“Fighting optimism”: Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama on politics in 2021 | NPR

Barack and Bruce. Obama and Springsteen. The Boss and Mr. President. Or maybe you can just call them renegades. Launched in February, the “Renegades” podcast consisted of a series of candid conversations between iconic musician Bruce Springsteen and former President Barack Obama, recorded in the summer of 2020, during the height of the pandemic. As they discuss their lives and careers, the common thread in their conversations is that of a common passion: love for their country, despite its flaws and troubled history (and current struggles). Today, their podcast has become a book. “Renegades: Born in the United States. » Ahead of the Oct. 26 release, Obama and Springsteen sat down in their studio on Springsteen’s farm in New Jersey — where they recorded the podcast — for an interview with “All Things Considered” co-host Audie Cornish from NPR. Among the topics discussed during the interview was critical race theory. This part of the conversation is excerpted here. • Read or listen: “In new book, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen envision a more unified America” at https://www.npr.org/2021/10/21/1048032010/obama-bruce-springsteen-podcast-book -renegades?live=1 ——————————————– – ———- Follow NPR elsewhere too: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/npr/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/npr • Facebook: https:/ /www .facebook.com/NPR

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