The Myth of Obama’s Rhetorical Brilliance

Commentary Magazine ^ | July 20, 2012 | Alana Goodman

[muawiyah]

Whatever he thinks does sound counseled by the fact that in most of the world the prevailing systems PREVENT success.

There's no denying that, but why he would want to impose such a system on us is the question. It's like he picked up the wrong lessons from somebody.

I hope everybody nows that once this guy is booted out of government he's still going to be around for the far Leftwingtards to use.

[karnage]

President Bush’s address to the joint session of Congress on 9/20/01 is one of the best political speeches I have ever heard, by anyone.

[Verginius Rufus]

There was a speech shortly before the Roanoke speech in which Obama said something like "spend money on tax breaks for the rich"--which can only mean that he thinks of all the money as belonging to the government in the first place, and the government decides how much of it we can have.

[ishmac]

True, he's a vapid, bland orator. I have never understood his reputation for eloquence. But give the devil his due: he's an expert in the art of demagoguery and provocation. In these areas he is very skillful. The scary thing is, the increasingly corrupt American people tolerate his provocations. At times they seem too dumb to know they're being insulted.

Also, Obama has a talent for mimicking conservative phraseology when it serves his purpose. His shell game with words seems to lull voters to sleep. On occasion, however, his mask slips, and his revolutionary venom pours out.

This last week's provocations do seem to have evoked some real anger--hell, even Romney sounded pissed off! Let's hope the light is beginning to shine in the mushy moderates' heads.

[Boiler Plate]

Long before there was an Internet there was GE's MarkNet. The DARPA guys just applied the concept to the government’s computers.
So did the gov invent steel (for bridges), AC electricity or even the printing press? No they didn't they just took everyone’s money and employed their buddies to build the infrastructure that businesses and individuals use and still pay for.

[Arthur McGowan]

Actually, Obama was referring to “bridges,” not “businesses.”

But he’s the one who garbled the sentence, and since when have the Marxists ever failed to seize on the worst possible interpretation of any conservative’s ambiguous statement?

To all those who are blasting Obama for saying “...if you have a business, you didn’t build that...”—Keep it up!

[xkaydet65]

Why has no prominent GOP person highlighted the fact that all of Obama’s references in this screed, save the internet stupidity, involve the workings of state and local govt. Since the days of Barry Goldwater the conservative movement in America has stoutly advanced the cause of local govt and federalism. It would be simple to coopt Obama’s ideas that govt provides services essential for society.But that it’s local govt that creates the conditions for business success.The GOP can do this and still forcefully attack the Leviathan we call the federal govt. In fact it makes the attack more viable as it would remove the meme that the right is anti govt.

[clearcarbon]

He needs a new speech therapist.

[onevoter]

Obama speaks from personal experience. He, himself, has NEVER earned anything or achieved anything on his own. He spent his lifetime bleeding the “token” system. For that reason, alone, he has had no personal experience in actually earning something himself. He actually believes what he is saying because this is the world he lives in. This is also why he says foolish things about “special olympics” etc. While the rest of us have had political correctness ingrained in us, he - as a minority - has been exempt from having to use tact while speaking. While many minority men and women have earned what they have through hard work, Obama is simply not one of them.

[Kaslin]

President Bush’s voice was pleasant to listen too.

[neverdem]

BTTT!!!

[avenir]

IMO, Obama was referring to the roads and bridges, à la Elizabeth Warren’s “You brought your goods to market on roads other people built and paid for”. He cribbed it from her. Both are guilty of silly reductionist thinking. As one commenter said, “Well, DUH! We all stand on the shoulders of preceding generations. That’s not news to anyone.”

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Early on people were missing the cribbing from Lizzie Warren. Now I think people have got that point down.

The other point is listen to the crowd noise during the speech. The crowd is clearly egging him on with the usual “Uh-huhs” and “you tell its” and that sort of thing. I think he made the amateur mistake of getting caught up in the (negative) energy of the crowd. I don’t think this point has been made, maybe at all.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

You can also hear him dropping his “g”s at the ends of words obviously playing to the crowd and trying to sound more authentic. What a putz.

[The_Media_never_lie]

He should speak offTELEPOTUS more often.