How Barack Obama Got To The White House

CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante Looks At The New President's Life And How It Affected His Rise To Power

(CBS)  It is impossible not to marvel at how unexpected Barack Obama's arrival to this moment in history was just a few years ago. CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante looks at the twists and turns of his life and campaign that brought him to this point.

"Hope is what led me here today. With a father from Kenya, a mother from Kansas ..."

- Barack Obama, Jan. 3, 2008, after winning the Iowa caucuses

Mr. Obama was raised mostly in Hawaii, by his mother and his grandmother. His only contact with his father came briefly at the age of six, but the parent he calls "the old man" had an impact.

"I always offer up this quote: 'Every man's either trying to live up to his father's expectations or make up for his father's mistakes,'" he told CBS News back in Iowa. "And, you know, I suppose for me not having a father in the home led me to do both."

A chance meeting after graduating from Columbia brought him to Chicago to work as a community organizer. It was that experience which he used 17 years later when he ran what some call the most disciplined presidential campaign ever run.

"It all starts with community organizer, bottom up," said Democratic strategist Joe Trippi. "To go from door-to-door to talk to people and listen, that's the guiding principle from the very beginning."

Harvard Law School gave him a taste of success when he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, an honor he could have parlayed into legal stardom, "someone who could have easily been clerking for the most prestigious federal judges, working in one of the biggest law firms," said John Schmidt, a Project Vote fundraiser.

Instead, Mr. Obama returned to Chicago, and spent six months in 1992 running a voter registration project on the South Side.

"Our task was simple: to get disenfranchised communities - minority communities, low income communities - to turn out to vote," Mr. Obama says in a YouTube video.

The registration drive was a big success.

"It impressed a lot of people, it created some people who were a little jealous, this young upstart was to come in and be taken quite so seriously," says Judson Miner, Mr. Obama's former employer.

Obama went to work for Miner's civil rights law firm, and won a state senate seat in 1996.

"There were elements in the African American community in Chicago who thought Barack was sort of an elitist," remembers Miner.

And that's one reason Mr. Obama lost badly when, in 2000, he challenged a popular member of Congress.

Four years later he ran for the U.S. Senate. The Republicans ran Alan Keyes, who didn't even live in the state. Obama won by a margin of 43 points.

Then, in 2004, before Mr. Obama won a seat in the U.S. Senate, Democratic nominee John Kerry offered Mr. Obama a huge national platform - the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

"People don't expect government to solve all their problems, but they sense deep in their bones that with a slight change in priorities we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life.

"That's when most people turned their heads and said wow, who's that guy? Where's he from?" says Trippi.

Mr. Obama entered the 2008 presidential contest an underdog, reports Plante.

"He is the perfect combination of old school politics, an open politics, a grassroots bottom-up community organizer, but also a backroom dealer," Trippi says.

On Jan. 3 last year, Barack Obama stunned the political world with a resounding victory in the Iowa caucuses

"Because we are not a collection of red states and blue states. We are the United States of America," Mr. Obama said.

He lost the next contest, in New Hampshire, to Hillary Clinton. But his hidden strength was already producing results.

A viral passion ignited in the grassroots, which brought him enormous sums of money and an army of campaign volunteers. That, combined with voters' desire for change and dissatisfaction, and with the economy, helped him defeat John McCain.

"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," Mr. Obama said in his victory speech on election night.

The young man with the audacity to reach so high so soon had proved it was a risk worth taking.

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[boymelta]

Hi Haters!

[lightnin001]

The least experienced, least qualified, least accomplished President-elect in history, with racist, anti-American, abortion extremist, and criminal associates, will be sworn in with the Bible of the greatest President this country ever had. This is truly an Obamanation and a desecration, a violation of the posessions of the dead. Obamanation is a term that will live for a hundred years or more. Just wanted to take a moment to remind everybody that the President-elect couldn''t have gotten a government job that required a security clearance otherwise because of some of his closest long-term associates. Yeah, I know, a lot of people don''t care, but I''m displaying my American Flag at half-staff today for the dishonor being done to President Lincoln and this country.

That`s funny, cause nobody I know voted for him. How could he have the most votes if nobody voted for him? I think it was all those ACORNS and OPRAHS. That`s how he became to get inaugarated. It had nothing to do with the vote, since nobody voted for him.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by DaVicar4 at 10:59 AM : Jan 20, 2009

Everyone you know is simply wearing white sheets. They didn''t vote at all. Afraid they might have jury duty or do something for the country other than complain and make up stories.

