Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

A good watch for anyone who likes political documentaries. I'd suggest ignoring the 1 and 10 star reviews as they're so politically motivated. It's a decent watch to see some pieces of history.

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.

The story of former President Barack Obama is a fascinating one, to say the least. He seemingly came out of nowhere to become Commander-in-Chief, then was the first black President who largely refused to engage on the subject of race during his administration. He was also the first President to be completely and utterly scorned by both an opposition party and news network. This documentary hits on all those cogent points (and more) while examining both the facts of Obama's life and the legacy he left.

"In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union" is split into these three episodes:

1- Obama's childhood, teen/college life, and political aspirations 2- Obama's entrance into public political races and ultimately the 2008 Presidential campaign 3- Obama's eight years in the Oval Office

I found the first two episodes to be absolutely excellent, as the story of Obama's background is one that often gets a "bad rap", so to speak. In very clear and factual terms, "Pursuit" spells out exactly where he came from (including testimonials from fellow schoolmates and acquaintances) and how/why he decided to get into public service. Before watching "Pursuit", I had little idea what a "Community Organizer" was, but here I was helped to understand what that means in an African-American community.

The only reason I can't give this 10/10 stars is because the final (third) episode really narrows the focus to areas that weren't as compelling to me. Essentially, the story of Obama's rise to political relevance was really the draw in "Pursuit", and once that happened the final third couldn't quite keep up.

I know that many won't sniff this documentary seeing the political polarization that ironically largely started with the first Obama administration, but that is a shame. "Pursuit" certainly contains some figures in Obama's story that have been considered very controversial, but simply by interviewing them one sees their human side and not the toxic rhetoric heaped on in the moment.

While this doc is obviously pro-Obama in the overall sense, it also doesn't give him a "free pass" or fawn over him the whole runtime. His shortcomings and warts (the legitimate, factual, and thoughtful ones) are also discussed. As such, I found the passage of time since Obama left office to be a great "buffer", of sorts, for a doc like this to be produced and thus able to dig deep into certain issues without the in-the-moment political repercussions.

Obama was more intelligent and a better man than anyone who's been in the White House in a long time. Period. His detractors can't argue this, and they hated him for it. They would rather see Obama slandered than see America progress in any way. What strange patriots.

I loved this president and this documentary is more a celebration of the intelligent people working with and around Obama. Compare his people to the yes-men morons in Trump's circle, or the war criminals telling GWB what to do at every step. Obama continues to be a shining light and an example of American greatness, while Trump is still saying the election was rigged liked Captain Queeg and his strawberries.

What really drove conservatives crazy about Obama was that they could never get any dirt on the guy. They talk and talk about family values and whatever, meanwhile they elect a human pig who was married three times, paid a porn star $100,000 to try to shut her up, and said on TV that he grabbed women by the crotch. Obama has a wonderful wife and two great kids, his administration had zero in the way of scandals. Zero. That's why conservatives lost their minds over Benghazi because they finally thought they had something, but after a ridiculous investigation that was longer and more expensive than 9/11, they found zero again.

Conservatives spent so much time and energy trying to make Obama fail. They didn't care if what they were doing wasn't in the best interests of the country. How do I know this? They said so. All the cared about was making sure he was a one-term president, even after he inherited the disastrous economy Bush left behind in which we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs every month. Then they immediately started screaming about the national debt, something that didn't trouble them when they started two costly and ill-fated wars.

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.