The Obama Legacy
Setup
As the historic presidency of Barack Obama comes to a close, we consider how the future will view his leadership. Will economic recovery and health care victories at home be overshadowed by what many see as his failure to intervene meaningfully in conflicts abroad? Critics on the left wish the president had gone further to address climate change, immigration reform, and racial inequality, while critics on the right can’t find much of anything they’ll miss. With an approval rating of 51 percent, the highest it’s been in years, President Obama seems poised to leave office on a high note. But what will the history books say?
- 2016 Festival
- USA
Explore More
USA





As the nation reels from the attack on the Capitol, we look for ideas that will move us forward.

Peggy Clark asks Dan Glickman to reflect on this past year and to share what he expects from our country under President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.



“We are not in a rush to pull people back into the workplace,” says Rob Falzon







NPR's Tamara Keith and Dan Glickman discuss what a Biden agenda might look like.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s family has called the city home for over 100 years.




Poet Claudia Rankine discusses the urgency of reimagining what it means to be American with Eric Liu.



Not by shying away from arguments but by embracing them. Arguments are our legacy and our shared history.

Two pro athletes talk about the perils of speaking up for justice in 2020, and what it would take to see progress and create measurable societal change.

The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...



