The Aftermath of Obama’s Victory: Celebration, Cautious Optimism, and Concerns (2008)
The days and weeks immediately following Obama becoming the president-elect of the United States were met with a myriad of reactions, from celebration and catharsis to criticism and concern. In this clip from a November 21, 2008, episode of Aware!, a local program from WSRE in Pensacola, Florida, a panel of economists, civil rights leaders, and political commentators discuss potential limitations of Obama’s presidency amid the celebratory rhetoric. They raise questions about a “post-racial” rhetoric that could obscure continued inequalities facing Americans as well as potential conservative backlash in Congress that may inhibit the Obama administration’s ability to enact the changes he campaigned on. This discussion would prove to be prescient, given the actions by Congressional leaders like Mitch McConnell as well as conservative protests that coalesced into the Tea Party movement.
Aware | WRSE (Television station : Pensacola, FL.) | November 21, 2008 This video clip and associated transcript appear from 0:42 - 6:47 in the full record.
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