Another Historic First for Obama
George Savage ·
Oct 24, 2010 at 8:29pm
Yes, our president is boldly going where no teleprompter has gone before. DNA India reports:
A teleprompter will be in use for the first time in the Central Hall of Parliament when US President Barack Obama addresses MPs on November eight.
. . .
Parliament authorities said this will be the first time that such a facility will be arranged in the Central Hall.
Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual--not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small.
A big foreign trip to distract from midterm election fallout is perhaps less of a presidential novelty.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
I would love to hear from our more distinguished elected contributors what they think of the teleprompter business. I understand that it makes him more telegenic and keeps him from looking down. But I wonder if it makes the speech more vacuous. If it's scrolling in mid-air like for a TV anchor-person can you still be considering its content at the same time? Is it the same as reading from a printed text? Or is something different -- better or worse -- achieved in the translation. The meme is one of the few popular ones in the MSM that cuts against the president. But I wonder if other politicians that have used both methods think that common criticism is fair?
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
I had heard that a teleprompter is a necessity with this fellow, if only to make sure he doesn't say something to betray his ideology.
Jul '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
Personally, I have no problem with teleprompters. They're just a tool, like Power Point. I wonder if Ronald Reagan, who used index cards, would be using them if he was alive today.
But when Obama uses a teleprompter to talk to schoolkids in a classroom, well...that's a bit of a stretch.
May '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
There's a first for everything
Aug '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual--not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small.
EJ, I was thinking along the same lines, only the situation that popped into my mind was one too inappropriate for a picture.
Now I must go and wash my mind out with soap.
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
Kenneth: Personally, I have no problem with teleprompters. They're just a tool, like Power Point. I wonder if Ronald Reagan, who used index cards, would be using them if he was alive today.
But when Obama uses a teleprompter to talk to schoolkids in a classroom, well...that's a bit of a stretch. · Oct 24 at 8:48pm
But if Reagan dropped all his index cards would he stumble and stutter and sound like the painfully shy girl in your middle school class giving her big presentation?
It's absolutely criminal that for all the ridicule George W Bush received for his (albeit very poor) public speaking skills, this guy is hailed as some kind of a great orator.
I'd wager that the President is having some severe neck problems from his totally unnatural and stupid-looking 45 degree right-45 degree left head swivel when he's speaking. I'd also wager that Reagan didn't write out his speeches word for word on said index cards as any 8th grade teacher can tell you that is an easy way to get lost and start stammering - maybe Mr. Robinson can let us know for sure.
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
My second wager is one I would have lost apparently - having gone back and watched a few Reagan speeches it appears he more than likely did have them written out word for word. Shame on me for making silly assumptions that could have easily been checked beforehand.
May '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
(Smile now.... wait for applause)
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
You don't happen to know some characters by the name of Red Square, BigFurHat, Irony Curtain, and Maksim Maksimovich, by any chance?
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
I think my big problem with this is that embarrasses me at some level. I understand the need to control the message (and, apparently, the messenger) at a political level. However, this becomes a bit of a farce when taken to extremes. Ultimately, for me anyway, this speakers to a deep distrust of the President's abilities as a human being. Wasn't a large part of W's charm his off-the-cuff Bushisms? We get no such glimpses into Obama's soul, only window dressing as filtered through the teleprompter. Sort of sad, but also an indication that the leader of the free world is just a little bit more incompetent than he ought to be.
May '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
No, can't say that I ever heard of them before you caused me to Google the names.
May '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
George Savage · Oct 24 at 9:12pm
Hey editors. What happened to the image that George posted here? Was there a problem with it that it had to be removed? Please explain. Thx.
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
I'm more than willing to cut President Obama a tremendous of slack when it comes to this sort of thing. One of the jobs of the President of the United States is mass communication in a variety of venues and it's something that needs to be done correctly. If that means a particular President really does well with a teleprompter and would otherwise do poorly without it, then go for it....teleprompt away.
George W. Bush was a masterful retail communicator. I had the pleasure of meeting the man in person and he just oozes charm. He wasn't as good in a mass communication setting, but he could do it when the chips were down. Remember his post-9/11 address to Congress and the nation?
President Clinton excelled at both retail and mass communication and it served him very well. Good luck finding a better political communicator in the post-Reagan era.
Look, I'm not remotely a President Obama fan. There are one hundred reasons to oppose what he's doing in office. We don't need one hundred and one reasons.
Jul '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
The man is too deep, his thoughts too big to fit on index cards or, heaven forfend, the palm of his hand. And who wants to hear what he really thinks of us or, worse yet, what he thinks of our friends in India. Protocol demands that he carry his crutch at all times, particularly when venturing outside of the US.
Aug '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
As a gauge to how messed up things are, here we have a trip where the guy is all worried about whether or not to wear a hat to church on a goodwill mission and the girl is going to visit some hookers.
Sort of a strange reverse isn't it ?
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
Trace Urdan
George Savage · Oct 24 at 9:12pm
Hey editors. What happened to the image that George posted here? Was there a problem with it that it had to be removed? Please explain. Thx. · Oct 25 at 6:22am
Trace, thanks for the note. I was starting to think that I was seeing things last night. I am looking into the missing photo, which shows the President's teleprompter incongruously set-up in an elementary school classroom.
Oct '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
OK, EJ...Red Square, aka Oleg Atbashian, is the founder of The People's Cube. Maksim is an irregular contributor, and the others got their start at TPC, but now run iOwntheworld.com. I bring this to your attention because they are kindred spirits.
Feb '10
Re: Another Historic First for Obama
George Savage
Trace Urdan
George Savage · Oct 24 at 9:12pm
Hey editors. What happened to the image that George posted here? Was there a problem with it that it had to be removed? Please explain. Thx. · Oct 25 at 6:22am
Trace, thanks for the note. I was starting to think that I was seeing things last night. I am looking into the missing photo, which shows the President's teleprompter incongruously set-up in an elementary school classroom. · Oct 25 at 9:23am
A bug fix caused another bug. Working on it now. Sorry for the inconvenience!