Barack Obama talks about his new memoir 'A Promised Land' | The Washington Post

Introduction

The host, Michelle Norris, introduces the guest, Elizabeth Alexander, and welcomes former President Barack Obama to the show. They discuss the challenges of distributing a vaccine and the importance of public messaging.

Discussing Vaccine Distribution

• Former President Obama discusses the challenge of distributing vaccines rapidly.

• He mentions that historically poor countries are often last to receive drugs like this.

• International coordination around vaccine distribution is important.

• Public messaging will be crucial in eliciting trust from the public.

Biden Administration and Foreign Policy

The conversation shifts to discussing foreign policy under the incoming Biden administration.

Anthony Blinken as Secretary of State

• Anthony Blinken is expected to be named as the new Secretary of State.

• Former President Obama expresses confidence in Blinken's abilities and believes he will do a great job.

This transcript has limited content.

Introduction

In this section, Barack Obama discusses the current state of America and how it is perceived by the world. He also talks about the damage that has been done and how it will take time to recover.

America's Current State

• The world questions how reliable and steady the U.S may be due to some of the shenanigans going on around the election.

• The reversal of U.S positions on things like the Iran deal and Paris accords creates inhibitions in terms of entering into agreements.

• Damage has been done that will take some time to dig ourselves out of.

Joe Biden's Administration

• Barack Obama expresses confidence in Joe Biden's administration.

• He will do what he is asked to do in terms of being helpful for democratic candidates running for Senate in Georgia.

Grassroots Work

• Barack Obama believes that grassroots bottom-up work is what makes all the difference.

• People like Stacey Abrams have been working for years in the trenches, galvanizing and mobilizing people to recognize their own power.

Writing Autobiography

In this section, Elizabeth Alexander asks Barack Obama about his writing process for his book "A Promised Land" and how he thought about genre while writing an autobiography.

Genre & Tone

• Elizabeth Alexander asks Barack Obama about his thoughts on genre while writing an autobiography.

• One essential element of being American is this idea of self-creation, which reflects in autobiographies.

• Dreams from My Father reflected a young person trying to figure out racial identity and how he fit into this new world.

• Barack Obama learned to write from personal narratives like The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.

Writing Process

• Barack Obama's models for writing his presidential memoir were autobiographical essays that tell a story and paint a complete portrait of America.

Finding Balance in Writing

In this section, Obama talks about the challenges of finding balance while writing his book and how he had to stick to the story's arc despite distractions.

Balancing Poetic Flow with Historical Context

• Long explanations of financial crises or nuclear negotiations would interrupt poetic flow.

• Finding balance was sometimes tough.

Distractions While Writing

• Noise happening in the world during writing.

• Policies under interrogation and being erased by current administration.

• All this noise was like having a 5,000-pound elephant on your shoulder while working on your own work.

Optimism Amidst Backwards Movement

• Growing sense of optimism based on what happened over the summer in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

• Despite backwards movement, there was still underlying forward motion carried on by future generations affected by Obama's presidency.

Reflection and Appreciation

In this section, Obama reflects on his appreciation for those who worked with him during his campaign and time in office.

Appreciation for Colleagues

• Realized how much he loved people he worked with.

• Came to appreciate how gifted, hard-working, and remarkable they were.

• Any worthwhile endeavor is a collective effort.

Dreams from My Father

In this section, the speaker talks about how his book "Dreams from My Father" was being taught in African-American literature classes alongside books like Frederick Douglass's Narrative and The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He also discusses how being a writer has informed his governance and leadership.

Being a Writer

• Writing allows one to use their imagination to stand in someone else's shoes and see through their eyes.

• Obama believes that America can work because it is unique among great powers in being able to stitch together one people out of all these diverse strands of people who show up from everywhere with different cultures and foods and music.

• Obama believes that Walt Whitman describes not just the American countryside but also America's best politics.

• Obama explains that seeing both sides or all sides to a problem or an issue helps him make good decisions because he has seen it from different angles.

Overthinking Problems

• Some reviewers have criticized Obama for overthinking problems, implying that if you can see the other side then somehow you are paralyzed.

• Obama believes that eliminating all complexity and just doing whatever you want regardless of the consequences is indicative of a culture in which we want to simplify and eliminate all gray areas.

Introduction

In this section, Obama talks about the importance of recognizing the complexities of any problem and making a decision despite it. He also mentions the usefulness of a writer's sensibility in decision-making.

Decision Making

• Exhaustive discussions are important but ultimately one has to make a decision.

• One must be willing to bear the burden that their decision is not perfect and may have unintended consequences.

• A writer's sensibility is critical and useful in decision-making.

Transformative Books

In this section, Obama talks about two books that have been transformative for him: "The Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison and Shakespeare's tragedies.

"The Song of Solomon"

• It was a book that made him wonder how someone could write something like that.

Shakespeare's Tragedies

• Reading Shakespeare's tragedies gave him the same feeling as reading "The Song of Solomon".

• He was amazed at how someone could capture so much of what is essential about human life while still having an interesting plot.

American Writers

In this section, Obama talks about his own work being shaped by quintessential American writers such as Faulkner, Hemingway, and Langston Hughes.

Quintessential American Writers

• These writers represent his own restlessness and dissatisfaction with always wanting to see what's next while leaving the past behind.

• They were drawn back to their roots but wanted to break free from whatever constraints they were born into.

Organizing Principle

In this section, Obama talks about the organizing structure of his book and how it was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's "My Experiments in Truth".

