A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Whenever I tune in to a big presidential speech, I listen for the great man’s voice – that is, what he truly believes, and what rhetoric seems authentically his.
So I listened to the grand unveiling, at George Washington University, of President Obama’s plan to curb spending, pare down the national debt and reform entitlements.
And I listened.
And listened . . .
And listened . . .
But the voice?
Instead of one president, I heard a presidential chorus.
To wit: I’ll give an excerpt of the speech, you decide if it's POTUS 44 or someone else . . .
From our first days as a nation, we have put our faith in free markets and free enterprise as the engine of America’s wealth and prosperity. More than citizens of any other country, we are rugged individualists, a self-reliant people with a healthy skepticism of too much government.
The President: It sure sounds Reaganesque to me – support of the free market, belief in individualism, keeping government on a short leash. No way this makes the cut a year ago.
I don’t need another tax cut.
The President: Bill Clinton loved to do this during his eight years – personalize the tax debate (here he is, doing it on the campaign trail last fall). Obama liked this phrase so much that he used it twice in the speech (once in the prepared remarks and a second time ad-libbing, as an astute blogger over at Commentary noted).
This is who we are. This is the America I know. We don’t have to choose between a future of spiraling debt and one where we forfeit investments in our people and our country. To meet our fiscal challenge, we will need to make reforms. We will all need to make sacrifices. But we do not have to sacrifice the America we believe in. And as long as I’m President, we won’t.
The President: Andrew Shepard.
Andrew . . . who?
Not a real figure, but “The American President” – Aaron Sorkin’s cinematic vision of the White House in a liberal fantasyland (a hunky widower commander-in-chief finds love with enviro-lobbyist Annette Bening despite the worst aspersions of knuckle-dragging conservative doofuses).
Here’s the big moment in the flick, where the prez brags about being a card-carrying member of the ACLU, defender of free speech, tells Richard Dreyfuss to go stuff it (wow -- beating up Richard Dreyfuss!!), and sez he’ll go to the mattresses to fight global-warming and rid the world of those nasty hand-guns once and for all.
That’s the president the left has romantically pined away for – for the past 15 years, at least. As the keft has learned the hard way, it’s not the president Barack Obama has become – certainly not since the November election and his newfound willingness to give in to the right (on taxes and budget cuts).
At GWU, Obama didn’t go as far as the big-screen Democrat -- Sorkin does movies, not campaigns. Indeed, we’ll learn in the weeks ahead if the real-life/small-screen president can stand his ground with the House Republicans.
However, Obama did end an unmistakable signal to the left by giving the impression that he’s adamant about raising taxes on the wealthy and won’t let those heartless conservatives get their way with Medicare reform.
At least, that’s what the President said.
But do you actually believe him?
Moreover, do you think Obama believes it himself?
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Comments :
Aug '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
I don't think this guy is a believer in anything. Like some wound-up toy, they trot him out to mouth these platitudes to the multitudes. It's like the miracle of the fishes and loaves, except the fish are all red herrings and all the bread is stolen from the bondholders.
And the greatest injustice is that the Christ figure is an atheist ! Guess he would have to be-----Here is St Joe Biden nodding off during the sermon.
Edited on Apr 13, 2011 at 3:57pmRe: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
It's a mystery grab bag speech! A lil something for everyone. I was very cognizant of his attempt to start off with a Reaganesque tone, but he lost me when the speech devolved into America's history as a communal land where every person has a responsibility to honor the collective good. That didn't resonate with any America I've ever known.
Jan '11
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
"Moreover, do you think Obama believes it himself?"
I've been around enough bosses to see the Swinging Door type. That is, they believe firmly in their stated policy, until the next guy walks in the door and changes the boss' mind. Knowing that all you have to do is be the last guy to see the boss, the door is constantly swinging open and closed.
Here's what I see. A young guy. When he came to Washington, he was an ingenue. He wasn't innocent, in that sense of the term, but he hadn't discovered who to trust or follow. He liked his campaign staff, but they didn't know Washington. He started by relying on the Clinton crew, but he didn't like them. He found himself relying more and more on the radicals (Susan Power, etc.) and his old cronies (David Plouffe) who told him what he wanted to hear. But again, those people didn't know Washington, and they don't know any more now than they did in 2008.
He's stuck in Campaign 2008 group think. He still thinks he's running against Bush.
Jun '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
I refuse to actually listen to Obama's speeches, but I do make a practice on occasion of doing word searches for some of his favorite rhetorical habits and other minutiae. In so doing, I don't actually have to read the speech either. I posted this over on the Member Feed, but thought it was relevant to this thread. My official findings based on word searches of today's speech:
75 first person references ("I" and "my") (he just can't help talking about himself).
10 "investment" references
3 "win the future" references
1 "let me be absolutely clear" reference
News flash (major change in Obama's speeches): Not a single "make no mistake" reference.
Dec '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
KC: he's not a swinging door, he's a paper tiger. He talks like he believes in something and will fight for it, but at the first sign of resistance, he folds like an origami mouse.
Jan '11
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
No argument from me. I was profoundly disappointed in Obama today, which was a difficult feat, because I had almost zero respect for him in the first place.
Jun '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
KC Mulville
I was profoundly disappointed in Obama today, which was a difficult feat, because I had almost zero respect for him in the first place. · Apr 13 at 5:23pm
K.C.: Wasn't there a novel recently called Less than Zero? Sounds like that's where you are with "the One."
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Great post, Bill.
My favorite cross-cut:
Early in the speech -- "From our first days as a nation, we have put our faith in free markets and free enterprise as the engine of America’s wealth and prosperity. More than citizens of any other country, we are rugged individualists, a self-reliant people with a healthy skepticism of too much government."
Much later -- "I will preserve these health care programs as a promise we make to each other in this society. I will not allow Medicare to become a voucher program that leaves seniors at the mercy of the insurance industry, with a shrinking benefit to pay for rising costs."
Sep '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
More than citizens of any other country, we are rugged individualists, a self-reliant people with a healthy skepticism of too much government as we cling to our guns, our religion, our pocket books, our gas tanks.
Sep '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
"I had no expectations, and so far, they've been met."
Mar '11
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Deleting Duplicate Post
Why does Ricochet always make my Firefox crash?
Edited on Apr 14, 2011 at 4:23amMar '11
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
To be fair, I've stopped listening to speeches by officials of either party. I prefer to save my time, avert boredom, and catch the important bits, if there are any, in the blogosphere.
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Fat Dave: Deleting Duplicate Post
Why does Ricochet always make my Firefox crash? · Apr 14 at 4:19am
Edited on Apr 14 at 04:23 am
Does it? I'll bring this to the attention of our Busy Systems Administrator. Is it just Firefox? Is anyone else having this problem?
May '10
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Is it possible that Sorkin wrote the speech?
Mar '11
Re: A Speech by Presidential (Some Real, Some Fictional) Committee
Claire Berlinski, Ed.
Fat Dave: Deleting Duplicate Post
Why does Ricochet always make my Firefox crash? · Apr 14 at 4:19am
Edited on Apr 14 at 04:23 am
Does it? I'll bring this to the attention of our Busy Systems Administrator. Is it just Firefox? Is anyone else having this problem? · Apr 14 at 5:43am
The latest version of Firefox has a tendency to crash, so no big deal there. But it seems to shut down whenever I post or click on the tab for the conversations I'm following. Maybe it just thinks I'm an idiot and is protecting me from myself.