State of the Unions: 27 and 11 Years Ago
Ursula Hennessey ·
Jan 26, 2011 at 7:51am
Okay, I didn't watch them all the way through, but ...when you watch these, what do you think?
My initial reactions: Reagan exudes joyful patriotism. He also gets *right* to the point of the speech early on. Peter, did you write this?
Clinton is overconfident, right? A little too pleased to show how great he was. Still, the point is clear. We know where he's going within the first minute or so. (I also think how unfortunate his speech is considering that 18 months later comes 9/11.)
What do you guys think?
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Re: State of the Unions: 27 and 11 Years Ago
Here's how I look at these -- and I think they're excellent examples of two very good, very powerful SOTUs.
Both of them are talking to the American people about the American people. Both of them are advocating, in a way, for the American people.
Last night, Obama advocated for.....government. He represented the government's case, defended the government's plans, and spoke for the government.
Big mistake.
Re: State of the Unions: 27 and 11 Years Ago
I miss that first guy. Heck, I even miss that second guy. Maybe someone needs to deliver a State of the Presidency speech.
Sep '10
Re: State of the Unions: 27 and 11 Years Ago
Reagan loved America. He loved American exceptionalism and he was exceptionally good at invoking it. And though Clinton was not Reagan, his opener was very good (and probably written in the car 5 minutes before he started speaking) and both Clinton and Gore carried themselves like winners.
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
May '10
Re: State of the Unions: 27 and 11 Years Ago
Even though I have long ago dismissed Clinton as a (fill in the blank), I really have to credit his performance here. He played president like Issac Stern played the violin. And, I think he has genuine affection for the country. Reagan of course is just the real thing. Enough said.
Poor Obama. He is just not in the same league with these two.