Barack Obama is undisputably the most famous president of our modern era, and it's easy to see why. His campaigns (especially in 08) gripped the country's imagination and inspired voter turnout to levels not seen since the 1960s. After decades of neoliberal ideology dominating US domestic and foreign policy, there seemed to be a real reason to hope that we now had a president who would advocate for working families. 

In Part 1 of our two-parter for Barack Obama, we cover Obama's unlikely rise to the top of American politics and its unique story compared to any president. We also think about the monumental achievement of Obama becoming the first Black president and the extra scrutiny and attention that he received because of it while in office. How much does it matter if Obama under-delivered on his campaign promises when he was the first non-white president to contend with the racism embedded in American political institutions? 

Thank you for joining us for the start of Season 4! New episodes are out every two weeks!

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