# Barack Obama was a once in a lifetime candidate

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [November 5, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866 "2020-11-05T23:32:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/1 "2020-11-05T23:32:04Z")

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It’s hard to believe now that it was only twelve years ago that a black man with an unusual first name and a Muslim middle name won the presidency when you look at how divided America is now.

He won by 7% in the popular vote. He got 365 electoral votes. He swept the rustbelt on the way to flipping nine states that in 2004 all voted for the Republican party.

He won states that no previous Democrat had won in decades like Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia.

He won the majority of the popular vote which no Democrat since Jimmy Carter did. Bill Clinton was elected both times with \<50% due to third parties.

He managed to successfully appeal as a candidate of populism, and change while not scaring away conservatives/moderates. He had tremendous enthusiasm and young voters actually turned out for him.

He was and remains an exceptional public speaker who can cater to everybody while maintaining a clear sense of core values.

How did we go from an America that elected this man of “hope and change” with a clear mandate to govern to the America of today where politics has become largely about hatred and anger.

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**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/2 "2020-11-05T23:33:13Z")

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In a recent conversation with my mother, I mentioned that I had never voted _for_ a Presidential candidate; only against.

But then I checked myself. Obama. I voted _for_ Obama.

When did he serve ? 40 … 50 years ago ??

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/3 "2020-11-05T23:39:52Z")

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When people despair about living in Trump’s America and how the country is collapsing, I like to remind them that we are pretty much the same country that had Barack Obama as President just five years ago.

Trump does not define America. Trump is not the equivalent of cancer; he won’t kill this country. Trump is the equivalent of shitting your pants; the country needs to take a shower and put on a new pair of pants.

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**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/4 "2020-11-05T23:47:30Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> Trump is the equivalent of shitting your pants; the country needs to take a shower and put on a new pair of pants. -

The problem is half the country is smearing it all over themselves and dancing around a bonfire.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/5 "2020-11-06T00:11:20Z")

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Remember the Financial Crisis of 2008 caused in significant part by criminal activity by bankers and other financial executives? How many of these went to prison for their crimes after being prosecuted by the Obama administration?

The answer is one.

> **[How Wall Street’s Bankers Stayed Out of Jail](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/how-wall-streets-bankers-stayed-out-of-jail/399368/)**
>
> The probes into bank fraud leading up to the financial industry’s crash have been quietly closed. Is this justice?

This is the kind of crap which allowed Trump to successfully campaign that Washington is a swamp.

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**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/6 "2020-11-06T00:22:13Z")

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Your thread makes me remember reading this:

> **[le casablanca hotel - Google Search | Outdoor furniture sets, Furniture sets,...](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/373024781640732961/sent/?invite_code=393e214912e046ca9253e4a5b9155871&sfo=1)**
>
> Jun 13, 2022 - This Pin was discovered by Our Life is Beautiful. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/7 "2020-11-06T00:26:52Z")

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> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> > [@Little\_Nemo](#):
> >
> > Trump is the equivalent of shitting your pants; the country needs to take a shower and put on a new pair of pants. -
> 
> The problem is half the country is smearing it all over themselves and dancing around a bonfire.

And flinging it around like a bunch of crazed apes.

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/8 "2020-11-06T09:59:03Z")

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I felt at the time that the nation was really not ready for a black president (“black” wasn’t capitalized in those days), and a great many voters were voting more against Bush Jr. than for Obama. It’s even worse now.

ETA: I’m pretty sure Obama’s first name, Barack, is also Arabic or at least derived from Arabic, so would that also be a common Islamic name? I think it’s a cognate with the Hebrew word (and name) Baruch, which means “blessed”.

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/9 "2020-11-06T10:14:13Z")

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Barack means Lightning in both Hebrew and Arabic. It’s a Biblical name, there was a Judge named Barack in Judges

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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/10 "2020-11-06T10:20:58Z")

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Aha. I’m googling this now. I see:  
בָּרוּך  
(baruch) means blessed.  
בָּרָק  
(baraq) means lightning.

Are these both used as given names?

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/11 "2020-11-06T11:26:53Z")

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Yeah,two totally different first names though. A Hebrew speaker wouldn’t mistake them because one has a hard ק and once a soft כ

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/12 "2020-11-06T14:12:09Z")

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> [@Boycott](#):
>
> He won the majority of the popular vote which no Democrat since Jimmy Carter did.

Nitpick: Gore won the popular vote in 2000.

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**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/13 "2020-11-06T14:19:23Z")

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I think he means that no Democrat since Carter got more than 50% of the vote.

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**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barack-obama-was-a-once-in-a-lifetime-candidate/924866/14 "2020-11-06T16:52:30Z")

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> [@Senegoid](#):
>
> I felt at the time that the nation was really not ready for a black president (“black” wasn’t capitalized in those days), and a great many voters were voting more against Bush Jr. than for Obama. It’s even worse now.

I think you’re right- it seems like the two halves of the country seem to be voting against the other side more than they’re voting FOR their own side. So we are starting to see wider pendulum swings in terms of how far out individual candidates are- Obama was a pretty wide swing the opposite direction from W, being young, hip, energetic and black. And Trump’s an even wider swing in the other direction from Obama.

At least Biden is something of a damping candidate I hope- if he’s elected, maybe we’ll see less of a dramatic swing to the right whenever a Republican is next elected.