Believer: My Forty Years in Politics (70 page)

Lyon, Jeff, 41

MacArthur, Charles, 40

Malcolm X, 212

Maliki, Nouri al-, 291

Margolis, Jim, 207, 228, 247

Marzullo, Vito, 31, 90

Mastromonaco, Alyssa, 166, 168, 169, 191, 193, 208, 211, 290–91

Matthews, Kgosie, 105

Mayer, Jane, 102

McCain, John:

and Afghanistan, 394

and Bush Administration, 197, 281, 289–90

and campaigns, 279–80, 288–90, 295, 317, 319, 450, 455

and campaign team, 148, 295

and debates, 310–12

and the economy, 289, 308–12

and gas tax moratorium, 279–80

and health care, 370

and Iraq, 392

as POW, 196

and primaries, 196, 197, 254, 265, 281

and running mate, 303–7, 314–15

and Tea Party, 315, 378

as worthy opponent, 196, 197, 281, 290

McCarthy, Eugene, 21

McChrystal, Stanley, 392–95, 419–20

McConnell, Mitch, 354, 376, 380–82, 384, 428, 484

McCutcheon, John T., 40

McGovern, George, 58–59, 60

McKinnon, Mark, 207, 228

McMullen, Jay, 44, 45, 46, 49, 52

Medicare, 364–65

Medvedev, Dmitry, 410, 411, 412

Meet the Press,
157–58, 164, 174–75, 185–87, 452

Mell, Richard, 110

Mencken, H. L., 52

Messina, Jim, 382, 447, 455, 457–58, 476

Metcalfe, Ralph, 30, 54, 86

Michel, Bob, 482

Michigan, 282, 319, 363

Middle East:

Arab Spring in, 408–9

bin Laden’s death in, 437–38, 451, 471

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), 396–97

Obama’s travel to, 404–9

wars in,
see
Afghanistan; Iraq

midterm elections:

(1938), 427

(1994), 327, 371, 444

(2006), 189–90

(2010), 6, 327, 335, 373, 389, 415–16, 417, 421, 425–28

Mikva, Abner, 143

Milbank, Dana, 386

Minow, Newton, 143

Misericordia Home, Chicago, 114–15, 127, 326, 337

Mondale, Walter “Fritz”:

and debates, 469

and Harold Washington, 57, 146

presidential campaign (1984), 58, 59, 60, 207

Morris, Dick, 107–9, 116

Moscow, author’s family background in, 13–14

Moseley Braun, Carol:

and presidential race, 135, 155

and U.S. Senate, 103, 104–6, 123, 124, 129, 131

Moynihan, Daniel Patrick, 115

Mubarak, Gamal, 406

Mubarak, Hosni, 406–7, 408–9

Mullen, Mike, 393, 394, 396

Murdoch, Rupert, 423, 424

Murphy, Mike, 128, 148, 149, 153

Murphy, Patrick, 427

Murray, Shailagh, 280–81

Musharraf, Pervez, 230

Muskie, Edmund, 252

Muslim Brotherhood, 408–9

Nagourney, Adam, 224

Napolitano, Janet, 398–99

NATO, 392, 403

Navy SEALs, 437–38

Neal, Steve, 51, 104

Nebraska, 264, 382

Nelson, Ben, 101, 380, 381–82

Nelson, Bill, 171

Nesbitt, Marty, 190, 275, 280

Netanyahu, Bibi, 292, 406, 446, 485

Nevada, 256, 262

New Democrats, 76

New Hampshire:

campaigns in, 216, 224, 475

polls in, 184, 252, 253–54

presidential primaries in, (1984), 58, 59; (2008), 248, 250–55, 262, 265

as swing state, 288

Newhouse, Richard, 120

New Orleans, and Hurricane Katrina, 169

New York, 262, 263

New York Times,
4, 230, 387

Nichols, Mike, 26

Nicholson, Marvin, 235, 247, 321, 468

Nixon, Richard M., 1, 22, 28

Nobel Peace Prize, 390, 400–402

Norris, John, 247

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 126, 266

North Carolina, 278–79, 281, 318, 456, 476

North Korea, 362, 411, 412

Nugent, Daniel, 35–36

Obama, Barack, 119–25, 153–62

achievements of, 349–50, 368, 415–16, 420, 421, 426, 430, 458, 483

agenda for change, 214–15, 228, 234, 274, 283, 289, 314, 415, 476, 483, 487

ambition of, 137, 163, 373

The Audacity of Hope,
184–86

and campaigning vs. governing, 217, 444, 445, 486

campaign team of, 205–8, 216, 220, 224, 226, 228, 232–33, 245–46, 247, 248, 263, 267–68, 431, 448, 475

as commander in chief, 390

comparisons with, 177–78, 203, 212

competitiveness of, 4, 121, 137, 202, 220

and compromise, 141, 345–46, 352, 354, 366, 373, 374–75, 385–86, 388–89, 481

convictions of, 123–24, 220, 359, 368, 372–73, 374, 376, 389, 421–22, 441, 445, 449, 459, 483, 485

