You’re reading a story from Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University. Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring.

This story originally ran in the Nov. 7, 2012, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.

To the millions tuning in last night it was a case of deja vu as President Barack Obama gave his second acceptance speech from Prudential Plaza in Chicago, which faces Grant Park where Obama gave his acceptance speech in 2008.

Around 10:30 p.m. central time ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC all reported that Barack Obama had been re-elected for a second term as president of the United States.

Obama won critical states such as Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan to gain the needed 270-elctoral college votes for reelection.

At the time of print, former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney and Obama were tied at 49 percent of the popular vote, with Romney leading with 207,321 votes.

Mitt Romney won Tennessee with 59.5 percent of the vote, giving him the 11 electoral votes held here.

Debate blunders Going into the first debate at the University of Denver. President Obama led Ronmney by eight points. It appeared almost as if the incumbent did not show up as Romney surprised Obama, and the rest of the country, with his bold performance that had yet to be seen in the campaign.

Fact-checkers were in full swing throughout the debate season catching each candidate in inaccuracies in all three debates.

This year’s debates also produced hashtaggable moments such as “I like Big Bird,” “binders full of women.” and “bayonet’s and horses.”

After a lackluster showing at the Denver debate, Obama was prepared for the last two debates, with polls showing victories for the president at Hofstra University and Lynn University.

Accomplishments

During his campaign for re-election, Obama had three main accomplishments he showcased: ObamaCare, the death of Osama bin Laden and the resurgence of the automobile industry, particularly in Detroit.

After taking office, Obama’s top priority seemed to be the economy. Over the course of his recent campaign and debates, he focused several times on the bailout he negotiated for General Motors and Chrysler in Detroit. The companies recovered from bankruptcy and have even thrived, once they gained their footing.

ObamaCare began making its way through the system in 2010, despite heated debate and controversy over the repercussions it would have on insurance policies and job availability in the health care system. The president was widely criticized for his “socialist” policy, but stood by his claim that all Americans need insurance coverage. The bill made Medicaid policy more expansive and insurance a requirement for all citizens.

On May 2, 2011, Navy SEALS shot and killed Osama bin Laden, eventually disposing of his body off of the USS Carl Vinson into the North Arabian Sea. The victory was a major one for U.S. morale. Over the past four years, many al-Qaida leaders have been killed and the United States itself hasn’t suffered another terrorist attack. The only act of terrorism came on Sept. 11 of this year on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, sparking criticism of both candidates’ views on foreign policy.

Most of the criticism facing Obama has been in regards to the unemployment rate, ObamaCare and the military forces that remain in the Middle East.

Education

According to his website, Obama aims to keep federal loans at a minimum for students and lower tuition rates for college students.

“President Obama’s efforts of reform in higher education funding have produced the largest investment in student aid since the G.I. Bill, while resulting in a more efficient, reliable, and effective system for students to help them afford college and manage debt,” his website says.

He also has claimed a devotion to improving public school systems and abandoning the No Child Left Behind policy Bush implemented during his term. He replaced it with Race to the Top, which fosters competition for funds between schools and is gauged by test scores and success rates.

Plans for Future

“It’s important for people to understand how much we’ve gotten done,” Obama said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone regarding his first term.

After dealing with gridlock in Congress regarding defaulting on U.S. debt and vastly divided views on health care reform, the critical and controversial Affordable Care Act was passed and is expected to fully kick in 2014.

Obama is still focused on dealing with the national debt and unemployment rate, which was at 7.9 percent at the end of October- the highest unemployment rate an incumbent has ever been elected with.

In his interview with Rolling Stone he said he is “committed” to ending the war in Afghanistan by 2014.

“We’re going to have a full agenda in the second four years,” Obama told Rolling Stone. “But people shouldn’t underestimate how much we can get done.”

About Barack

Barack Obama has roots ranging from Kenya to Kansas.

His father Barack Obama, Sr. was born in Kenya and attended college at the University of Hawaii. While there he met Obama’s mother, Ann Soetoro. Soetoro was raised in Kansas and moved to Hawaii with her parents after she graduated high school.

The couple divorced three years after Obama was born and his mother married Lolo Soetoro from Indonesia.

Barack Sr. died in 1982 from a car accident and Ann Soetoro died of cancer in 1995.

President Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised by his grandparents Stanley and Madelyn Dunham. He attended Occidental College for two years, then transferred to Columbia University to study political science.

He obtained his law degree from Harvard University.

He met his wife, Michelle, while he was an associate at the Chicago law firm, Sidley Austin.

The two were married in 1992, and in 1998 their first daughter Malia was born followed by Sasha in 2001.

Obama graduated from Harvard Law School in late 1988, beginning a career that would eventually see him into the Oval Office. He worked as a lawyer in Chicago for several years, even dabbling in teaching at one point. In 1996, he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Illinois. He announced he was considering a run for the presidency in 2006, and eventually began his campaign in January 2007.

In November 2009, he became the first black president of the United States of America. And in 2012; he has done it again. The past four years have been complex and messy. President Obama has seen disappointment, failure and success, but says he still has hope for the next four years. As president of the United States, he will no doubt see more of that.

During his campaign for re-election, Obama has said it takes more than four years to make a change. Supporters hope eight will bring a seamless transition into ObamaCare, a steadily improving economy and an end to overseas conflict.

The details are yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain: President Barack Obama will be in office from 2012 until 2016.