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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Barak Obama: Race and Inexperience

    With just two years in the Senate, Barak Obama is a political star who wants to be America's first black president . He counters the charge of inexperience by saying voters want "a new kind of politics."

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    With just two years in the Senate, Barak Obama is a political star who wants to be America's first black president. He counters the charge of inexperience by saying voters want "a new kind of politics." But his Washington record looks in some ways like business as usual, and African-American opinion leaders say he lacks the cultural history that makes him truly "black" in their eyes. The Illinois Democrat also has been criticized for being too cautious about the war in Iraq. Yesterday, he said he'll introduce legislation for a "phased redeployment" of American troops. It's still not clear whether he'll back Edward Kennedy's bill to cut off funding to increase troops. Can Obama turn sudden celebrity into a credible run against political pros like Clinton and Edwards? Will his appeal to white voters turn off the black constituency that's crucial to Democrats?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama Begins Bid for the White House
    1. 1:38Bush Administration Reverses Domestic Eavesdropping Position
    2. 7:42Barak Obama: Race and InexperienceYou’re reading this
    3. 43:40Ice Storms in Texas, Snow in Malibu, and T-Shirts in Central Park
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      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dan Konecky

      Producer, To the Point

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      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Walter Shapiro

      Roll Call / Yale University

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      Debra Dickerson

      essayist and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Stanley Crouch

      columnist for the New York Daily News

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama Begins Bid for the White House
    1. 1:38Bush Administration Reverses Domestic Eavesdropping Position
    2. 7:42Barak Obama: Race and InexperienceYou’re reading this
    3. 43:40Ice Storms in Texas, Snow in Malibu, and T-Shirts in Central Park
    Back to To the Point