- Related Interviews
Will Burns
He served as Obama’s campaign staffer in 1996 and deputy campaign manager in 2000. [Note: Interview published on The Choice 2008 site.]
Cassandra Butts
She will be Obama’s deputy White House counsel and is a friend, former classmate at Harvard Law School, ’91. [Note: Interview published on The Choice 2008 site.]
David Mendell
He covered Obama’s early career as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He is author of the 2007 biography Obama: From Promise to Power. [Note: Interview published on The Choice 2008 site.]
Newton Minow
A longtime Democrat and former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Minow is a friend and mentor of Barack Obama’s from his days in Chicago. [Note: Interview published on The Choice 2008 site.]
RELATED CONTENT FOR CHAPTER THREE
RELATED LINKS
Core Beliefs & Agenda
A roundup of views from people interviewed for FRONTLINE’s The Choice 2008.
A roundup of views from people interviewed for FRONTLINE’s The Choice 2008.
Harvard Law Days
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
Political Skills & Insight
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
In Law School, Obama Found Political Voice
“He arrived there as an unknown, Afro-wearing community organizer who had spent years searching for his identity; by the time he left, he had his first national news media exposure, a book contract and a shot of confidence from running the most powerful legal journal in the country.” (The New York Times, Jan. 28, 2007)
“He arrived there as an unknown, Afro-wearing community organizer who had spent years searching for his identity; by the time he left, he had his first national news media exposure, a book contract and a shot of confidence from running the most powerful legal journal in the country.” (The New York Times, Jan. 28, 2007)
First Black Elected to Head Harvard’s Law Review
The New York Times covers Obama’s election as president of the Harvard Law Review. (Feb. 6, 1990)
The New York Times covers Obama’s election as president of the Harvard Law Review. (Feb. 6, 1990)
Obama Kept Law Review Balanced
The Politico.com reviews the content of the "eight dense volumes" produced during Obama's tenure. (June 23, 2008)
The Politico.com reviews the content of the "eight dense volumes" produced during Obama's tenure. (June 23, 2008)
Political Skills & Insight
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
A roundup of views from people interviewed for The Choice 2008.
Making It
Reported by Ryan Lizza, “his life in Chicago from 1991 until his victorious Senate campaign is a lacuna in his autobiography. It is also the period that formed him as a politician.” (The New Yorker, July 21, 2008)
Reported by Ryan Lizza, “his life in Chicago from 1991 until his victorious Senate campaign is a lacuna in his autobiography. It is also the period that formed him as a politician.” (The New Yorker, July 21, 2008)
In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd
“He turned out to be practical and shrewd, a politician capable of playing hardball to win election …, a strategist willing to compromise to accomplish things.” (The New York Times, July 30, 2007)
“He turned out to be practical and shrewd, a politician capable of playing hardball to win election …, a strategist willing to compromise to accomplish things.” (The New York Times, July 30, 2007)
The Candidate
“How the son of a Kenyan economist became an Illinois Everyman.” (The New Yorker, May 31, 2004)
“How the son of a Kenyan economist became an Illinois Everyman.” (The New Yorker, May 31, 2004)
In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama
“The rise of Barack Obama includes one glaring episode of political miscalculation. Even friends told Mr. Obama it was a bad idea when he decided in 1999 to challenge an incumbent congressman and former Black Panther, Bobby L. Rush.” (The New York Times, Sept. 9, 2007)
“The rise of Barack Obama includes one glaring episode of political miscalculation. Even friends told Mr. Obama it was a bad idea when he decided in 1999 to challenge an incumbent congressman and former Black Panther, Bobby L. Rush.” (The New York Times, Sept. 9, 2007)
Is Bobby Rush in Trouble?
In-depth coverage of Obama's 2000 congressional race against Bobby Rush. (Chicago Reader, March 17, 2000)
In-depth coverage of Obama's 2000 congressional race against Bobby Rush. (Chicago Reader, March 17, 2000)
Is Obama the End of Black Politics?
The meaning and ramifications of why “a lot of the old activists stood in the path of an African American’s advancement rather than blazing it.” (The New York Times, Aug. 6, 2008)
The meaning and ramifications of why “a lot of the old activists stood in the path of an African American’s advancement rather than blazing it.” (The New York Times, Aug. 6, 2008)
The Man Who Knew
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