bad and many would say ugly, donald trump has connected and he has captured a moment in history. i'm chris matthews. thanks for watching. hello. i'm thomas roberts. the 2016 battle for the white house is in full swing and, by all accounts, a momentous race like no other. it wasn't so long ago that the country experienced another historic race, groundbreaking for entirely different reasons. for the next hour, we look at the man who was elected in 2008, the 44th president of the united states, barack obama. >> if there is anyone out there who still doubts that america is

a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. [cheers and applause ] >> after a groundbreaking campaign, americans go to the polls in huge numbers, the highest turnout in decades. and when the votes are counted, a new chapter in american history begins. >> i never thought i'd live long enough to see it. yes! >> we need that change! obama! obama! >> it speaks of us as a nation that we're ready to be fair, to be open and we feel better about ourselves, i think, because of it. >> barack obama has spent his life straddling different worlds. now he is transcending them to generations of americans who thought they would not live to

see an african-american elected president, his victory is especially meaningful. >> some people gave their very life to make tonight possible. i feel very blessed to see this day. >> tonight, we prove once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms but from the enduring power of our ideals. democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. >> in this hour, the personal and political journey of barack obama. >> more than 100,000 people gathered as election day 2008 unfolds into night. they listened for what many have spent a lifetime hoping to hear.

>> it's been a long time coming. but tonight, because of what we did on this day in this election at this defining moment, change has come to america. >> in the unlikeliest of stories, a freshman senator breaks the color barrier to defeat an opponent with decades of experience in washington. and for barack obama, the hardest part may just be starting starting. on the heels of his masterful campaign, he faces economic crisis and war abroad. obama feels the responsibility even in the midst of celebration. >> we may not get there in one year or even in one term, but, america, i have never been more hopeful than i am tonight that we will get there. i promise you, we as a people will get there.

>> barack hussein obama was born in 1961 in honolulu, hawaii. the name barack means blessed. in an interview he made in 2004, he makes light of his unusual name. >> my father is from kenya, my mother from kansas. people called me alabama or yo mama or bahama. and i think people appreciated the fact that i could joke about it. >> obama's parents meet at the university of hawaii where they are both students. they get married in 1960 but separate when obama is only 2 and eventually divorced. his father leaves the island to attend harvard university on a scholarship to get his ph.d. and leaves obama and his mother behind. obama will not see him again until he's 10 years old when his

father visits the family for a month. they stay in touch but 11 years later, his father dies in a car accident. this visit is the last time he sees his dad. in his 1995 memoir, "dreams from my father," obama recalls his mother giving him insight into the father he barely knew. when obama is 6 years old, his mother remarries an indonesian man, lolo satera and the family soon moves to tunisia. he adapts, a skill that will serve him in the years to come. his early experiences exposing to a melting pot of racism in cultures. >> i grew up not only in hawaii but also in indonesia. i have a half sister who is half indonesian who just married a chinese-canadian. i have a new niece who has my dna but looks completely

different. and so i'm constantly reminded of the fact that i'm connected to the people i see, that i know their stories because they are my story, too. >> his mom challenged him academically. i mean, she just wanted him to learn as much as he could. >> at age 9, obama's mother separates from his stepfather. she moves the family back to hawaii and obama attends punaho academy. >> he was an all-around guy, very well-liked, respectful, articulate, spoke very well. >> as a teenager, obama exhibits his competitive side playing basketball and his intellectual side by reading a variety of books, many about african-american life from authors such as richard wright, ralph ellison, language ston hughes and alex haylee.

by the time he's in high school, obama is struggling to make sense of his multicultural background. in high school, he used drugs and drank high school. he writes, "to push the questions of who i was out of my mind." in 1979, obama leaves hawaii to atte attend occidental college. it's a confusing part of life but it's where his desire for public service and his gift for public speaking starts to take hold. after two years, obama decides to transfer to columbia university in new york city to study political science. it's here that he starts to come to terms with who he is and what he is doing. in his being boo, ook, he write

stops using drugs and applies himself to his studies. after graduating in 1983, obama is at a crossroads. he's torn between working at a community and working in a corporation. he takes a job as a research analyst at a consulting firm. >> it was a job to put bread on the table. he viewed the job as sort of biding time until he could do what he wanted to do, which is how to move people on a grassroots level. >> then, destiny comes calling in the form of a newspaper ad for a community organizer in chicago. >> i arrange for a face-to-face interview and we spent hours talking to one another. he was hungry to learn. >> obama gets the job, packs his bags and drives to chicago. he doesn't know exactly what lies ahead but somehow he's sure he's now moving in the right direction. hmmmmm... [ "dreams" by beck ]

