# Obama's speechifying **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 16, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837 "2011-01-16T17:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/141 "2011-01-18T04:09:00Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > To start with, I don’t understand your need to think Obama is some kind of speaking god. Aaaand that’s where I stopped reading. I now agree with rap master **Euphonious P**. But seriously, dude, Newt Gingrich? This is the sort of thing that convinces me your sort is going to nominate another palooka for Obama to bitch slap come 2012. Good for the country, so… yay you guys. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/142 "2011-01-18T04:25:26Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Cole Younger the Younger? You’re confusing him with the noted scientific researcher who discovered Cole’s Law. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/143 "2011-01-18T04:27:37Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > You’re confusing him with the noted scientific researcher who discovered Cole’s Law. Wasn’t that research done at the Mayo Clinic? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/144 "2011-01-18T04:29:18Z")
> [@xenophon41](#): > > Aaaand that’s where I stopped reading. I now agree with rap master **Euphonious P**. > > But seriously, dude, Newt Gingrich? Aaaaand that’s where I stopped reading. Obama isn’t the world’s greatest speaker/golfer/pick-a-skill. Your argument amounts to hero worship. And if you want to stoop to Euphonious’s level then you have diminished yourself for the effort. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/145 "2011-01-18T04:31:00Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Aaaaand that’s where I stopped reading. Obama isn’t the world’s greatest speaker/golfer/pick-a-skill. Your argument amounts to hero worship. Seriously, what can I do to ensure that Republicans nominate Gingrich? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/146 "2011-01-18T05:06:48Z")
We could all get T-shirts and buttons “Dopers for Newt!”. If that doesn’t put him over the top… ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/147 "2011-01-18T05:51:41Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Seriously, what can I do to ensure that Republicans nominate Gingrich? Wow, you really can’t stand the idea that Obama is a good orator but not the world’s greatest. I wasn’t aware the Gingrich was running but knock your socks off. Given Obama’s current ratings I wouldn’t be bringing up elections right now. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/148 "2011-01-18T13:13:06Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > On the other hand, if you were actually trying to be serious, then you are dumber than half a sack of hammers. I mean, really seriously fucking dumb. In which case, I’m sorry for using the word “extemporaneously” because it probably made your parietal lobe bleed. Even phrased as a hypothetical, this is not kosher in Great Debates. Please don’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/149 "2011-01-18T13:51:53Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Given Obama’s current ratings I wouldn’t be bringing up elections right now. I would, and I will. Republicans would eat a spider for [Obama’s approval ratings](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/18/cnn-poll-obamas-job-approval-rating-on-the-rise/): > [@](#): > > Fifty-three percent of people questioned in the poll approve of how Obama’s handling his duties in the White House, up from 48 percent in a CNN poll that was conducted last month, as a very productive lame duck congressional session was nearing completion. > > “Obama’s approval rating among Democrats and Republicans is virtually unchanged since December, but among independents it has grown from 41 percent in December to 56 percent now,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “It’s possible that his call for greater civility in the aftermath of the Arizona shootings was seen as a boost for the bipartisan solutions that typically attract independents.” Pretending that Obama is not the 800 pound gorilla in the 2012 election is whistling past the graveyard. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/150 "2011-01-18T13:54:41Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Wow, you really can’t stand the idea that Obama is a good orator but not the world’s greatest. Move the goalposts much? I think the arguments you’ve been making in this thread have gone from: 1. Obama is above par at telempromter speeches, sub-par at non-teleprompter speeches. 2. Obama is pretty good at teleprompter speeches, sub-par at Q&A off-the-cuff remarks. 3. Obama isn’t quite as good at extemporaneous Q&A as Newt Gingrich (someone who pretty much does that for a living now) 4. Obama is not the worlds greatest orator. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/151 "2011-01-18T14:28:19Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > He is a much better speaker. Obama pauses on top of his continued use of “uh and um”. So sorry that there are actually people on the planet that have skills the President isn’t a gold medalist in. I’m sorry that your political views render you incapable of rational analysis. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/152 "2011-01-18T16:47:37Z")
The only reason I don’t rank President Obama higher as an orator is because he has not given a speech as historically significant as some of his predecessors as of yet. A great speech is as much a product of the moment as the speaker, and President Obama hasn’t faced a Pearl Harbor yet. I hope he never does. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/153 "2011-01-18T16:57:46Z")
I don’t think he’s given one _as President_. I think his “More Perfect Union” speech during the campaign was a watershed in race relations ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/154 "2011-01-18T20:34:31Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > Move the goalposts much? I think the arguments you’ve been making in this thread have gone from: > > 1. Obama is above par at telempromter speeches, sub-par at non-teleprompter speeches. > 2. Obama is pretty good at teleprompter speeches, sub-par at Q&A off-the-cuff remarks. > 3. Obama isn’t quite as good at extemporaneous Q&A as Newt Gingrich (someone who pretty much does that for a living now) > 4. Obama is not the worlds greatest orator. No change in goal post and I picked a politician for an apples to apples comparison. Gingrich has always had this skill. As far as extemporaneous Q&A I don’t see where a President does it any less than a retired Senator. A President can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/155 "2011-01-18T20:40:21Z")
**Magiver** , it seems to be a function of the fact that some cannot admit any possible flaw in the Blessed and Most Perfect One. I keep waiting for someone to say "Obama is a terrific dancer. Not many people know that. Obama could paint a whole apartment in one afternoon! Two coats!" Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/156 "2011-01-18T21:08:50Z")
Obama doesn’t actually read books. He just looks at them and understands them perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/157 "2011-01-18T21:08:51Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Magiver** , it seems to be a function of the fact that some cannot admit any possible flaw in the Blessed and Most Perfect One. Yes, that must be it. Any other strawmen you’d like to prop up? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/158 "2011-01-18T21:31:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Magiver** , it seems to be a function of the fact that some cannot admit any possible flaw in the Blessed and Most Perfect One. > > I keep waiting for someone to say "Obama is a terrific dancer. Not many people know that. > > Obama could paint a whole apartment in one afternoon! Two coats!" > > Regards, > Shodan See post 151. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/159 "2011-01-18T22:05:22Z")
Already saw it. As well as in other posts and threads - [projection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_projection) is not uncommon hereabouts. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837/160 "2011-01-18T22:19:24Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > See post 151. Post 151 was followed by post 153 which goes back to Shodan’s observation. Accrediting any speech of Obama as socially transcending is an example of aggrandized hero worship. The hero worship was obvious during the election with Obama supporters incorporating his name into their thread locations like a bunch of school girls drawing hearts on their notebooks. Joanie loves Berry 4-ever. While that kind of excitement happens from time to time in an election it’s just sad to see it 2 years into an administration that was bitch-slapped in the mid-term election. Considering he tossed his liberal promises such as shutting down Gitmo or pulling out of Iraq earlier I would think the knee-jerk defense of everything he does would dampen a bit. That is one strong glass of kool-Aid. He’s a politician. Get over it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obamas-speechifying/567837.md?page=9)