Newsroom
"Deconstructing Obama" Panel at Occidental April 22
Experts from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post will assess the quality of President Barack Obama ‘83's leadership and America's reaction to it in "Deconstructing Obama," a panel discussion to be held Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in Occidental College's Thorne Hall.
Moderated by Occidental associate professor of politics Caroline Heldman, the panel includes New York Times columnist Charles Blow; Tom Edsall, political editor of the Huffington Post; Patt Morrison '74, Los Angeles Times columnist and public affairs host on KPCC-FM; and Thalia Gonzalez, assistant professor of politics at Occidental. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions of the panel.
"The panel will try to answer such questions as: What kind of leader has Obama proven to be? How effective has he been as a president? And what has the country's response been to his brand of leadership?" said Derek Shearer, Occidental's Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs, whose politics course "Obama and The Issues: The Challenge of Change" helped organize the event.
The course has tracked the various policy initiatives of the Obama administration - health care, foreign policy, education, the environment - with the help of a series of speakers ranging from Steve Schlesinger of the World Policy Institute to Ralph Reed, former executive director of the Christian Coalition.
Strong student interest in the course - more than 125 are enrolled - in part is a reflection of the fact that Obama spent his first two years of college at Occidental, time he has credited with turning his steps toward a career in public service.
The event is free and open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.