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in 1985, barack obama leaves for chicago and coordinates neighborhoods associations to help them lobby for basic services and amenities. jerry killman runs the organization. >> much more status and more of a future so why would he be willing to work for $10,000 a year to come to a city where he had never lived before and work with the poor. he had to have some strong motivation to do that. >> the 24-year-old obama goes to work in a sprawling project called alt guild gardens. >> you're isolated and in that sense it was a very devastating place. >> kellman is glad that he found an african-american to work with

his organization. >> it would be -- barack was frequently getting criticized and attacked and often he would come back to the office and vent some frustration. >> locals were skeptical that he could help them find jobs or get basic services. he talks about the problem of teenage dropouts. >> he was with the ministers in the area and they were organizing to bring about protests to put pressure on the public officials to do something about school dropouts. >> jones is receptive of the proposals to the school dropouts and immediately hits it off with the young activist. >> he was genuinely sincere. we became good friends while we were working together. as a result of those efforts, we were able to go to the state board of education, get funding

for dropout programs. >> but for the next three years, the sheer scale of the chicago's south side were overwhelming and led obama to the decision that he needs to find another way to help. he goes to law school. he's now thinking about running for office where he could have more influence on public policy. obama does well in law school. he works hard and plays hoops to unwind. >> he loved to smile. and he really smiled when he, you know, put up a jump shot and hit it over you. >> obama is often back in chicago and while working there at a law firm one summer, he meets attorney michelle robinson. though pursing his legal studies, he's still involved with community outreach. >> he took me to one of his community organizing trainings,

a basement of senior citizens, mostly african-american, he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves and launched into the most elegant and passionate vision of the community and why people need to engage and people just connected with him in the ways that they do now. >> he had a car that was a thousand years old, it barely worked. he was someone consumed with the world of ideas. michelle was a great counterweight to that. she's very, very pragmatic. you know, she's someone who will say, okay, the balloon has floated high enough and she is that anchor for him. >> back in law school, obama goes on to be elected president of the harvard law review, the most prestigious journal in the country. he's the first african-american to hold the position. >> word got out that he was elected of harvard law review and there was palpable excitement that we were making

history. >> gaining such a position opens a lot of doors for obama. but he resists taking the conventional route. >> he could have had any job in america. he could have clerked for any judge on the supreme court. he could have had the most prestigious professorship in the country. he could have gone to the top law firm and made a princely sum of money and he again went back to chicago and set down his roots and built on the base that he created as a community organizer after college. >> he came back to work on voter registration. i guess he liked chicago. i never knew at that time that he did have in the back of his mind getting involved more politically as an elected official. >> obama starts to practice civil rights law and to teach at the university of chicago, all the while he remains active in the community. but there's more to obama than building his resume. at the same time, he's getting settled in his personal life.

he and michelle marry in 1992 at the trinity united church of christ, where obama finds a spiritual home. in 1995, obama's mother dies of ovarian cancer. it happens just a month after obama publishes his very personal memoir, "dreams from my father," about his life and his unusual family background. >> it's a book very much about identity and the amazing thing about the book is i think can captures one of the things that is extraordinary about him and that is that he's a confluence of a lot of different strains of the american identity all in one person. >> in 1996, obama launches his political career and runs for state senator. his extensive grassroots connections prove invaluable and voted in by a sizeable majority.

but some of his democratic opponents by playing hardball and going to court to challenge the signatures of supporters they need to enter the primary. >> it did ruffle some feathers among chicago. >> some observers think it shows just how inpatient obama is to move up the ladder. >> he's 175 pounds of ambition, there's no doubt about that. >> and that ambition will make obama a force to recon with on the national stage within a few years.

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see what the power of points can do for your business. learn more at chase.com/ink raise your right hand. >> it's january 1997 after winning a campaign for the illinois senate, 35-year-old barack obama is sworn in. >> congratulations. [ applause ] >> in springfield, the state capital, his political life takes light but the freshman senator is about to hit some turbulence. >> senator obama to close.

