What is Barack Obama Doing Now? Former President Back on the Political Stage
After the end of his term, former president Barack Obama has generally shied away from the media as he enjoyed his long overdue vacation. Recently, however, it looks like Obama is making his way back into national politics.
On Sunday, May 7, the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award was bestowed upon the ex-president to honor his efforts in passing the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as ObamaCare. The award is given to elected officials, on active duty or not, "who govern for the greater good, even when it is not in their own interest to do so." according to Town and Country Magazine.
The award was given to Barack Obama at the JFK Library in Boston, and the former president seized this opportunity to implore the members of Congress in attendance to do what is right in the middle of the ongoing political conflict over policy matters, especially regarding American healthcare.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Obama called for the agreement between opposing sides in his acceptance speech. "It is my fervent hope ... that today's members of Congress are willing to look at the facts and speak the truth, even when it bucks party dogmas," Obama said.
The former leader of the country called out to the legislators to have the political willpower to back the cause of the poor and vulnerable. "I hope that current members of Congress recognize it takes little courage to aid those who are already powerful, already comfortable, already influential, but it takes great courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm," Obama added.
Earlier this month, Obama was in Chicago to promote his vision for a new presidential center to be established in the location. The new facility would be up to 225,000 square feet in area and would be a four-year project, according to Yahoo News. The ex-president spoke about building a gathering place for youth and community programs, especially for the South Side of the city where Obama first started out with his growing family and political career.
