From Organizer to Politician

This chapter discusses the time Barack Obama grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii until he became a community organizer and then decided to go to law school. It highlights Obama's intent of learning about the nature of America's power structure, which he planned to apply politically, probably by running for office, after he returned to Chicago. The chapter notes that during these years, his views on how to bring about change in his adopted city of Chicago crystallized, and he launched his political career. What stands out in this period was that the future president was a pragmatist, who believed in the art of compromise, yet he could be ruthless in pursuit of his goals and ambitions. The chapter also talks about his election as the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. It stresses the significance of his election: he viewed it as more an accomplishment for American Blacks and minorities than as a personal success. The chapter argues that Obama was a middle-of-the-road progressive and conservative, who rejected extremist views, either from the left or the right of the nation's political center. It then considers his belief that the road to a more perfect union was through the expansion of the middle class.