and debates, 223–24, 229–32, 235–36, 241–42, 251, 309–13, 463–74

Dreams from My Father,
156, 164, 165, 241

at ease with people, 138–39, 182, 459, 470

and the economy, 229, 289, 307–12, 324, 327, 330, 331–35, 346, 348, 351–68, 403, 416, 428–29, 438, 439–40, 441, 442, 443, 446, 461, 473, 483, 486–87

and elections, 3–9, 319–23

expectations for, 316, 327, 354, 374, 416, 426, 439, 476, 483

family history of, 156, 318

and fund-raising, 168, 188, 219, 315

and health care,
see
health care

and his family, 5–6

and his grandmother, 317–18

inauguration (2009), 338–39

influence of, 167

logo for, 208–9, 316

media attention to, 204, 218–20, 222, 223–24, 243, 248, 250, 258, 265, 271–72, 275, 277, 355, 379, 400, 417, 443, 475

and Michelle,
see
Obama, Michelle Robinson

name of, 129, 153, 378

Nobel Peace Prize to, 390, 400–402

opponents of, 204, 384, 483

and party unity, 282–83, 287–89

political rise of, 9, 30, 137, 140–41, 145, 162, 222, 320–21

popularity of, 3–4, 219, 289, 316, 373, 389, 439, 462, 474

as possible presidential candidate, 22, 163–64, 171–73, 175, 181, 182–88, 190–202, 216

as possible senatorial candidate, 118, 120, 122–23

and possible victory, 194

preparing for presidential campaign, 204–11

as president-elect, 321–23, 324–35, 339

presidential primaries (2008), 6–7, 216–34, 235–49, 250–83, 315

and racial issues, 257–59, 270–71, 272–75, 282, 290, 378–79, 403, 484

and reelection, 427, 439–41, 442–59, 461–78

on the road, 242–43, 474

and running mate, 287–89, 295–99

Secret Service protection for, 282, 321, 322, 338

Senate race (2004), 123–25, 128–31, 135–39, 142–47, 154–55, 160–62, 178, 204, 322, 370

speeches of, 130, 141, 155–60, 164, 172, 209–10, 211, 213–15, 217, 226, 236–37, 239–40, 246, 250, 254–55, 273–75, 280, 283, 293–94, 300–302, 322–23, 338, 347, 380, 401, 405–6, 407–8, 440–41, 449, 451

as state senator, 121, 137, 139–41, 228, 290, 370

supporters of, 245–46, 248, 315–16, 451, 474

and transition period, 324–37

travel abroad, 168–69, 174, 182, 290–95, 307, 403–14, 451–52

on TV, 157, 163, 164, 170, 174–75, 185–87, 453

as U.S. Senator, 163–65, 166, 167–68, 171, 175, 181, 354, 370, 381

and voter registration drives, 119–20

and welfare reform, 121

and “Yes We Can!” slogan, 6, 143, 144, 147, 162, 283, 293, 321

Obama, Malia and Sasha, 5, 321, 401

Obama, Michelle Robinson, 120, 190–91

and Barack’s smoking habit, 210–11

and children’s nutrition law, 428, 430

and election, 321

and election campaigns, 4–6, 123, 136, 143, 171, 172, 182, 185–86, 190, 192–93, 199, 201, 204, 211, 234, 258–59, 276–77, 328, 444–45

supportiveness of, 164–65, 190

and transition period, 328

Occupy Wall Street, 449

O’Donnell, Lawrence, 468

Ogilvie, Richard, 56

Ohio, 266, 267, 268, 269, 320, 364, 456, 458

oil industry, 279–80

deep-sea drilling by, 418

oil spill, Gulf of Mexico, 416–19

O’Keefe, Kevin, 97

Olbermann, Keith, 429

Olmert, Ehud, 292

Orszag, Peter, 332, 333, 370

Owens, Jesse, 30

Owens, Valerie Biden, 297

Pakistan:

Al Qaeda in, 230, 244, 397

and bin Laden, 437–38

drone strikes in, 397

Palestine, and Israel, 63, 404, 405, 406, 446

Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), 63

Palin, Sarah, 304–7, 314–15, 378

Palmer, Alice, 120–21, 137

Parker, Brad, 199–200

Parker, Dorothy, 16

Patrick, Deval, 176–78, 189, 203–4, 211

Paulson, Henry, 307, 309, 311, 354

Pawlenty, Tim, 437

Pazzi, Tom, 64

Pelosi, Nancy, 420–21

and DCCC, 178

and financial meltdown, 311

and health care, 371, 384, 388, 415

and JJ speakers, 237, 239

and midterm elections, 415

and Rahm, 178, 189, 371

Penn, Mark, 108–9, 116, 182, 206, 223, 237, 240

Pennsylvania, 268, 269, 272, 275–78, 458

Pentagon, as political player, 390–91, 393–94

Percy, Charles, 61, 63, 65–67

Peres, Shimon, 291

Perino, Dana, 336

Perriello, Tom, 427

Petraeus, David, 291, 420

Pfeiffer, Dan, 207–8, 417

Pfleger, Father Michael, 182

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), 374

Plouffe, David:

