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Barack Obama’s historic run for president hinged on the belief that he could bring change to Washington.
As an outsider on many levels, his message of hope was received with interest.
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
We are the change that we seek.”
His message and policies earned him two terms as president.
And beyond his political life, he continues to fascinate as he redefines his life outside Washington.
He’s a nerd for comic books
Would you have taken Barack Obama for aSpider-Manstan?
He made his love for the web-slinger public in a 2015 email to grassroots organizers.
“I grew up loving comic books.
On paper, at least, Obama got to meet his childhood hero.
The comic features the story of Sal Giunta, a Medal of Honor recipient.
And the answer is actually fittingly nerdy.
“It’s kind of a weird superpower,” he told 93.3 KOB FM (viaYahoo!
Former president Barack Obama is a Jr.
He returned to Kenya in ‘64,NPRreported, after they divorced.
Obama said the visit had “a profound impact” on his life.
He explained, “My father gave me my first basketball and introduced me to jazz.
Per theMiller Center, his mother, Ann Dunham, was a white woman born in Kansas.
While attending the University of Hawaii, she met and married Barack Obama Sr, a student from Kenya.
Dunham also married again, this time to another University of Hawaii student, Lolo Soetoro.
Soetoro was from Indonesia, where Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, was born.
When Obama married, his global family finally came together in one room.
“I remember his wedding.
“And we looked like the rainbow tribe and me in between.
Never a dull moment, right?”
When it came time for Lolo Soetoro to return to Indonesia, the family followed.
Obama lived in Indonesia from the ages of 6 to 10,Reutersreported.
In aspeechat the University of Indonesia, Obama later recalled, “We lived in a small house.
We had a mango tree out front.
“And so what I benefited from is a multiplicity of cultures that all fed me.”
PerReuters, the former president began smoking as a teenager.
And ever since, Obama’s undergone a constant “struggle” as he committed to quitting.
“Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes?
Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker?
No,” he said, noting that he didn’t smoke in front of his children.
But the stress of the presidency often caused him to relapse.
In the end, another Obama girl helped him overcome his vice.
That’s when he began chewing nicotine gum like crazy, he wrote in “A Promised Land.”
She remembers not being particularly impressed when she looked him up.
Barack Obama had a full-size basketball court installed in the White House
Barack Obama notoriously loves basketball.
But he wasn’t the first baller-in-chief.
According to the White House Museum, George H.W.
Bush installed a small court in 1991 that was used for shooting hoops.
Obama’s court became famous for the pickup games that attracted basketball stars and member of Congress alike.
“I had to doff my cap to him and celebrate his victory,” Branson said.
Before taking office, Obama was snappedbody surfingwhile on vacation in Hawaii in 2008.
But the following day, Obama’s critics had a field day over the New York trip.
Pearl-clutching over the cost of the date ensued,Timenoted, and pundits smeared them as out of touch.
So what’s the former president reading nowadays?
Everysummerandyear-end, Obama drops a list of his favorite reads.
But one of his more surprising awards?
Not one, but two Grammys.
In 2019, another Obama made waves at the award show, as noted byUSA Today.
His podcast co-host is another Grammy winner
Yes, you read that right.
Barack Obama is now a podcaster.
And his cohost is probably someone you’ve heard of before: rock icon Bruce Springsteen.
So what brought this particular pair of voices together?
PerInsider, Obama met The Boss during a campaign concert, where he remembers thinking Springsteen was super shy.
While Springsteen played piano, they belted out Broadway and Motown songs.
As their friendship deepened, so did their conversations about race, politics, manhood, and music.
They appear to agree on everything.”
Lucky for him, Netflix is happy to help make that happen.
