My review of the speech given by President Obama at the ceremony marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
The end.
My review of the speech given by President Obama at the ceremony marking the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
The end.
Tagged civil rights, history, March on Washington, Obama, oratory
Is it just me?
After all the passion in the speeches leading up to Obama . . . this speech feels very disjointed. And he’s not saying anything new. He’s repeating stuff he’s said many times and repeating what’s been said earlier by other speakers.
This awful thematic phrase “you can choose” makes it sound vaguely informcialish. I think it’s a terrible phrase and means nothing.
Obama is giving a stump speech.
(although he did just say ‘citizenship’, a word I’m always longing to hear)
Posted in 2012 Elections, Obama, Politics
Tagged DNC convention, Obama, oratory, Politics
Leaving no prisoners! None at all.
James Fallows has a fascinating column today in The Atlantic. Here’s why he thinks Clinton connects:
Because he treats listeners as if they are smart.
That is the significance of “They want us to think” and “The strongest argument is” and “The arithmetic says one of three things must happen” and even “Now listen to me here, this is important.” He is showing that he understands the many layers of logic and evidence and positioning and emotion that go into political discussion — and, more important, he takes for granted that listeners can too. . . .
He compares Clinton’s style to Sports Radio Talk, where it’s assumed listeners understand the nuances and finer points of rules nad strategy and analysis. He goes on:
It’s the difference between clarifying, and over-simplifying. Clarification, with the confidence that people can understand the back and forth, lies behind passages like this, which characterized most of the speech.
I think he’s got it exactly right.
Posted in 2012 Elections, language, Politics
Tagged Bill Clinton speeches, DNC convention, James Fallows, oratory, poitics
loves giving a political speech more than big Bill Clinton. The man simply adores it. And it was grand.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Government, Obama, Politics
Tagged Clinton speech, DNC convention, Obama, oratory, Politics
Just beautiful hands . . . no wonder he uses them so much when speaking.
You go big dog!
Alright, I’ve only seen a few of tonight’s speeches but nothing excited me till just now, when Sister something-or-other of Nuns on the Bus did a bit of much needed barn burning. She was wonderful, joyous, generous and very mischevious. Thank you Sister.
As Catholic Sisters, we must speak out against the current House Republican budget, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).
Posted in 2012 Elections, health care, Politics, religion
Tagged elections, nuns on the bus, oratory, Politics, religion, Ryan budget
Tonight’s keynoter: this speech isn’t working for me. The young mayor of San Antonio is handsome for sure. Hispanic for sure. And a very good speaker. But so far – he’s still speaking – the lad hasn’t managed to light my fire.
One thing bothered me right off the bat: he does that thing Obama does, where he lowers his voice almost to a whisper to deliver the punch line (right into the mic of course). I never like it when Obama does it and I like it less when a young wanna-be does it.
I’m probably being unfair. This is an accomplished kid and I’m here sitting on my very comfortable couch thinking about a bowl of raspberries with some confectioners’ sugar sprinkled on top.
Hmmm.
It’s just getting better and better. Tonight is full of that ole time religion!!
Posted in 2012 Elections, Politics
Tagged Cory Booker, DNC convention, elections, oratory, Politics
If Lewis Black had a child with Lyndon Johnson, they’d have to name the kid Ted Strickland. I’ve never heard him before; he’s the former Democratic governor of Ohio. I’ve counted more political clichés than it should be decently possible to squeeze into a single speech – and he’s making every single one of them work.
More of this please.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Politics
Tagged DNC convention, elections, Lewis Black, oratory, Politics, Ted Strickland
Senator Rubio of my own enlightened State is clearly a rising star. He’s definitely got it. Which is why he’s been given the official rising star slot tonight, introducing Romney. And right now, he’s speaking.
And my oh my but isn’t he the pious one – he just offered the requisite boilerplate and utterly unoriginal statement of belief that we’re one ole nation ‘under God’. And he took it just a step further and nearly pledged us to the service of, what I believe he called, ‘almighty God’.
Check the transcript. It was over the line.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Politics, Romney
Tagged 21012 election, Marco Rubio, oratory, Politics, RNC Convention, Romney
Everyone with a microphone knows what Mitt Romney ‘needs to do’ with his speech tonight. They are agreed, they are certain. He must show his human side. He must ‘tell his story’.
I think they are wrong. We already know who he is, and it is not the guy you’d like to have a beer with. He’s a technocrat, a strategizer, an analyst and he’s been very very successful where those qualities have mattered.
He shouldn’t hide from it. He should acknowledge – publicly – who he isn’t. It would be refreshing in a Christie kind of way.
But whichever way he goes, he’ll still be a weak candidate unless he actually presents a vision that goes beyond the bumper sticker talking points.
Don’t misconstrue this as a case for Romney. I won’t be voting for him, not least because that would put you-know-who a heartbeat away. Obama is my choice.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Cable News, Media, Politics, Romney
Tagged Media, oratory, Politics, punditry, RNC Convention, Romney, Romney's speech
PBS coverage ended so I’m over at MSNBC for the first time (this is the fun part). Mathews called Christie’s speech ‘almost Churchillian’. And he meant it. He clearly admired the speech.
Tom Brokaw however, just had the most interesting observation: in all these hours, with all these speakers, there was not one single mention of the two longest wars in America’s history.
How ’bout that. Enough. Off to bed.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Afghanistan, Iraq War, Politics, Romney, war
Tagged Afghanistan, Chris Christie, Iraq, oratory, Politics, Republican National Convention, Tom Brokaw, War
. . . is one hell of a speaker.
UPDATE: Although . . . some of his rhetoric – two thirds of the way in – about ‘what Democrats have done to the economy’ is getting half hearted applause.
Posted in 2012 Elections, Politics
Tagged Chris Christie, oratory, Politics, RNC Convention