocate for the poor. He then went back to school to become a civil rights attorney, because he saw poor and minority people who needed legal representation. But while working in Chicago, he began to believe he would make more of an impact if he were involved in policy-making, since the government made laws that affected the poor and the working class. In 1996, he left being an attorney and teaching at the University of Chicago Law School to run for the Illinois State Senate. He was elected, and that is how his political career began.

Answer 6

After spending time working in Chicago as a civil rights attorney, and before that, as a community organizer and advocate for the poor, Mr. Obama came to believe he could do more good and make more of an impact if he were in politics. In 1996, he ran for the Illinois state senate and was elected; by all accounts, he did a good job representing the needs of poor and working-class residents of his district, and he was re-elected two more times.

Answer 7

He has said in his writings that he saw the presidency as a way to help people; he also wanted to be the kind of leader who would make America an even better country.

Answer 8

Because he felt like it.