Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama Clearly Not 'The Great Communicator'
Politics Daily ^ | 9/3/09 | Matt Lewis

Posted on 09/03/2009 11:39:07 AM PDT by nickcarraway

"Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory . . . Abandoned by his party, betrayed by his friends, stripped of his offices, whoever can command this power is still formidable." - Winston S. Churchill

"(I) won a nickname, 'The Great Communicator.' But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things." – Ronald Reagan

"Don't tell me words don't matter! 'I have a dream'-- just words? 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal'-- just words? 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself'-- just words? Just speeches?" – Barack Obama (borrowing heavily from Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts).

As President Obama's approval numbers continue to fall, (a Rasmussen poll shows his public support down 19 points since the start of the year), pundits are beginning to ask why. After all, approval ratings rise and fall, but the rate of Obama's decline in popularity is unprecedented for a newly elected president.

Perhaps it's all about the economy. Or maybe Obama is being rightly blamed for flawed policies, such as his proposals to exert more government control over health care. Or maybe Afghanistan is more politically problematic than we imagined. More likely, though, his fundamental problem is that he has, thus far, failed as a communicator. After all, a great orator may not be able to sweep problems under the rug forever, but shouldn't he be able to utilize his rhetorical skills to remain popular during his honeymoon? (Of course, truly great orators such as Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan use their words to solve problems, not merely mask them, but you get my point.)

Ironically, the ability to communicate and inspire us was always billed as Obama's strong suit. Clearly, it was not his experience as a U.S. senator, military leader, or entrepreneur.

But too many intellectuals mistook elegance for eloquence. In many cases these were liberals who saw what they were looking for. Still, far too many "serious" conservatives supported Obama because he was – believe it or not – a good speaker.

The folks who bought into the notion that Obama is a truly great communicator failed to appreciate that his margin of victory was not terribly impressive. Considering the obstacles Republicans faced in 2008 and the economic collapse that had occurred, Obama should have won with more than 52 percent of the vote. And going back to the primary election, Hillary Clinton outperformed him during the second half of the campaign.

No single event has illustrated Obama's rhetorical failings more than his big prime time press conference on health care in July. This was his chance to speak directly to the American people and win them over. Aside from becoming embroiled in the Henry Louis Gates affair – which took up a week of attention – Obama clearly failed to persuade the public of the virtues his health care ideas, as his popularity continued to fall.

Obama will reportedly begin a new push for health care reform this week. There is still time for him to turn things around, but the essential element will be his ability to sell his ideas to the American public. So far, we aren't buying.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: communication; communicator; great; obama; reagan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-24 last
To: frposty
Obama certainly is not mentally an American. He has had all four grandparents as pagans, and it really does show up on him. People can say that they are Christian, but when they act like the devil, it is just not believable.
21 posted on 09/03/2009 12:55:17 PM PDT by tessalu (Obama should not ever fool us again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2
I feel sure that Obama does not know that “allah” is one of the 360 pagan gods of Saudi Arabia spared by Mohammed. “Allah is not the God of the bible, who created the Universe, and mankind.
Obama should go and read and get educated.
22 posted on 09/03/2009 1:09:23 PM PDT by tessalu (Obama should not ever fool us again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: frposty

Yep he doesn’t know how Americans think. He looks at teh world from a liberal, elitist angle.

His comment about “bitter” people clinging to guns and religion as changes happen in the world reveal how little he understands “middle America”.

So if he’s going to feed us more liberalism and the joys of socialized medicine in his next speech, it will fall as flat as his previous efforts.


23 posted on 09/03/2009 1:33:31 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: hawgwalker

Your point is well taken, especially since Obamuhhhhh kept his words vague enough for people to interpret in the way that best suited their own thoughts and beliefs. Now that he’s been forced to lay out specifics in an (obviously lame) attempt to govern, he’s losing people. They’re saying to themselves “This isn’t the ‘hope & change’ I thought he was talking about.”

His approval numbers won’t rebound and he’ll be a one-termer after losing control of congress next year.


24 posted on 09/03/2009 2:31:25 PM PDT by Two Kids' Dad (((( ))))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-24 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson