The whole world watched Barack Obama beat John McCain in the presidential election. Months later, in January 2009, 37.8 million Americans watched on television as the son of a black African man and a white woman from Wichita, Kansas, was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America (The day America ). Despite his mixed race he would be considered the first black president of the United States. Many celebrated, but some segments of the population were unwilling to accept the reality they faced. That segment of society was so upset and outraged by the outcome of the election that on the night of the president's inauguration, a group of prominent Senate Republicans, including John DeMint, Jon Kyl, Tom Coburn, Kevin McCarthy, and Paul Ryan, gathered in a restaurant to come up with a plan on how to deal with the new president. A Frontline film revealed their decision: they would fight the president on everything (Inside Obama). Their grand design was to block, mock and frustrate every idea, suggestion, proposal and action from and through the