I heard an audio clip of Obama, from last week, at a "Town Hall Meeting". It was from his OWN Head, without Teleprompter. I have the transcript, of part of it:
Obama,talking about one of his Socialization Plans, doesnt really matter Which one:
" And they say, if, uh...... if we do that,uh...... it will COST too much! Well, uh,....I say,............uh,........I say, it'll cost about............er, wait a minute,.........I say it'll cost............uh,......In ten tears,.... uh,.... I say, it'll cost about,...........In ten years, I say,uh, .... it'll cost about... it'll cost about
the same as.........wait a minute, here, I have to tell you, I haven't slept much.........
Is THAT the EXCUSE he's going to USE, when Iraq is the Center of World War III, after he pulls all the troops out?
Is THAT the EXCUSE he's going to USE, a couple of years down the road, when Iran is Testing Nukes in their desert, and
Iran saying, "Tough shit, Obama, if you don't like it. What are YOU going to DO about it? Bomb us? Not a Pacifist, Ultra-Left Wing Liberal like YOU, who did NOTHING of value in YOUR career, except call Pres. Bush, and John McCain, a "bully"! How could you FACE your Leftover 60's Hippie Radical Supporteres, and the Very Young, who are TOO NAIVE to know how the World REALLY works!
But don't listen to ME. Listen to a Smart Journalist.
Obama Unplugged
by Dean Barnett
02/12/2008 12:00:00 AM
USUALLY WHEN BARACK OBAMA gives a major speech, the overdone hosannas from the liberal commentariat follow as surely as night follows day. The American Prospect's Ezra Klein wrote of Obama's post-Iowa victory speech, "I've been blessed to hear many great orations. I was in the audience when Howard Dean gave his famous address challenging the Democratic Party to rediscover courage and return to principle . . . But none achieve(d) quite what Obama, at his best, creates. . . . Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment."
It would be unfair to say this childish lefty gushing has been without cause. Obama is indeed a magnificent speaker. A few days after his Iowa address, I emailed a friend of mine and called it the finest political speech I had ever heard. Then again, I cannot claim to have been in the audience for Howard Dean's "famous address."
In spite of Obama's obvious strengths in this area, questions linger regarding Obama's gifted speechifying. Do his speeches give us a glimpse at a very special man with a unique vision? Or are we merely witnessing a political one-trick pony? Yes, Obama can turn a phrase better and do more with a Teleprompter than any other modern era politician. But does his special skill set here actually mean anything, or is it instead the political equivalent of a dog walking on its hind legs--unusual and riveting, but not especially
significant? Regardless, the liberal commentators have gushed their praise nearly every time Obama has opened his mouth before a Teleprompter the past few months
It was thus interesting to see Obama climb to the stage at Virginia's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Saturday night. As he strode to the podium, Obama clutched in his hands a pile of 3 by 5 index cards. The index cards meant only one thing--no Teleprompter.
Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. He looked down at his obviously copious notes every few seconds throughout the speech. Unlike the typical Obama oration where the words flow with unparalleled fluidity, he stumbled over his phrasing repeatedly.
The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. All the Obama dramatis personae that we've come to know so well were there--the hapless family that had to put a "for sale" sign on its front lawn, the factory forced to shutter its doors and, of course, the mother who declares bankruptcy because "she cannot pay her child's medical bills."
The tone was also vintage Obama. The prepared text reached out to all Americans, including (gasp!) Republicans. It also evidenced Obama's signature lack of anger. While his colleagues have happily demagogued complex issues and demonized the Bush administration, Obama always has taken pains to strike a loftier tone.
But Saturday night's stem-winder turned out quite differently from the typical Obama speech. With no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion. He had to rely on notes. And his memory. And he improvised.
Obama,talking about one of his Socialization Plans, doesnt really matter Which one:
" And they say, if, uh...... if we do that,uh...... it will COST too much! Well, uh,....I say,............uh,........I say, it'll cost about............er, wait a minute,.........I say it'll cost............uh,......In ten tears,.... uh,.... I say, it'll cost about,...........In ten years, I say,uh, .... it'll cost about... it'll cost about
the same as.........wait a minute, here, I have to tell you, I haven't slept much.........
Is THAT the EXCUSE he's going to USE, when Iraq is the Center of World War III, after he pulls all the troops out?
Is THAT the EXCUSE he's going to USE, a couple of years down the road, when Iran is Testing Nukes in their desert, and
Iran saying, "Tough shit, Obama, if you don't like it. What are YOU going to DO about it? Bomb us? Not a Pacifist, Ultra-Left Wing Liberal like YOU, who did NOTHING of value in YOUR career, except call Pres. Bush, and John McCain, a "bully"! How could you FACE your Leftover 60's Hippie Radical Supporteres, and the Very Young, who are TOO NAIVE to know how the World REALLY works!
But don't listen to ME. Listen to a Smart Journalist.
Obama Unplugged
by Dean Barnett
02/12/2008 12:00:00 AM
USUALLY WHEN BARACK OBAMA gives a major speech, the overdone hosannas from the liberal commentariat follow as surely as night follows day. The American Prospect's Ezra Klein wrote of Obama's post-Iowa victory speech, "I've been blessed to hear many great orations. I was in the audience when Howard Dean gave his famous address challenging the Democratic Party to rediscover courage and return to principle . . . But none achieve(d) quite what Obama, at his best, creates. . . . Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment."
It would be unfair to say this childish lefty gushing has been without cause. Obama is indeed a magnificent speaker. A few days after his Iowa address, I emailed a friend of mine and called it the finest political speech I had ever heard. Then again, I cannot claim to have been in the audience for Howard Dean's "famous address."
In spite of Obama's obvious strengths in this area, questions linger regarding Obama's gifted speechifying. Do his speeches give us a glimpse at a very special man with a unique vision? Or are we merely witnessing a political one-trick pony? Yes, Obama can turn a phrase better and do more with a Teleprompter than any other modern era politician. But does his special skill set here actually mean anything, or is it instead the political equivalent of a dog walking on its hind legs--unusual and riveting, but not especially
significant? Regardless, the liberal commentators have gushed their praise nearly every time Obama has opened his mouth before a Teleprompter the past few months
It was thus interesting to see Obama climb to the stage at Virginia's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Saturday night. As he strode to the podium, Obama clutched in his hands a pile of 3 by 5 index cards. The index cards meant only one thing--no Teleprompter.
Shorn of his Teleprompter, we saw a different Obama. His delivery was halting and unsure. He looked down at his obviously copious notes every few seconds throughout the speech. Unlike the typical Obama oration where the words flow with unparalleled fluidity, he stumbled over his phrasing repeatedly.
The prepared text for his remarks, as released on his website, sounded a lot like a typical Obama speech. All the Obama dramatis personae that we've come to know so well were there--the hapless family that had to put a "for sale" sign on its front lawn, the factory forced to shutter its doors and, of course, the mother who declares bankruptcy because "she cannot pay her child's medical bills."
The tone was also vintage Obama. The prepared text reached out to all Americans, including (gasp!) Republicans. It also evidenced Obama's signature lack of anger. While his colleagues have happily demagogued complex issues and demonized the Bush administration, Obama always has taken pains to strike a loftier tone.
But Saturday night's stem-winder turned out quite differently from the typical Obama speech. With no Teleprompter signaling the prepared text, Obama failed to deliver the speech in his characteristically flawless fashion. He had to rely on notes. And his memory. And he improvised.
