Early Years
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.
Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.
It was there, at the University of Hawaii, where Barack's parents met. His mother was a student there, and his father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams in America.
Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.
Time Magazine recently named Carl Levin as one of the ten best Senators in the nation, reporting that he has “gained respect from both parties for his attention to detail and deep knowledge of policy,” and that “his carefully researched, thoughtful remarks carry great weight with his colleagues.”
At its core, this campaign is about getting our District’s voice back in the Congress. Voters have made clear to me they view the vital issues which face us – a struggling economy, a mortgage crisis, worries about healthcare and concerns about our role in the World – the same way I do. When I am elected I intend to:
Michigan today is at a crossroads. The decisions that are made in Lansing in the next few years will determine Michigan's course for generations. We cannot afford to send "parking deck politicians" and the same old "good old boys" to Lansing. Not this time. We cannot continue to support the same old people doing the same old things in the same old ways. We must begin to move in a new direction.
Dave has been married to his wife, Nanette for 22 years and they have enjoyed life in Kalkaska County for 15 years. They live in Clearwater Township and are members of the Kalkaska Church of Christ.