The Bet

• The book begins with a section called "The Bet" which suggests that he is not sure if the bet has yielded dividends.

• He used Mahatma Gandhi's approach of trying different things and seeing what works to organize his book.

Obama's Political Career

In this section, Obama talks about his political career and the risks he took to get where he is today.

Taking Risks

• Obama took a risk in pursuing a political career with a funny name and an unusual background.

• He believed it was possible to have progressive politics that could win elections and bridge racial divides.

• He bet that he could lead multi-racial coalitions despite his background and name.

• He also bet that he could participate in politics at the highest level without losing his soul.

The Future of American Politics

In this section, Obama discusses the current state of American politics and whether or not progress is achievable.

Achieving Progress

• Despite the success of certain endeavors, such as the bin Laden raid, it is still unclear if achieving progress in American politics is possible.

• There are two prevalent trends in American politics: conspiracy mongering and racially charged spectacle versus deliberate problem-solving processes.

• It remains to be seen which trend will prevail.

Pushing Against Forces of Xenophobia

In this section, Obama reflects on how he pushed against forces of xenophobia during his presidency.

Beating Sarah Palin

• When asked if he should have pushed harder against forces of xenophobia during his presidency, Obama notes that he beat Sarah Palin by contesting her worldview.

• However, there were still challenges faced with a party that refused to work with him.

Becoming Central to Republican Identity

In this section, Obama discusses how the approach of becoming central to republican identity became overwhelming and consumed the more establishment responsible brand of republican conservatism.

The First Act

• The first act of that kind of approach becoming central to republican identity.

• Consumed and overwhelmed what up to that point had been viewed as the more establishment responsible brand of republican conservatism.

Wrestling with Attitudes in the Republican Party

In this section, Obama talks about his post-election thoughts on whether he could have taken steps to counteract or challenge attitudes lurking in the Republican party. He also discusses critics within the Democratic party who felt he tried too hard for too long to reach out and be bipartisan.

Counteracting Attitudes

• Post-post-election by the time I'm president there's no doubt that as I'm writing about this I'm wondering are there steps I could have taken to counteract or challenge more directly these kinds of attitudes that were lurking in the Republican party.

• Critics within the Democratic party felt he tried too hard for too long to reach out and be bipartisan.

Wrestling with Criticism

• There is a school of thought that describes him trying too hard for too long to reach out and be bipartisan.

• Critics never described what exactly calling them out was going to do in terms of getting stuff done.

Getting Stuff Done Legislatively

In this section, Obama talks about how denouncing or decrying attitudes was not going to get him more votes. He also discusses how he needed conservative Democrats' votes because ultimately you need votes, which is much more prose than poetry.

Getting Votes

• Denouncing or decrying attitudes that were not sufficiently woke was not going to get him more votes to pass health care or deal with climate change.

• He needed conservative Democrats' votes because ultimately you need votes, which is much more prose than poetry.

Legislative Accommodation

• In order to get anything done legislatively, he had to figure out how to pick off and accommodate folks who are significantly more conservative than his base in Chicago or Manhattan or San Francisco.

• Part of his goal in writing the book was to clarify for people the degree to which the country really is divided.

The Reality of Governing

In this section, Obama talks about how high rhetoric is not going to actually move votes. He also discusses how young people have unfinished business that they have to take up as they move alongside us and come to lead us.

High Rhetoric

• Sometimes progressives overestimate the degree to which high rhetoric is going to actually move votes.

• Young people have unfinished business that they have to take up as they move alongside us and come to lead us.

The Next Generation's Challenge

In this section, Obama talks about the natural idealism and sophistication of the next generation. He highlights that their challenge is to channel their idealism and skepticism into rebuilding institutions that work for them in the modern era.

Rebuilding Institutions

• The next generation has good instincts when it comes to believing in people's intrinsic worth and dignity.

• Young people need to rebuild institutions that reflect their good impulses and meet current challenges.

• They need to reimagine what policing would look like, create an economy that preserves the planet, and make politics more responsive.

• Institutional reboots are necessary to create institutional change.

Overcoming Barriers

• There are barriers that must be overcome in order to create institutional change.

• Getting over these humps requires some tinkering and re-engineering of existing systems.

Addressing Flaws and Missteps

In this section, Obama discusses his willingness to talk about flaws and missteps he has made. He explains how he hopes young people can learn from his experiences as they navigate public life.

Learning from Mistakes

• Obama acknowledges his missteps as a leader.

• He hopes young people can learn from his experiences as they navigate public life.

Obama on Writing and Life

In this interview, former President Barack Obama discusses his writing process and the lessons he learned throughout his life.

Lessons Learned

• Obama shares that he didn't know what he was doing in his 20s and 30s, but still had a successful political career.

• He tells young people that it's okay to make mistakes because it's part of the process.

• Obama believes that one of the great gifts of getting older is not being afraid of much because he has been knocked down many times before.

• He hopes that his book can help young people take chances and try hard things without fear of failure.

The Meaning Behind "Try Anyway"

• Obama reflects on a moment when he won the Nobel Peace Prize and heard voices saying "whatever you do won't be enough. Try anyway."

• He believes these words apply to everyone, not just politicians, as life will throw disappointments, pain, and loss at us.

• Despite this, there is still a possibility for joy along the way if we try hard things and share our time with others we love.

Conclusion

• The interview concludes with thanks from both parties for an enjoyable conversation.