The Conservative Cave
Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: bijou on January 28, 2010, 01:50:16 PM
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I'd be interested to hear what Peter Robinson and the other professional speechywritey types round here think, but for me the president is pretty much a total bust as an orator. When Jay says below that he's "a very, very good speaker," he is in the sense that he's a mellifluous baritone who'd sound very appealing if you needed a voiceover guy to read some vapid boilerplate for the bland travelogue before the movie on a long-haul flight. But as a persuasive salesman for policy he's bad, and getting worse.
One problem, as Jay pointed out, is that upturned chin. Just as a matter of angles, it looks wrong on TV. So it would be a problem for Hillary or McCain or Ron Paul or whoever would have won. But it's worse for Obama because it plays into the aloof-and-arrogant meme. I don't know why he does it. Are the prompters notched up a hole too high? What's the deal? Why doesn't one of his supersmart advisers get out the wrench and lower them?
As to the content, I think there are several broad stylistic problems that, cumulatively, lead to a bigger one, identified by (of all people) The New York Times's Bob Herbert: ...
link (http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NGQyYzZlNTY2MTdjZWZhNTU0ZGE4NTNmZGRlZDRkZWQ=)
Mark Steyn, brilliant as ever.
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His chin is high in the air no matter if he is giving a speech or not. When he sits down in a chair, it is up in the air. When he is walking, it is up in the air. When he has a conversation with someone, it is up in the air. He thinks WAY too much of himself.
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<I>Are the prompters notched up a hole too high? What's the deal? Why doesn't one of his supersmart advisers get out the wrench and lower them?
MEMO: From Pres. Obama to Chief of Staff:
I think the teleprompter is too high. Makes me look like Nero. People are calling me Zero.
MEMO: From Chief of Staff to Pres. Obama:
That would take several meetings and then they would have to ask about union rules, who is in charge of the height of a teleprompter? Do the guys who move it or the guys who maintain it or the person in charge of managing it get to use that wrench? Oh not management obviously. This might take a while to correct.
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Spot on as usual. I heart Steyn.
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He's my favorite Rush sub.
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Spot on as usual. I heart Steyn.
Hey I called him first a long time ago. :p
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Tee hee!!
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Hey I called him first a long time ago. :p
Ladies! Ladies! I'm sure he wouldn't mind being shared by you two :lmao: :uhsure: :-)