Obama's first tryst with power came in 1996 when the low-paid community organiser on Chicago's south side was elected to the state Senate of Illinois. He made it to the federal Senate in 2004 after a landslide electoral victory.
While many have scoffed at Obama's experience as a community organiser, saying community work experience does not count in the making of a US President, analysts feel that it has helped the black American leader to reach out to individual voters during his campaign.
Obama has demonstrated his ability to gather crowds of 100,000 people or more to his rallies, and to generate a buzz rarely seen in US politics.
Image: Vice President Joseph R Biden is greeted by Obama after being sworn in.
Photograph: Mark Wilson/Pool/Reuters
Also see: Why I am not an Obama fan
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