Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

"Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union" (2021 release; 3 part documentary totaling 306 min.) is a in-depth look at the life and times of Barack Obama. As Part 1 opens, it is "March 18, 2008, Philadelphia", where Obama addresses an audience explaining why and how his path is to "pursue a more perfect union". We then go back in time, and get an overview of how his parents (African man from Kenya, Caucasian woman from Kansas) met, and the many different countries and places Obama lived during his childhood and youth... At this point we are 10 min. Into the documentary.

Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from producer-director Peter Kunhardt, whose prior work includes the excellent "King In the Wilderness", among many other 'political' documentaries. Here, just in time to coincide with Obama's 60th birthday, Kunhardt takes a look back at the life and times of Barak Obama. Part 1 runs from his upbringing to the moment in 2007 that he is seriously considering a run for the Presidency. A couple of things are striking, most of all Obama's diverse background and upbringing. But also the ambition to strive for bigger and better things (not necessarily more money--of all the job offers upon graduating from Harvard Law, he picks a small civil rights firm in Chicago). And then this: the civility with which politics were conducted. Amazingly, we are talking just 15-20 years ago. For reasons unknown (which I suspect will be addressed in the documentary's Parts 2 and 3), Republicans disdained, if not outright hated, Obama. Why? Because of his name? Or the color of his skin? I suspect that as the years go by, Obama will be viewed more and more favorably, in particular when put into context and contrast as to who succeeded him: the thug-like and racist (if not fascist) Liar-In-Chief who tried to overthrow the US Congress simply because his mammoth-size ego didn't like the results of the presidential election. No, really.

Part 1 of "Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union" premiered last night on HBO and is now available on HBO On Demand, HBO Max, Amazon Instant Video and other streaming services. Parts 2 and 3 will air tonight and tomorrow night, respectively. I am very much looking forward to watching them. If you are into politics, regardless of your own political persuasion, I'd readily suggest you check out "Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union", and draw your own conclusion.

UPDATE 8/4/21 I've now seen Part 2. Which covers when Obama announced running for President in early 2007 through his swearing in as President in January 2009. Fascinating stuff. Not only how he overcame the Clinton campaign but also for the first signs of the ugliness of the race-baiting and outright racism that started cropping up with Sarah Palin being the VP nominee (and years later ultimately resulting in Trump).

UPDATE 8/5/21 I've now seen Part 3, covering Obama's 8 years in office, mounted by a wall of resistance of the GOP in every which way possible. It is sickening to watch in retrospect, as the GOP relentlessly keeps playing the race card at every opportunity and in every which way, as Obama keeps the hope for "pursuing a more perfect union". It sadly leads all to, yes, of course, Trump. Watch Obama's very last farewell speech in January, 2017. If that doesn't give you the chills, I don't know what will.

As a complete aside, the GOP detested and hated Obamacare, and tried to derail it time and again (only to be held up by courts). Time has shown it is widely popular with many Americans, ironically benefitting many white lower and middle class who railed against Obama, vowing to "take our country back" and "make America great again". In the 11 years since Obamacare, the GOP has not once proposed an alternative. NOTHING. For shame.

Fantastic and informative! Obama is such an impressive person. The world needs politicans like him.

What can I say other than thank you for creating a doc that presents Obama from how others see him. And that is the most truthful thing... how others see you. And not just those who champion him, his detractors and critics get their turn. At the end of the day, a remarkable achievement. All presidents and powerful men deserve this treatment.

I struggled with rating this one. I suspect many of the low ratings and negative reviews come from those who didn't watch the series and just representing their partisanship. However, the series is a mixed bag.

In a historical sense, particularly when discussing President Obama's upbringing and early years in politics, the series is very informative and contains footage I don't recall seeing previously. However, the last episode, which focuses on his time as President, I think misses the mark. The subtext is that much of the hostility towards Obama is race-based. Undeniably there is some truth to that, but the assertion misses a bigger reason, which is hyper polarization.

No Presidency is devoid of vitriol, but it has gotten worse in the last couple of decades, especially since the early 1990s. Since Biden's Presidency is still ongoing, I'll defer judgement on it, but Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump faced intense backlash and I think one would have a hard time making the case that Obama had it worst. Both Clinton and Trump were impeached and had special counsel investigations, Bush left office unpopular and with is legacy tarnished. Now, to be clear, one can argue much of that was brought on by their own actions, but the fact remains that Obama emerged in pretty good shape relative to his contemporaries and that isn't something the series acknowledges.

This doc could easily be labeled as partisan trash, and I've noticed it has. But only because of the partisanship of the haters. This a comprehensive doc(made by HBO too btw) about the first black, two-term president of the United States?! No need to puff it up any greater than it was/is to begin with. There are extensive interviews from journalists, scholars, civil rights activists to name a few. Anyone who enjoys a great history documentary will love this.