“Many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for 'That One.' And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president.” ThinkingKnowsMayRunningPoliticalFatherNamesPresidentMiddleBarackKrypton Author:Barack Obama
“Think about one of the most powerful influences on a young child's life - the absence of a father figure. Look back on recent presidents, and you'll find an absent, or weak, or failed father in the lives of Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.” ThinkingLooksChildrenYoungFatherPresidentPowerfulInfluenceFiguresWeakBillsClintonAbsenceBarackMost PowerfulAbsentJohnsonYoung ChildrenFather Figure Author:Jeff Greenfield
“Barack the boy was raised by his white maternal grandparents; his Kenyan father abandoned him. The qualities Americans appeared to find universally appealing in the ambitious, affable Obama - his confidence and calm, and his commitment to community and kin, education and excellence - these came from Kansas, not Kenya.” FatherCommunityWhiteQualityBoysCommitmentExcellenceRaisedCalmBarackAbandonedAmbitiousGrandparentKenyaKansasAffable Author:Ilana Mercer
“[Barack Obama] will touch you on the shoulder and, you know - in that big brother or father figure kind of way. And you really do feel sort of shepherded by him.” KnowsWayFeelsKindBigsFatherFiguresBrotherShouldersBarackFather Figure Author:Jordan Peele