Is the greatest speaker in the history of the world [note sarcasm], by whom I obviously mean President Obama, really a good speaker?
From this article, it would appear that he's not. When the media starts talking about using a teleprompter as a crutch, it's a problem. Especially THIS media. Obama is a media darling, so to be criticized for your speaking ability by THIS media is really a big deal in my opinion. The article mentions that "Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual — not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small. After the teleprompter malfunctioned a few times last summer Obama delivered some less-than-soaring speeches.
In a break from his routine, Obama did not use a teleprompter during his pre-Inauguration speech at a factory in Bedford Heights, Ohio — and his delivery seemed to suffer. He paused too long at parts. He accentuated the wrong words. And overall he sounded hesitant and halting as he spoke from the prepared remarks on the podium.
The problem is, he never looks at you. He’s looking left, right, left, right — not at the camera. It’s almost like he’s not making eye contact with the American people."
That's an interesting take. So the big question is, does Obama write his own speeches? Are the words coming out of his mouth really his, or is he just mouthing someone else's thoughts and beliefs? Based on the evidence presented here, I'm concerned that he's just a puppet for someone else. When he has the teleprompter telling him what to say, he sounds confident and comes across as a good speaker. When he has to rely on only himself, he sounds halting, hesitant, uncomfortable, and unskilled. Hmm.
Ultimately this gets right back to the campaign.
What are you going to do Senator Obama?
"I'm going to bring about change. Change!"
What kind of changes exactly will you make?
"Change!"
He was elected simply because he wasn't George Bush and he wasn't a Republican. He inspired people to believe in him because he never actually told anyone a single thing that he believed. It's easy to imagine someone believing what you believe when that person doesn't actually stand for anything themselves.
I like guns. - Charleton Heston
Change! - Obama
Great! He wants to make guns better! - Heston
I hate guns. - Ghandi
Change! - Obama
Terrific! He wants to ban guns! - Ghandi
2 comments:
You have heard Axlerod, his point person during the elections, say that they did everything they could not to give details. Now they HAVE to give details, and it doesn't sound as good. Well, at least not to as many people as it did before the election.
Well, he definitely doesn't write his own speeches... no President does. They have a large staff for that.... that said, you're right -- it should still be based on HIS beliefs... and it's not.
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