[jgg00005]

"taking responsibility" = you''re gonna pay for it

[prohb]

Let this be OUR INAUGURATION
%u2026 AS A RESILIENT PEOPLE!
The main reason I voted for Obama was that he is asking us (U.S.) to take responsibility. He made me feel that I (we) are in charge of our destiny. The time for whining, slacking, and complaining is over.....from any party or affiliation. We need to shift this pervasive atmosphere of cynisism and negativity into one of proactive hope and positive resiliency.
When he gets up there to take the oath of office, I''m going to put myself there...and we all should. We should all see ourselves placing our hand and promising to strive to be resilient as an individual, as a family, as a community, and as a country%u2026%u2026and all of this in a context of caring for our fellow people and the world. Let%u2019s really reach for the highest ideals of this country. It''s time to truly be that "city upon a hill". It''s time. Let''s do it.

[dg441-2009]

The MEDIA brainwashed everybody to vote for him!!!!

He got to where he was because he WON. Got that Republicans? Your guy and dim wit for vice, lost. The numbers prove it, the votes prove it.

You LOST, time to get over it, time to get past your racisim, time to get past all your BS that you tried to lay on this man, time to get over all the "stories".

The American people, saw past McCain and Palin, are beginnning to see (just the tip of the iceberg) what Bush his cronies and Republican "trickle down" economics have done to this country.

He won, you lost. Deal with it. Go home and try to rebuild the mess that is the Republican party.

And just for the record, I''m 61, male, white, well educated, own more than one business (so if he brings change it might just cost me)own my home outright. More important he was NOT my first choice.

So I repeat:

He won, the Republicans lost.

[jhsmitty1]

It is so very interesting how conservatives and others to the right see themselves as enlightened, and not swayed by any media or their biased upbringing. No doubt many to the left are this way also. Bush was President for 2 terms. Limbaugh has been on the national stage since 1987. You have Hannity, the Fox network and many others who you admire and listen to. I do too. It could be that the majority of America now want to try a different approach and direction for the country. If the last 8 years were not unsatisfactory, then there would not be this time of "change". It could be as simple as this.

[yongamerica]

"...he''''s not an American, not a trained Christian..."
Posted by chad55555

Not a trained Christian? Are Christians trainned like dogs? Or do you mean non degree Christian? How do you train a Christian? With fire and brimstone?

Perhaps you can tell people how Christians are trained. Are they given a gun a group of people to hate and lots of target practice?

[chad55555]

He got to the white house due to government social behavior training started in the 50''s.Miniorty laws passed and hate crime laws that make people afriad to tell the truth in this country. Some say he ''s there because the bible states the anti-christ must come into power in the end days.Makes you wonder,he''s not an American,not a trained Christian,did not tell the truth when questioned about his birth,not even sure if that is really his mother. I am not really sure why he''s in power but I amsure this will be America''s downfall.
THERE ARE JUST TOO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ELECTION AND HIS RISE TO POWER. I AM SURE HISTORY WILL PROVE THIS TO BE THE DARKEST DAY IN AMERICA"S HISTORY. EVERYTHING IS SURE TO BE WORSE,HIS PROMISES MEAN NOTHING AND CAN NOT HAPPEN. AMERICA HAS BEEN FOOLED. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DEMOCRACY,EVERYTHING TO DO WITH RACEOMARACY.TIME WILL TELL,THIS MAY BE THE START OF A NEW HELL.

[jgg00005]

the cbs censors are out in force

[lightnin001]

The least experienced, least qualified, least accomplished President-elect in history, with racist, anti-American, abortion extremist, and criminal associates, will be sworn in with the Bible of the greatest President this country ever had. This is truly an Obamanation and a desecration, a violation of the posessions of the dead. Obamanation is a term that will live for a hundred years or more. Just wanted to take a moment to remind everybody that the President-elect couldn''t have gotten a government job that required a security clearance otherwise because of some of his closest long-term associates. Yeah, I know, a lot of people don''t care

[jgg00005]

I''d like to know how he got to indonesia and pakistan in the 80''s when no other American, or anyone with an American passport, was alowed.

[renojmc]

He got elected thanks to the cheerleading of See B.S. News and other liberal "news" organizations. That, plus millions of people who have no discernment by not being able to spot an empty socialist suit. God help us.

[credibility2]

He got to the WH by fooling a lot of distracted people into voting for him by promising them everything he''ll not be able to deliver on.

[kittuvreddy2]

hi im vishnu vardhan from india i really congractulate to obama

[wtcmedic911]

Dont forget that it was his 4 white guy handlers that pulled the strings.