A New "Era of Responsibility": The Election of President Barack Obama
On January 20th, 2009, America started the new year by swearing in the nation’s 44th president, Barack Hussein Obama. President Obama’s inauguration was a distinguished moment in history for the United States of America with Obama being the first African-American ever to hold the presidency. The inauguration was witnessed by well over one million attendees in Washington, D.C., and by millions more through television and Internet coverage. Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address called for a “new era of responsibility.” Below are some of the highlights of his speech:
- “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.”
- “Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.”
- “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met.”
- “For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.”
- “The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.”
- “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”
President Obama’s years of public service are based around his unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed the first major ethics reform in 25 years, cut taxes for working families, and expanded health care for children and their parents. As a United States Senator from January 2005 until his resignation upon his election to the presidency on November 4, 2008, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking lobbying reform, lock up the world’s most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency to government by putting federal spending online.
When Obama won the presidency, he proclaimed, “it’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.” In his first days as President, Obama sprung to action, as just over one week after becoming President, Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which eased the requirements for filing employment discrimination lawsuits. Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured. Furthermore, on February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover the deepening worldwide recession.
President Obama also appointed Hilda Solis as the Secretary of Labor, which was confirmed on February 24, 2009. Before this confirmation, Solis represented the 32nd Congressional District in California, a position she held from 2001-2009. In Congress, Solis’ priorities included expanding access to affordable health care, protecting the environment, and improving the lives of working families. As a recognized leader on clean energy jobs, she authored the Green Jobs Act, which provided funding for “green” collar job training for veterans, displaced workers, at risk youth, and individuals in families under 200 percent of the poverty line.
On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Associate Justice David Souter. Sotomayor became the first Hispanic to be a Supreme Court Justice. She joins Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as one of two women on the Court and the third woman ever to be a justice. Sotomayor’s nomination was endorsed by many groups that support workers’ rights, and it is expected that her employment and civil rights decisions on the Court will benefit workers.
Finally, on July 16, 2009 President Obama announced his intent to nominate Jacqueline Berrien as Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). President Obama spoke fondly of Berrien stating that she "…has spent her entire career fighting to give voice to underrepresented communities and protect our most basic rights." Berrien currently serves as Associate Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF).
These appointments have all set the stage for change that President Obama promises America. These creative and innovative leaders will join Obama in improving America and creating a better future. With the right players in place, Obama and his team will lead this new era of responsibility.