Comments on: Obama: again with the orator

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 05:19:40 +0000

Obama uses unethical sub-conscious hypnotism in his speeches, which tends to influence the minds of the gutless, the gullible, and the guilty.

Those that are less suggestible, foolish, and prone to listening to other people tell them what is or is not reality, are far less capable of being held under Obama’s spell.

Fortunately, it includes a bunch of tough minded conservatives in that ball park. Unfortunately, it does not include 80% of the Left.

By: SCOTTtheBADGER

SCOTTtheBADGER — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:59:22 +0000

Every time I hear Mr. Obama give a speech, I come away from it saying, ” But he didn’t say anything “. How has he ever managed to aquire a reputation for a skill he does not have?

By: ziontruth

ziontruth — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:29:54 +0000

From the moment I heard about his teleprompter, and how he stutters whenever it isn’t at hand, I’ve been nothing but shocked at anyone calling him an orator, much less a great one. If he’s a great orator for being able to read well from the teleprompter, then most people are great orators. This is a case of both grade inflation on a national scale, and a con job of epic proportions.

All the rest we have seen follows naturally from that.

By: SteveH

SteveH — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:59:11 +0000

I’m perplexed by people who seemingly want their feelings manipulated when the subject matter is the cold hard mathematics of government budgets. Who are these aliens and how did they get here in such large numbers?

By: Oldflyer

Oldflyer — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:37:45 +0000

I believe that Obama’s reputation as an orator was manufactured from the beginning. How could any “right thinking” person not praise that convention speech, delivered as it was by a “bright” and “attractive” young black politician? Are you racist?

Now it has become an article of faith. Even conservative pundits, when critiquing his speeches, mouth the obligatory flattering words about his delivery, before attacking the substance. That commentary is simply automatic and unthinking, or to borrow a phrase from the world of the Beltway Bandit, “boilerplate”.

Compared to Rubio, to name just one, he sounds like a stilted hack. That is with TOTUS as a crutch. Without TOTUS he is simply pitiful. I am trying to be kind here. Even G.W., who got that deer in the headlights look, and became very stiff when he was speaking formally; was quite good when relaxed and speaking extemporaneously. The “Little O”, formerly known as the “Big O”, can’t even match that.

To pick up on the thread about Churchill; I believe the Brits simply put a lot more emphasis on oratory than we do. I suspect the Parliamentary system has something to do with that. Churchill was the Master in a time when oratory was universally valued; but, the trend continues. I think Tony Blair is a superb speaker, and very pleasurable to the ear.

By: foxmarks

foxmarks — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 05:06:37 +0000

In recent speeches, I am finding Barry’s sibilance annoying. I never liked his style, but he’s sounding more like a sssnake with every ssspeech. Isn’t there some gear that could prevent him from activating the cultural memory of satan?

And I agree his delivery has become as clichéd as his words. Maybe he really wasn’t listening to Rev Wright all those years.

Churchill loved stout Saxon words. Obama would surely prefer those of Latin root.

In my adventures listening to Progressive radio, I learned they think the bust kerfuffle is one of those things that crazy conservatives blew out of proportion. The host insisted Barry did not send it back to England, but just moved it from the Oval Office to a hallway.

By: Parker

Parker — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:58:08 +0000

“People who think Obama is a great orator are living in a land of make believe or have never heard a truly great speech. Obama’s first act as president was to return the bust of Churchill to Great Britain… maybe because he knew he would always suffer by comparison.”

Touche!

By: Amy

Amy — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:52:01 +0000

People who think Obama is a great orator are living in a land of make believe or have never heard a truly great speech. Obama's first act as president was to return the bust of Churchill to Great Britain... maybe because he knew he would always suffer by comparison.

By: waltj

waltj — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:32:24 +0000

Let’s not forget that Hitler extensively rehearsed his speeches, including the parts where he “spontaneously” became highly animated. He also was careful to match his speech to the audience–German bankers or industrialists would get the low-key, rational Fuehrer, while an SA rally would get the full-blown rabblerouser. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Those who are “amazed” by Obama’s oratorical skills must never have heard a Churchill speech from beginning to end. The Last Lion could do it all–substance, allusions to history and literature, wit, humor, poetic turn of phrase–in a speech and leave his listeners no doubt where he, and Britain, stood. From Obama, we get fluff, phony history, pettiness, whining, sarcasm, and instant gaffes should he stray from his prepared text, all which leave America and the world saying, “Huh? What did he just say?”

By: expat

expat — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:24:01 +0000

I think one aspect of the Kotlikoff reaction is that academic types frequently think hard only about their own very narrow field of interest, ie, the Ryan medicare proposal. When the topic widens, ie, Obama’s eloquence, they defer to the opinion of other credentialed people. If everyone says Obama is eloquent, then he must be. They don’t have time to critique his speeches, so they go with what the Ivy League faculties and NYT columnists seem to say.

I am always amazed at the inability of my husband’s colleagues to see that the emperor wears no clothes. They read horrible books, attend terrible plays, and visit terrible art exhibits that are must dos for their set, and rarely admit that they hated them. They just assume that the professional critics know better.

Perhaps re Obama, there is something about the prejudice of low expectations. So long as he doesn’t sound like Jackson or Sharpton, he meets the standards for black eloquence.