and AKPD Message and Media, 167, 177, 178, 198–99, 208

and author’s departure, 430–31

and DCCC, 199

and debates, 464, 466, 470, 472

and fund-raising, 246

and jobs report, 440

and Obama campaign (2008), 191, 192–93, 198–99, 200, 204, 208, 209, 224, 268, 287–88, 316

and primaries (2008), 219–20, 226, 232, 247, 258, 262, 266, 267, 315, 320, 321

and reelection campaign (2012), 452, 475, 476–77

and running mate selection, 295, 296, 299

and victory, 477

Plouffe, Olivia, 327

PM,
15–16

Podesta, John, 328

politics:

brinksmanship in, 438

exhilarating campaigns, 124

factionalism in, 380, 382–83, 416, 426, 438, 439, 482–83

grassroots, 221, 303, 315, 389

interest groups in, 63, 69, 103

issue-driven funding of, 63

machine of, 481

public disdain for, 375, 487–88

urban, 90–91

of Washington, 487

Powell, Colin, 395

president, as commander in chief, 390–97

presidential campaigns:

(1984), 58–61

(1988), 82–83

(1992), 63–64, 95–100

(1996), 206, 282

(2000), 197, 289

(2008), 6–7, 463, 474

(2012), 7, 9, 440–41, 442–78

presidential elections:

(1960), 27

(1964), 320

(1984), 68

(2008), 319–23

(2012), 3–9, 364, 474–78, 486

presidential primaries (2008), 216–34, 235–49, 250–83, 315

Project Vote, 119

Pucinski, Roman, 56

Putin, Vladimir, 410–13

Ralston, Jason, 234

Rattner, Steven, 362

Reagan, Ronald, 58, 422, 444, 481

in Berlin, 292, 293

and “city on a hill,” 65

and Cold War, 229

followers of, 63, 65, 66

presidency of, 75, 81, 82, 106

reelection campaign of, 63, 68

Reaganomics, 63, 66, 83, 482

Recovery Act,
see
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Reed, Bruce, 461

Reid, Harry, 181, 295, 337, 345, 381, 384–85, 415

Reilly, Tom, 176

Republican National Convention (2012), 460

Republican Party:

opposition from, 6–7, 484;
see also
specific politicians

right wing control of, 427, 482

and Tea Party, 7, 315, 378–79, 380, 426, 427, 450, 460, 484

Reynolds, Mel, 120

Rezko, Tony, 271–72

Rhodes, Ben, 230, 293, 406, 413

Ribicoff, Abe, 19

Richardson, Bill, 250

Roberts, John, 170, 171, 420, 458

Roberts, Robin, 453

Robinson, Michelle,
see
Obama, Michelle Robinson

Rochon, Reynard, 88

Rodriguez, Matt, 253

Rolling Stone,
211, 419–20

Romer, Christina, 332, 333, 334, 357, 358

Romney, George, 450

Romney, Mitt:

and Bain, 454, 456, 468

and debates, 463–64, 467–68, 470, 472–74

and 47 percent, 462, 467, 468, 471

as governor of Massachusetts, 176, 453–54

and presidential campaign (2012), 4, 303, 450–51, 453–57, 459–60, 462, 472, 476–77

and presidential primary (2008), 176, 254, 303

and Tea Party, 450

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 115

Roosevelt, Franklin D., 379, 427

Roosevelt, Theodore, 8, 347, 449

Rose, Don, 33–34, 44–45

Rosewell, Ed, 48

Rostenkowski, Dan, 27, 106–7, 109, 481–82

Rostenkowski, Joe, 106

Rouse, Pete, 165–66

and Daschle, 165

and Nelson, 382

and Plouffe, 199

and presidential primaries (2008), 173, 175, 191, 193, 199, 207

and Roberts, 170

and transition period, 328, 329

Rove, Karl, 267, 349

Royko, Mike, 28, 33, 40, 52–53, 86, 103–4

Rubin, Doug, 176

Rubin, Robert, 309, 332

Ruemmler, Kathy, 458

Rule, Amy, 165

Rumsfeld, Donald H., 296, 300, 391

Rush, Bobby, 122, 129, 136

Rush, Huey, 122

Russert, Tim, 157–58, 164, 174–75, 185–87, 235–36, 258

Russia, Obama’s travel to, 168, 410–13

Ryan, George, 117

Ryan, Jack, 155, 161, 162

Ryan, Paul, 459–60, 470

Sadat, Anwar el-, 406

Saltzman, Bettylu, 119, 129, 245

Saltzman, Paul, 245

Sandburg, Carl, 79

Sarkozy, Nicolas, 425

Saudi Arabia:

arms sales to, 63

Obama’s trip to, 404–5

Sawyer, Eugene, 85, 88

Scarborough, Joe, 475

Schiliro, Phil, 376, 382, 384

Schoen, Doug, 107–8

Schommer, Debra, 101

Schumer, Chuck, 181

Sebelius, Kathleen, 295, 372

Secure Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), 412