>> thank you very much, mr. president. let me just respond -- >> he certainly ingendered some jealousies among his colleagues. >> motion filed by senator obama. >> who thought, who is this guy from harvard dropping in here and thinks he's just all that? >> obama turns to senate minority leader imil jones, a powerful figure and friend from his days as a community organizer on chicago's south side. >> he suggested to me to give him a tough assignment and he'll work hard and try to see through it that those assignments were done properly. >> but getting these challenging assignments from his mentor only increases the tension between obama and some of his more experienced senate colleagues. >> at times i felt sorry for him. he's making the presentation and they are jumping off at i am had, what the heck do you know what you're doing? you just got here and all of that kind of stuff. but he prevailed. >> thank you, senator.

>> in time, obama makes many political friends and allies, black and white, republican and democrat. he becomes known for bridging the political divide to push through a wide array of legislation. but mostly the harvard law school grad focuses on his less fortunate constituents, helping to deliver tax credits for low-income workers, welfare reforms, increase child care subsidies and death penalty reform. another place obama becomes known for building bridges, the weekly special committee meeting that would be code for the wednesday night poker game. >> when you're playing poker and drinking beer with your fellow legislators, you're going to develop a personal connection. >> the voting is open. >> that can carry over in to passing legislation. >> obama and his wife welcome their first child, a daughter named malia. another daughter named natasha follows three years later. >> he became a very proud

father. >> and mama came upstairs. >> he was excited. the pictures were proudly displayed in his office. >> obama is serving his second term in the state senate but it's clear to those who know him that he doesn't intend to stick around springfield for long. >> hi, how are you, sir? >> after only three years in state politics, decides it's time to try and move on to washington. >> we can't afford to wait another seven years. >> what's going on, man? >> in 2000, he takes on a popular incumbent named bobby rush in the democratic congressional primary. >> thank you so much for coming. >> he loses badly. >> he was a little bit too intellectual in his speeches and i think he learned that politics is more about connecting with people than showing them how smart you are. >> there was a number of us who said to him that maybe this wasn't the right idea and we were playing cards that night and nobody really wanted to say

anything. and barack just looked up and he says, all right, i know you all want to say it, don't say it. and it's over. and we all laughed and that was the end of it. >> joking aside, obama is so deflated he considers dropping out of politics altogether. it only gets worse after the attacks of september 11th. obama is already at a political low point. it doesn't help that his name sounds an awful like -- >> osama bin laden. >> i heard comments about members when the name osama and everything, some members even called him that and everything, which i resented them doing that to him based on his name. >> the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. >> at first, obama, like much of the country, rallies behind the

bush's administration to take out the taliban but a year later when it becomes clear that the priority has shifted to eye bei iraq, obama is opposed. >> what i do oppose is a dumb war. what i do oppose is a rash war. >> to march into an unnecessary war when almost the entire country, you know, is behind it, i mean, you have to have guts to do that. >> at 41, barack obama is aching more than ever to run for national office when illinois senator peter fitzgerald announces he's vacating his seat in april 2003, obama jumps on the opportunity. >> i will be a candidate for the united states senate in 2004. >> i remember i walked into his office and he said i've got something to ask you and i says, what's that? and he said, i'm thinking of

running for u.s. senate. would you support me? and i said, yes. and he looked at me in a puzzled look and he says, don't you have to think about it for a while? and i said, no, now you're ready and it's the right race. >> but before obama can win the general election, he's got to win a tough primary. his opponents are formidable. >> as these two white candidates at the top of the ticket were kind of duking it out over the white vote, he just races right by these two at the end. they were like the two horses in front butting heads against one another and obama just races right by them. >> on primary day in march 2004, a stunning victory. >> we get this seat for the democrats in november. >> and the democratic party's top guns suddenly start to take notice. >> i went over to talk to him and there was a lot of national attention for a guy who wasn't even a u.s. senator at that

point. >> winning can put you on the radar and obama all of a sudden was winning when he wasn't supposed to and a lot of democrats who had been watching from a distance wanted to size this guy up, find out what he's all about, is he going to challenge us all the way to the top. >> obama hasn't even won the u.s. senate seat when he receives an invitation he wouldn't have dreamt of even a few weeks before. democratic presidential candidate john kerry asks him to deliver the keynote address at the 2004 democratic national convention. with one speech, barack obama is about to become a household name. [phone buzzing] some things are simply impossible to ignore. the strikingly designed lexus nx turbo and hybrid. the suv that dares to go beyond utility. this is the pursuit of perfection.

