Posted on 02/04/2010 9:03:08 AM PST by neverdem
realist ping
>>Obama may give soaring Wilsonian speeches abroad<<
I have no idea why even his critics keep repeating this meme. His speeches are pedestrian at best, full of low expectations and empty and vague promises. And if the TOTUS has even the slightest glitch, he goes into “um, er, uh” stammer mode (since he has nothing in his own head).
Even as a speech READER, he does no better than a High School drama student.
His speeches remind me of ( but are not as compelling as ) the spiels of a three-card-monty dealer. Churchill would roll over in his grave.
This is a beautiful article. VDH is terrific at putting into words the real picture of what America’s place has been in the world of the Twentieth Century.
Long, long ago there was a period termed the “Peace of Rome”. It was after Rome had basically conquered the “known world” and no one was left to wage war.
To an extent the second half of the last century could be termed the “Peace of America”. While there were truly short violent “wars” between neighbors, the might of America was able to prevent another WORLD WIDE Conflagration.
Today’s world is more dangerous because there may not be a power able to keep the cork in the bottle. The American people may well have not been happy in their role as world policeman, but they and their government did recognize the need.
None would like to live in a neighborhood without police, but we are in a world that has such a lack. Oh Oh
He used TOTUS at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning. He cannot even pause in between head swings to look straight ahead at the audience in the center of the room - or the tv audience.
GWB did not like using the teleprompter, but he could do it with more feeling and sincerity than the 0 can.
...”Obama may give soaring Wilsonian speeches abroad”...
Please, Dr. Hanson, stop repeating this patent falsehood. Barack Obama is not a great speaker. He apparently can read someone else’s words from a TelePrompter but on his feet without his crutch he makes GWB sound like Sir Laurence Olivier.
Furthermore, it’s to the point that the tone of his voice, the cadence of his speech, affect me like the sound of fingernails on a school chalkboard. It’s become Pavlovian - I get nauseated and angry with the fools of this country who did this to all of us.
The more astute members of the European press are already beginning to ask these questions.
Obama is clearly a lame-duck, barely one year into his presidency. How is America (and the world for that matter) going to survive three years of a lame duck presidency?
Worse scenario is that populist outrage leads to a Ross Perot-like 3rd. party resurgence in 2012. This would most assuredly lead to Obama being re-elected on a 40-42% plurality, likely with a GOP Congress. How will America and the World function for four additional years like that?
How can we in the EU continue to live in our cushy little Socialist Nirvana if the US withdraws from it’s role as global policeman, and all of us have to [-gasp-] start picking-up the tab for our own defense?
I guess the critics feel compelled to have one “nice” thing to say about Barry Soetoro - but I agree with you that nothing could be further from the truth about his speech-giving talents. Barry gave one good speech in 2004 at the Dem National Convention (consider his competition there). That is it. All play acting back then - now we’re seeing the face behind the mask (for those who didn’t figure this out long ago).
“Even as a speech READER, he does no better than a High School drama student.”
I’ve always thought the same. The endless accolades as to his alleged articulation have always seemed to be the cornerstone element in this “up is down” chant we’ve been subjected to for > 1 year. I’m always left with “what the hell are they thinking, are they listening to the same audio track as I am?”
I think VDH is making a dig here. He doesn’t think much of Wilson.
Was Wilson a “great” speaker? Or did he soar on the wings of his own hot air?
A regular contributor to a local radio talk show is a basically conservative professor of Rhetoric at a local university. He continues to insist that Obama is a great speech maker.
Besides not listening to Obama, I can no longer listen to this “expert”, but I did glean from his comments that good rhetoric includes, apparently, being able to present both/all sides of an issue.
Well, Obama has been good at saying nothing in such a convoluted way, that a large number of listeners believe that they are hearing a message that they want to hear.
If that is good “rhetoric”, then give me passionately bad rhetoric from a speaker who has a true message to give, not a three-card monte game of words.
Furthermore, it’s to the point that the tone of his voice, the cadence of his speech, affect me like the sound of fingernails on a school chalkboard. It’s become Pavlovian - I get nauseated and angry with the fools of this country who did this to all of us.
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You never get lonely though, do you?
There’s the rub with people wanting an eloquent leader. Bedazzled by words and delivery that never match up with the actions. Thinking back to people like Winston Churchill, who cared deeply about what words he spoke, you knew that he believed what he said, and he followed through. No surprises. His words weren’t used to hide the truth about his values and character regarding how to lead the country. If Barry told people straight out what he truly believed about leading America, it would be so terrifying, he would never have been elected. There I go stating the obvious again.
Just a partial list: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:
Just a partial list. Much more at the link: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
Ping !
Let me know if you want in or out. Links:
FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ== Pajamasmedia: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/ His website: http://victorhanson.com/
Countries act in their own self interest. When their national interests and the US national interests aline, they are our good friends. When national interests diverge, the country’s foreign policies diverge. Apparently, Obama has not figured this out - an the war came.
Yet another good one from VDH.
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