Battle Over Obama Library BY ANDREW HENRY O
ne sign a president is nearing lame- duck status: talk heats up about the presi- dential library. So far, the administration has been try-
ing to tamp down discussion of President Obama’s library plans. But rampant speculation has begun over whether he’ll choose Honolulu or his adopted home- town of Chicago. Hawaii has made
no secret that it cov- ets the prospect of housing the presi- dential center of the favorite son. Its leg- islature even passed a resolution calling it “a mat- ter of great state pride that President Obama is the fi rst Hawaii-born citizen to hold that high offi ce.” But Chicago offi cials, where former Obama
Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel presides as mayor, are quick to point out that the Windy City is where the president began his career as a community or-
HONOLULU
The state has already set aside a $75 million plot of property that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, adjacent to the University of Hawaii’s medical school. Selecting tourist- friendly Honolulu would emphasize his family’s Hawaiian roots and his childhood there. It would also echo the historic Obama pivot to Asia as a primary focus of American foreign policy — a visionary choice that reflects the rising significance of the American relationship with China and other Asian powers.
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Top of icials from the
elite South Side institution paid a visit in December to the National Archives and Records Administration to learn more about the design standards of presidential libraries, the AP reports. Obama taught law at the university, and Michelle Obama worked at its hospital. It might make for a busy neighborhood, however, given that the Obama home is located close by.
ganizer, which launched his political career. Soon, the president will have to confront several
sensitive issues: How much fundraising — the mu- seum and its endowment are expected to cost at least $500 million, or about half the cost of his en- tire re-election campaign — should he undertake while still in offi ce?
Should he make
University of Hawaii Medical School
the donors public, in keeping with his promises for trans- parent governance? And should dona- tions be accepted from foreign princes and principalities that may be looking
to advance their own interests? As with everything else associated with Obama,
his choices will be carefully dissected for symbol- ism and broader signifi cance. And there is no es- caping that the biggest message will stem from which location he chooses. Among the top contenders:
BRONZEVILLE
NEIGHBORHOOD Selecting this
neighborhood of historic importance to the black community would tend to emphasize the president’s place in America’s long march toward civil rights. Known as the “Black Metropolis” because African-Americans fleeing the South settled there in the early 20th century, Bronzeville has set aside 37 acres in Chicago’s South Side as a potential library site. The first lady grew up on Chicago’s South Side, and Obama represented the area as a state senator.
MAY 2013 | NEWSMAX 63 U.S. STEEL
SOUTH WORKS The defunct site of the
former steel mill is another Chicago locale in the running, the AP reports. Located on Lake Michigan, it has views to the west of the southern Chicago skyline. Placing the center there could make it a symbol of community revitalization.
COURTESY OF ARNOLD KAMEDA/OFFICE OF THE DEAN/JOHN A. BURNS SCHOOL OF MEDICINE/UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
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