Obama: Best orator in a long, long time

[cannon_fodder]

For those of you who failed to see it yesterday, here is Obama's Iowa victory speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZaq-YKCnE

No matter what you think of his politics, his ideas, or anything else; it is undeniable that this is by far the best public speech given in this country in recent memory.  He managed to play to the crowd as well as a greater audience.  He pandered to the democratic base, independents, republicans, and African Americans - without overtly alienating the others.

An amazing speech delivered nearly perfectly.  He came off both presidential and as a "regular guy" while hitting key issues and introducing several themes.  For sure, worth your 14 minutes over lunch.

[tim huntzinger]

Just reiterating my comments on another thread, but he is clearly affecting a cadence and drawl of someone from much further south.  And that BS looking all serious and down his nose waiting for the crowd to crack him up - enough already! No doubt he is an accomplished speaker but his Utopian crap just does not do it for me. No matter, if he is the Dem candidate he still gets my vote, as will Hill or Edwards or Richardson. Anything to repudiate the GOP.

[cannon_fodder]

He is from Illinois... that is not South in the slightest.  I really did not catch a Southern inflection to his voice last night (or watching the YouTube).  He does have a slight trail at the end before he pauses, which is more characteristic of a black speaker than a Southern (think MLK or a stereo typical preacher man - but not to such a degree). And of course, if fake Southern accents upset you then Hillary must REALLY make you mad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaDQ1vIuvZI (sounding like a cast member from Gone With the Wind) [].

What's more, well placed pauses are essential to good speaking.  Especially political speeches.  If you'll note that when he wants to keep momentum building he speaks OVER the crowd instead of pausing.  Brilliant speaking.  I've had a ton of communication/public speaking classes and some experience, so perhaps I was just paying more attention to his style and form... and he did very well.

What's more, Huckabee was down to Earth and poised - but certainly did nothing to break the mold (except having Chuck Norris in the background - though he failed to roundhouse kick a single person).  Edwards was... well, Edwards.  After 2 or 3 minutes I turned back to the football game.  Hillary was mediocre in delivering a canned speech, she lacks the personality of her husband and usually fails to come across as genuine (too rehearsed sounding maybe, perhaps it was the forced smile the entire time?).   Basically, all of the other candidates failed to keep my attention for their entire speech, after a couple minutes it was like pulling teeth - as too many political speeches are.

And reiterating what I posted in the other thread, his speech is not a Utopian diatribe.  But in the end it doesn't really matter as it appears you vote for a party over any one person or any ideas.  Depending on who the Republican nominee is, I could actually vote for Obama (in spite of his socialism, eww).

[tim huntzinger]

To each his own.  BUT IT MUST BE MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!  SUBMIT! SUBMIT!

He is a good orator, no doubt, it just seems too affected, IMHO. That is all.  He changed from Barack the Upstart with Potential to Obama the Conquerer. Just standing there a couple of times looking down his nose all grim, unsmiling, imperious, that is just wierd.  Then he waits for the crowd to 'force' him to smile.  Creepy.  Good crowd manipulation.  Works with the kids and ladies, apparently.

[cannon_fodder]

I have to agree with that, probably was very good crowd manipulation.  Though, to me, the non-smiling moments came across as an honest attempt to keep a straight face.  Smiling the entire time is just awkward (Hillary) and might seem pompous since he just won.  Clearly neither of us really know, just seemed to be genuine to me - which might be the point.

[inteller]

The best orators won Iowa on both sides.....but they both speak with forked tounges.

[tim huntzinger]

He just overplayed the looking visionary thing, and in my hypercritical thinking it looked more standoffish than he may have wanted it too.  You are right, smiling too much looks psychotic, and while Hillary is a disciplined soundbite deliverer, her speeches are torture.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

He just overplayed the looking visionary thing, and in my hypercritical thinking it looked more standoffish than he may have wanted it too.  You are right, smiling too much looks psychotic, and while Hillary is a disciplined soundbite deliverer, her speeches are torture.

when I saw BHO and MH faces on MSNBC last night I was like "OMG, it is the faces of evil!"

[we vs us]

Obama's cadences aren't so much "Southern" as they are "Gospel."  

A lot of Gospel patterns lend themselves to good speechifying; the same musicality behind it has been the driving force of classical rhetoric since the Ancient Greeks. It's the intersection of poetry, music, and oral tradition.  Those are all the pauses, the crescendos and decrescendos, even the well placed smiling.  I have a feeling, Tim, the smiling you thought was so fake on TV was totally electric live and in person.  He's good on TV but I bet Obama's live show is fantastic.

I think Gospel's why Bill Clinton was so effective, btw, and also why Huckabee has some of the same patterns.  Clinton doesn't speak Southern, he speaks Gospel.  Most white folks could never pick up the difference, but African Americans by and large sure could. Hence he gets referred to as America's first black president.  It's because he spoke Gospel.  Huckabee's speaking Southern, but his version, because it's from the southern church, also has echoes of Gospel to it.

[FOTD]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

He just overplayed the looking visionary thing, and in my hypercritical thinking it looked more standoffish than he may have wanted it too.  You are right, smiling too much looks psychotic, and while Hillary is a disciplined soundbite deliverer, her speeches are torture.

when I saw BHO and MH faces on MSNBC last night I was like "OMG, it is the faces of evil!"

Define evil.....seems you think shrub isn't evil.  

"Choosing between the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil" Garcia

BO is not evil. To some, irritating.

A great speach by the only person who can stop Billary.

[cannon_fodder]

BO (unfortunate initials) seems genuine to me.  I do not like his politics as he is clearly liberal, but what do you have to go on that he is two-faced?  We KNOW Hildog will take money from her brother to get a pardon from her husband, release false information on political rivals, steel items from the federal government (documents, whitehouse items), move to a state she has few connections to for a Senate seat, change her story for her audience, take campaign contributions from illegal sources (and return them when caught), make money from dubious arrangements (and have her husband pardon whoever covers for her/them), and even start speaking Southern Drawl while at a southern church.  Really, if you are worried about a two-faced power hungry candidate getting into the 1600 address then your concerns are misplaced.

Obama MAY BE a liar and a crook, but Hillary has a long track record of anything-for-power.  Feel free to start a Hillary topic if you want, I'm really more interested in the quality of Obama's speaking in this thread.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by FOTD

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

He just overplayed the looking visionary thing, and in my hypercritical thinking it looked more standoffish than he may have wanted it too.  You are right, smiling too much looks psychotic, and while Hillary is a disciplined soundbite deliverer, her speeches are torture.

when I saw BHO and MH faces on MSNBC last night I was like "OMG, it is the faces of evil!"

Define evil.....seems you think shrub isn't evil.  

no Bush is definitely evil.  these two would just be a continuation of that.

We need either Ron Paul to run as independent or get another 3rd party candidate.

[FOTD]

Just curious. You wouldn't know the tagger going around town (31st and Peoria and 21st and Utica) spray painting Ron Paul everywhere would you? Probably not. It could be some nut with white supremist genes....

But if you prefer that crowd to Oprah, you're way out of the mainstream of America.

[cannon_fodder]

I guess I take issue with your definition of evil.  Either you use the word loosely or your world view is so very different I should abstain from conversation.  Hitler... was evil.  If Bush is evil, what do you call Hitler?

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I guess I take issue with your definition of evil.  Either you use the word loosely or your world view is so very different I should abstain from conversation.  Hitler... was evil.  If Bush is evil, what do you call Hitler?

hitler is chaotic evil....bush is just miscreant.