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here are the hour's top stories. hermine has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. fears of flooding in new jersey and southern new england.

the winds are expected to weaken over the next day. the nbc survey monkey online poll is out with a matchup between hillary clinton and donald trump and shows clinton is maintaining a six-point lead, 48-42%. now back to "enter, barack obama." it's summer 2004, democrats nominate john kerry and john edwards to challenge george w. bush and dick cheney in the november election. bill clinton, jimmy carter and al gore are here. there's building anticipation about a younger, less familiar democrat from illinois set to deliver the keynote speech. >> barack obama!

>> he starts out the speech a little bit slow. >> on behalf of the great state of illinois -- >> and then he gets in to being barack. >> the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that america has a place for him, too. >> then the audience gets into it. >> hope -- hope in the face of difficulty. hope in the face of uncertainty. the audacity of hope. >> it's getting stronger and stronger and stronger. >> this country will reclaim its promise and out of this long, political darkness, a brighter day will come. thank you very much, everybody. god bless you. >> and the tears were rolling down my eyes. >> we were all crying. we felt so good. barack had told us before, don't worry, i'll do all you guys proud, and he did.

>> here comes this guy who nobody had heard of but had a lot of buzz around him and he hit the ball out of the park. >> obama returns home confident and more determined than ever to win a seat in the u.s. senate. his republican opponent, former investment banker jack ryan, withdraws from the race. his campaign derailed by a sex scandal. the republican party is scrambling to find a candidate, even offering the job to legendary chicago bears coach. >> the republican party here in illinois was just in a shambles at this point. they couldn't find a candidate to run against this great new hope of the democrats. they thought, we really need to put somebody in there and muddy him up a little bit in this race. >> that august, with only three months to the election, radio talk show host and former presidential candidate ellen keys moves to illinois to replace ryan on the ticket.

the race is short but contentious. keys accuses obama of criticizing the bush administration over the war in iraq. he also goes after obama for his position on abortion. >> christ would not vote for barack obama because barack obama has voted to behave in a way that it is inconceivable for christ to have behaved. >> barack just stayed above the fray and ran a more positive campaign based on the issues. >> yes, we can. >> obama wins by a landslide racking up 70% of the vote, the largest electoral victory in illinois history. >> thank you so much! >> on january 4th, 2005, with his wife michelle and their daughters by his side, obama becomes only the third african-american elected to the u.s. senate since reconstruction. >> this is a guy with a hole in

his shoe whose car barely ran who is just full of ideas. this was just the most excellent adventure. >> once in washington, obama sets out to make his mark but as a freshman senator and with the republicans in control, his impact is limited. >> obama is viewed by other senators as an outside player, someone who has a real ability to captivate the media but inside the back rooms of the senate was not much of a fact are to. >> and i think he found that pretty frustrating that he could do a whole lot more than he could do in washington. >> but outside the senate chamber, obama is increasingly seen as a passionate advocate for the less fortunate. people like the residents of the gulf coast reeling from the devastating effects hurricane katrina. >> new orleans is an example of what america can do when we come together not a symbol for what

we can't or won't do. >> obama's work extends beyond america's borders, traveling to kuwait, israel. and in 2006, to promote hiv and aids prevention, a bittersweet trip to kenya where his father grew up and where his grandmother still lives. >> obama's journey with his own personal background and his willingness to address it directly presents one of the most unique opportunities for americans to elect a president who could deal with a region that most presidents, let's face it, almost ignored. >> in just two years, obama is a major player on the national stage. >> thank you. >> leading up to the midterm elections in 2006, obama crisscrosses the country, campaigning for democratic candidates. while raising funds and stumping for others, obama takes the opportunity to constantly

criticize the bush administration. a growing number of washington insiders start to think obama looks more like a presidential candidate than a junior senator from illinois. >> you know, i'm not -- >> despite the hype on "meet the press" with tim russert, obama pledges to remain in the senate. >> i will serve out my full six-year term. >> but just months later, obama begins to publicly toy with the idea of a white house run. >> i have thought about the possibility. >> after the election of 2006, the democrats take control of both the house and the senate for the first time in a dozen years. >> with democrats taking control, he actually got things moving in terms of the ethics reform, signature moment for him. >> the country seems poised for a change and the idea of an obama presidential run in 2008 is gaining momentum.

