Obama Presidency Oral History
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Sylvia Burwell
OMB Director and HHS Secretary
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Tom Harkin
US Senator from Iowa
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Cecile Richards
Planned Parenthood President
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Nancy-Ann DeParle
White House Deputy Chief of Staff
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Lisa Jackson
EPA Administrator
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Neera Tanden
Health Policy Advisor
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Michael Minor
Pastor and Healthcare Advocate
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Arun Majumdar
ARPA-E Director
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Robert Trapp
Newspaper Publisher and Correspondent
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Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
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Bill McKibben
Environmental Activist
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Sandra Fluke
Reproductive Health Advocate
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Christy Goldfuss
Environmental Policy Official
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Don Verrilli
Solicitor General
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Elizabeth Fowler
Health Policy Official
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Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
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Art and Helen Tanderup
Farmers
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Todd Stern
Special Envoy
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Nancy Nielsen
American Medical Association President
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Aneesh Chopra
US Chief Technology Officer
Interviews released
Explore a special preview of interviews related to climate, energy, the environment, and healthcare.
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Nielsen -
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Burwell -
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Beinecke -
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Emanuel -
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Richards -
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Orff -
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Mier -
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Harkin
Since 2019, Incite at Columbia University has interviewed hundreds of people to produce the official oral history of the Obama presidency. These in-depth interviews, conducted with those inside and outside of the administration, represent roughly 1,100 hours of audio and video that together form a comprehensive record of the Obama years.
Learn moreStories
Each oral history interview contains dozens of stories. Explore these stories through prepared playlists—or save stories to make your own.
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Balancing work and family during the debt limit negotiations Nancy-Ann DeParle05:56
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Reflections on the impact of ACA and personal legacy in the Obama administration Zeke Emanuel03:35
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Disagreement with President Obama's approach to party discipline Andrew Stern01:58
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Reflections on the diversity of school garden education programs Sarah Holway02:16
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Funding and support for navigators and marketing in ACA implementation Sylvia Burwell02:33
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Follow-up on the Affordable Care Act's implementation and its impact on public perception of government competence Kathleen Sebelius02:12
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White House strategy to frame climate policy as a jobs program Bill McKibben01:21
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Development and goals of the Obama administration's Climate Action Plan Nancy Sutley03:43
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Managing a team of passionate and creative individuals in union organizing efforts Andrew Stern02:48
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Experience with the National Health Service Corps and its impact on medical career and policy influence Regina Benjamin03:17
Topics
From healthcare to the financial crisis to nuclear nonproliferation, each topic explored in this collection is brought to life by narrators from both inside and outside the Obama administration.
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Healthcare
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Climate, Environment, and Energy
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Asia RebalanceComing soon
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LGBTQ PolicyComing soon
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Arts and HumanitiesComing soon
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LaborComing soon
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The Peoples' HouseComing soon
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Latin AmericaComing soon
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Transparency and MediaComing soon
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TransitionComing soon
Navigate
Navigate the interconnected events and places that make up this history, narrated by the stories of the people who lived it.
News& Events
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What a New Oral History Reveals About Obama, and the Tradeoffs He Made
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An Expansive View Into Obama’s Transformative Presidency
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The Obama Presidency Inside-Out: A Conversation About Climate
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