Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Is There a New Man in the White House?

    "Scrappy," "combative," and "confrontational" are words being applied to Barack Obama after yesterday's speech on reducing the deficit. He's no more the compromiser seeking a "grand bargain," with new proposals that are "the mirror image of the priorities espoused by House Republicans."

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

    "Scrappy," "combative," and "confrontational" are words being applied to Barack Obama after yesterday's speech on reducing the deficit. He's no more the compromiser seeking a "grand bargain," with new proposals that are "the mirror image of the priorities espoused by House Republicans." The Obama White House says, "It's fair to say we've entered a new phase." We hear how his strategy has changed, how both parties are reacting on Capitol Hill and how next year's re-election campaign might be affected. We talk with author Ron Suskind, whose latest book reports that Obama's top advisors ignored him and took over the White House during his first two years.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Has Obama Taken a Combative New Turn?
    1. 0:00Afghanistan's Peace Talks Dealt a Blow
    2. 7:28Is There a New Man in the White House?You’re reading this
    3. 43:05'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Gone, but Inequalities Remain
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Binyamin Appelbaum

      New York Times

    • KCRW placeholder

      Ron Suskind

      Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

    • KCRW placeholder

      Byron York

      Washington Examiner / Fox News

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Has Obama Taken a Combative New Turn?
    1. 0:00Afghanistan's Peace Talks Dealt a Blow
    2. 7:28Is There a New Man in the White House?You’re reading this
    3. 43:05'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Gone, but Inequalities Remain
    Back to To the Point