while promoting his second book, the audacity of hope, barack obama finds him in a highly coveted place, the cover story of "time" magazine. >> one of the things that the cover did was send a message to a lot of african-american voters around the country who were concerned that he wasn't a truly electable african-american candidate. >> the conjecture builds as the national media continues to debate, will he or won't he? >> is he going to run? >> i don't know. >> i think obama definitely has the edge. >> the time has come, he's got to go now. >> then, on a frigid february morning in 2007, barack obama ends the speculation and imparts on an historic journey. on an historic journey. eon an historic journey. mon an historic journey. bon an historic journey. on an historic journey. on an historic journey. on an historic journey. ♪

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let me begin by saying thanks to all of you. i know it's a little chilly. but i'm fired up. >> february 10th, 2007, springfield, illinois, on a bitter wind-swept day more than 15,000 people turn out for the announcement they've been waiting months to hear. >> in the shadow of the old state capitol where lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, i stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the united states of america. [cheers and applause ] >> it was really one of the most exciting days of my life and

loads of us went down to springfield to cheer him on on a subzero day. you could feel the energy in the crowd that day. ♪ >> the obama campaign gets off to a fast start. obama raises $58 million during the first half of 2007, topping all other candidates. more than 16 million of his record-breaking total comes from small donors, those contributing increments of less than $200. >> if everybody here decides they want to get involved in the campaign and they want to contribute $5, $10, get on the internet. i don't want to have to raise money in hollywood all the time. i'd rather raise it right here in austin. >> to me, it reflects the mindset of a community organizer and when you apply that organizing strategy on a national scale, i think you see fantastic results that, in many respects are unprecedented.

>> the race for cash quickly becomes the media's measure of success. >> it is a stunning turn around in the democratic race. barack obama now raising so much money that hillary clinton is no longer the clear front-runner and presumptive nominee. >> all of us have to say, yes, we can. >> perhaps more than at any other time in presidential history, among young people, mine north and disaffected voters. >> everything about barack obama says this is different, this is new, this is the future. >> i am confident that we're going to have an entirely new and better america. thank you, los angeles. i love you. >> obama is candidate as rock star. one of youtube's most popular hit of 2007 is an independently made video called obama girl. ♪ i've got a crush on obama ♪ baby you're the best

candidate ♪ >> but obama fever doesn't catch on with everyone and the conversation can get personal and ugly. >> what's his middle name? >> hussein. >> why don't we just say it as it is. >> the same racist -- >> that's not racist. let me explain something. that's not racist. >> i have not ever seen a presidential candidate in a circumstance where saying his full name is a dirty trick. >> hate mail directed at obama prompts the secret service to take the unusual step of protecting the candidates earlier than ever before. >> we have a tendency in this country to extinguish someone who brings a feeling of great hope to the masses. there are times when we were on the campaign trail where i have to concede that i was walking next to a black politician who reminds people of bobby kennedy. >> hope and change is the obama

message. and people flock to it. but his rivals and skeptical voters demand more substance and obama faces a barrage of attacks on his readiness for office. >> issues are being raised about pakistan. i think it's tilehighly irresponsible for people seeking that office to invade a nation that we're trying to get to be more cooperative with us. >> he gets criticized for being too inexperienced, too black, too white, too heavy on rhetoric and too light on policy. >> i find it amusing that those who helped to authorize and engineer the biggest foreign policy disaster in our generation are now criticizing me for making sure that we are on the right battlefield and not the wrong battlefield in the war against terrorism. >> he rolls on, block by block, state by state inspiring more

and more voters. >> ready to go! fire it up! ready to go! >> the democrat's first nominating contest, the iowa caucus, finally comes in january 2008. barack obama pulls a stunning upset, a state that is overwhelmingly white goes for obama. >> you came together as democrats, republicans and independents to stand up and say that we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come! >> the critical new hampshire primary comes next and obama is poised for back-to-back victories and an early knockout punch against hillary clinton. pollsters and pundits show obama with a big lead but when the votes are counted, clinton wins decisively. >> a lot of people said there was going to be a blowout.

10, 15 points. we knew that wasn't the case. it's now a one-on-one race, hillary clinton, barack obama as we go forward. we're excited. >> after a year of campaigning, the race between clinton and obama is far from over. as they head into nevada, south carolina and super tuesday, the stakes couldn't be higher. >> well, thank you so much. i am still fired up and ready to go. is it a caregiver determined to take care of her own? or is it a lifetime of work that blazes the path to your passions? your personal success takes a financial partner who values it as much as you do. learn more at tiaa.org man, my feet same time tomorrow, fellas!?

