While I was on holiday, BBC 2 sneaked out the first episode of a fantastic series: Inside Obama’s White House. You can currently watch the first three episodes of the series here on BBC iPlayer.
This is a brilliant series produced by Brook Lapping for the BBC. They’ve got some truly sensational behind-the-scenes footage. So, as they tell the story of Obama’s presidency, they are able to show specific video of that event behind-the-scenes – advisers emerging from a crunch meeting or whatever. And they have a remarkable parade of players giving their retrospective view on events: from Rahm Emmanuel, Obama’s chief of staff, to John Kerry, Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner and chief adviser David Axelrod.
I’ve just watched the second episode on the “Obamacare” passing, following the “Fist 100 days” episode about the economic crisis in 2008/2009. They both show a President with extraordinary nerve and calm negotiating two massive issues.
The programme shows how “knife-edge” the passing of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) was. In retrospect we can see what a huge achievement that was. Recently, there has been the 63rd unsuccessful attempt to repeal “Obamacare”. Last week, Republican Ohio Governor and Presidential nomination candidate, John Kasich called the promise by the Republicans to repeal Obamacare “a big joke” and “a stupid promise”.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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13 Comments
“This is a brilliant series”
I take the opposite view, I hadn’t seen it but was told by someone without a heavy interest in politics that they found it unwatchable. So I went to iplayer where I could see episode 2 (not 1 for some reason), and can see why it is unwatchable to a to those who aren’t political geeks. There was clearly lots of great raw material but the setting of the background was terrible. It has become a trait of the BBC that most of its documentaries have lost all context setting.
I can imagine that if the BBC hold the footage in a few years someone could probably do a really good documentary from the raw material but it will only be possible once the current trend for splurging raw material out has passed.
I was told about it by my barber who said he really enjoyed it.
I saw the episode on Foreign Policy/Syria, really interesting.
I recently watched an absolutely brilliant fly-on-the-wall documentary about the Democratic Wisconsin Primary. No, not the one next Tuesday but the one in 1960 between Hubert H. Humphrey and Jack Kennedy. It’s called “Primary” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054205/) and is made up of footage shot on a hand-held super-8 camera. The crew had inside access to both campaigns and the result is a fascinating insight into both the US political process and the landscapes of rural Wisconsin.
President Obama will “pass the baton” in January 2017. Follow that. “Yes you can.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/foreign-policy/cuba
Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland is President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/scotus
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-referendum-barack-obama-remain-campaign-brexit-europe-a6927731.html
Psi 1st Apr ’16 – 11:55am Please watch episode 4. When the President starts to sing “Amazing grace” have a box of tissues ready.
President Obama will be in the UK on Thursday 21/4/2016.
Commentators should be realistic about what any US President can do because the US constitution is designed to limit the powers of the President and prevent him or her arrogating dictatorial powers.
Boris Johnson (conflicted Leave) and William Hague (conflicted Remain) talk about what the USA will accept.
Does anyone remember that the USA founded the United Nations? (with others) hosted the UN (in New York) and that US citizens paid for the land? (Rockefeller and son).
The USA is the most powerful military power in the world, but accepts that one or more of four other countries can casting a veto in the Security Council, as the UK and France have done.
At a time of our greatest need President Roosevelt’s ambassador quoted to our PM Winston Churchill Ruth 16 -17, which was not interference, it was support.
https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Trump+Not+Fit&qpvt=trump+not+fit&FORM=EWRE
http://www.reuters.com/video/2016/07/28/admiral-hutson-trump-not-fit-to-polish-j?videoId=369408852
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-tammy-duckworth-democratic-convention-speech-met-20160728-story.html
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/watch-live-president-obama-delivers-final-farewell-chicago/
They chanted “Four more years!” He said “yes, YOU CAN!”