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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician?

    Despite many months of campaigning and hours of TV exposure, Barack Obama remains a puzzle to millions of potential voters. Is he a high-minded idealist with the vision and the capacity to get America back on track, or another Machiavellian politician who just wants to win?

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

    Despite many months of campaigning and hours of TV exposure, Barack Obama remains a puzzle to millions of potential voters. Is he a high-minded idealist with the vision and the capacity to get America back on track, or another Machiavellian politician who just wants to win? We hear about core values, the flip-flop on public financing and fighting the unfounded rumors. Can he win over skeptics with his oratorical skills? Is he in need of a Big Idea?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Barack Obama: Who Is the Democrats' Nominee?
    1. 1:35High Court Issues Key Rulings as Term Winds Down
    2. 7:18Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician?You’re reading this
    3. 44:09Environmentalists Elated by Crist's Everglades Conservation Deal
    • 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'

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

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dorothy Wickenden

      Executive Editor, New Yorker

    • KCRW placeholder

      Steve Kornacki

      Salon.com

    • KCRW placeholder

      Matthew Dowd

      ABC News

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Barack Obama: Who Is the Democrats' Nominee?
    1. 1:35High Court Issues Key Rulings as Term Winds Down
    2. 7:18Obama: A Transcendent Figure or the Conventional Politician?You’re reading this
    3. 44:09Environmentalists Elated by Crist's Everglades Conservation Deal
    Back to To the Point