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we've been asked to pause for a reality check. we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. >> after his first loss to senator hillary clinton in the new hampshire primary, barack obama picks up and continues his ambitious quest to become president of the united states. he gets a major boost when caroline kennedy, the daughter

of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy announce their support for president obama. >> i feel change in the air! what about you? >> but even the kennedys can't guarantee a win for obama on super tuesday. with 22 states voting and john edwards no longer in the race, obama and clinton go head-to-head. the day after super tuesday there is still no clear front winner. obama wins more states but clinton gains more delegates. >> super tuesday was a loss for obama. that was an opportunity to lock down this nomination. >> obama celebrates his own victory when he's award his second grammy for the audio version of his second book, the audacity of hope. in a twist he beats the other clinton, bill, who had also been nominated in the same category. as key contests play out across the country, obama takes a lead

in the delegate count that continues to widen. in march, controversy erupts over views expressed in past sermons and writings by obama's pastor, reverend jeremiah wright. 2350 no no no, not good bless america -- damn america. >> wright resigns from an obama advisory committee but obama faces pressure to explain his relationship with the outspoken reverend. obama uses an address in philadelphia to discuss race as well as his reverend and his church. >> i strongly disagree with many of his political views, absolutely. as imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. >> the speech is well received but it's hardly the end of this controversy. >> we don't have a choice when it comes to our relatives. we have a choice when it comes to our pastors. >> by may, with the reverend wright controversy still lingering, obama resigned from his 20 year membership from the

trinity christ membership in chicago. >> this is not a decision i come to lightly and one i make with some sadness. >> in june, the primary season comes to a close when obama reaches the magic number in the delegate count. >> tonight, i can stand here and say that i will be the democratic nominee for the president of the united states of america. >> days later, hillary clinton makes a major announcement. >> today, as i suspend my campaign, i congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run, i endorse him and throw my full support behind him. >> obama faces a battle for the white house against republican, john mccain. as obama prepares to receive his party's official nomination, he announce his pick for running mate. >> joe biden won't just make a

good vice president, he will make a great vice president. >> the running mates head to the democratic convention in denver. >> this is msnbc's coverage of the 2008 democratic national convention. >> we can meet these challenges with barack obama. yes, we can and finally, yes, we will. >> no way, no how, no mccain. >> i stand before you tonight because all across america, something is stirring. what the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me, it's about you. >> after the convention, the obama-biden ticket faces off against john mccain and sarah

palin in debates and the campaign trail. it's a hard fight through the final weeks and days leading to the election. one day before the election, obama is hit with devastating news, his grandmother, madeline payne dunham has lost her battle with cancer. before she passed away, she was able to cast her vote for the grandson by absentee ballot. >> good morning, election day. after a hard fought battle, it all boils down to today. the story of today could be the very long lines. >> on november 4th, americans turn out in record numbers to cast their votes. as results come in, obama captures states democrats have not won for years. >> senator obama has done what he has not done up until now, flip a red state. >> when the last polls close, the obama campaign reaches a mathematical certainty. >> barack obama is projected to be the next president of the

united states of america. >> in scenes playing out across this country don't require much description. 306 days since senator obama shocked the political world and won the iowa caucuses, the son of an african father, a kenyan and white mother from kansas in a country that was stained by slavery, he is now president of the united states, the ultimate color line has been crossed. senator mccain has called senator obama tonight to concede and presumably to congratulate. >> i hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens. whether they supported me or senator obama, whether they supported me or senator obama, i wish godspeed thoman who was my former opponent and will be my president. >> the next president of the united states of america.

>> this is our moment. this is our time. to reclaim the american dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many we are one, that while we breathe we hope and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people, yes, we can. thank you. god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. >> election night 2008 was just the beginning. president obama was re-elected in 2012 serving two terms in office. the 44th president takes his place in history as the country prepares to select the 45th

president. i'm thomas roberts. thanks for watching. she was born in illinois. >> they were a middle class family. >> her mother taught her to fight back. >> you go right back out there and give her what for. >> her father was a tough-minded republican. >> old school, task master, very conservative. >> do you recognize this girl and the woman she will become. >> we came of age in the civil rights movement, vietnam warm, women's movement. >> why have you gone down to that god foresaken place? i love him and i want to try it. >> she was the campaign manager and the boss. >> i could have stayed home and baked cookies and had tea. >>