In his eight years in office, President Barack Obama visited Georgia more than a dozen times.
He visited elementary schools and colleges.
He ate at the Varsity and drank at Manuel’s.
He spoke to military personnel and veterans.
He raised money and expectations.
He left a mark.
Here are some of highlights from those visits:
Credit: JOHNNY CRAWFORD
Credit: JOHNNY CRAWFORD
April 14, 2007: At a campaign rally at Georgia Tech, an estimated 20,000 people showed up to see the increasingly popular junior senator from Illinois, who was making a serious challenge to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time that it was the largest campaign event in the history of Atlanta. The Rev. Joseph Lowery, gave the invocation, calling Obama "a voice crying in the political wilderness." Obama, in his speech, said: "What I know is this campaign can be a vehicle for your hopes and your dreams. It can be a vehicle in which Americans take their country back and regain control over their government."
July 8, 2008: At a key campaign stop, Sen. Obama on Tuesday painted the 2008 presidential election in stark terms of rich vs. poor. In a 15-minute speech before 2,700 screaming supporters at McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Obama unveiled a pair of proposals aimed at easing bankruptcy laws for military families and for seniors. "Our economy has gotten out of balance, " he said. "The American people don't resent wealth. They want to be rich. America has historically rewarded innovation and accomplishment and free enterprise, and I want to ensure we continue to do that."
March 2, 2010: In his first trip to Georgia as president, Obama traveled to Savannah, to talk about his energy-efficiency program at Savannah Technical College. Obama promoted a Cash for Clunkers-like rebate program for people who make their homes more energy efficient with new roofs, heating units and insulation. The president said homeowners could be eligible for up to $3,000 in rebates through the "Homestar" program. The White House said the program would create "tens of thousands" of jobs, cut energy bills for families by $200 to $500 per year and reduce the nation's dependence on oil. "I'm convinced that the country that leads in clean energy is also going to be the country that leads in the global economy, " Obama said after touring a Savannah Tech classroom where students were learning how to do home construction work.
Credit: Johnny Crawford
Credit: Johnny Crawford
Aug. 2, 2010: Obama made his first visit to Atlanta as president in 2010 to talk about a variety of foreign and domestic issues at the Disabled American Veterans' convention at the Hyatt Regency. The president was also a featured guest at a Democratic National Committee luncheon and fundraiser. Obama used his speech to talk about ending the war in Iraq. "I made it clear that by Aug. 31, 2010, America's combat mission in Iraq would end, " Obama said. "That is exactly what we are doing —- as promised, and on schedule."
March 16, 2012: Obama breezed through Atlanta to raise money and raised a ton of it, attending three fundraisers in five hours. There was the $10,000-per-person reception at a home near Morningside, a gala at Tyler Perry Studios in southwest Atlanta, where the minimum ticket was $250, and a party at Perry's mansion near Vinings for those willing to part with $38,500. "The recovery is accelerating, our economy is getting stronger, " Obama said in brief remarks that the press was allowed to cover. "We're moving in the right track. What we can't do is go back to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place."
April 27, 2012: President Obama, along with First Lady Michelle Obama met with troops at the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters in Fort Stewart. Calling them the "9/11 generation," he talked about adding new protections for veterans and military families misled or bilked by career colleges and technical programs that target their federal education benefits. He signed a broad order that addressed complaints about fraudulent marketing and recruiting practices aimed at military families eligible for federal education aid under the GI Bill. Michelle Obama visited the state several times on her own, including a 2011 visit to promote her "Let's Move" campaign.
June 25, 2012: Obama returned to Atlanta for a series of campaign events. The president also made a quick trip to the Varsity for a hot dog.
Feb. 14, 2013: President Obama visited Decatur, where he played learning games with 4- and 5-year-olds at the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center, before speaking at the Decatur Recreation Center about the need for universal pre-K. "Hope is found in what works, " Obama said. " If you are looking for a good bang for your educational buck, this is it right here."
Credit: Curtis Compton
Credit: Curtis Compton
May 19, 2013: On a rainy morning, Obama gave the commencement speech at Morehouse College and later raised money for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at Arthur Blank's house. At Morehouse, Obama spoke directly to racial issues and told the 500 graduates that their obligation as "Morehouse men" is to aim high but also bring along those left behind. In his speech, he cited the examples of Morehouse Men like Martin Luther King, Benjamin Mays and Maynard Jackson. "Members of the class of 2013, you are the heirs to a great legacy. You have within you the same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you," he said. "That's what being a Morehouse man is all about. That's what being an American is about.."
Sept. 16, 2014: At the height of the the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, Obama made visits to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at Emory University regarding America's response. Painting the crisis as a threat to global security, the president announced that he was sending thousands of U.S. troops and health personnel to fight the epidemic. "Right now the world has the ability to save countless lives, " Obama said. "The world has a responsibility to act."
March 10, 2015: Obama came to Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion to lay out an ambitious plan to reform the student loan industry. He said his "Student Bill of Rights" plan would help the growing number of young borrowers. "I believe that America is not a place where higher education is a privilege that is reserved for the few, " Obama said to the crowd of 9,500. "America needs to be a place where higher education has to be available for every single person who's willing to strive for it, who's willing to work for it." Obama later attended a fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. Obama also made local history when he made a visit to, Manuel's Tavern, Atlanta's ancient political haunt.
March 29, 2016: Obama participated in the annual National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. He met with former drug addicts to discuss how to combat opioid abuse. "When you look at the staggering statistics in terms of lives lost, productivity impacted, the cost to communities —- but most importantly the cost to families —- from this epidemic of opioids abuse, it has to be something that is right up there at the top of our radar screen, " Obama said.
Aug. 1, 2016: In what would be his last formal address to the nation's veterans, Obama told veterans at the Disabled American Veterans conference that the country has improved health care services for former military members, but acknowledged that more work has to be done. "Our commitment to our veterans is a sacred covenant. And I don't use those words lightly, " he said. "It is sacred because there's no more solemn request than to ask someone to risk their life, to be ready to give their life on our behalf."
Audience specialist Pete Corson contributed to this article.
Note: Information in this article was pulled from the archives of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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