Obama: Making It Clear?

President Obama has taken to prefacing certain statements by saying "Let me say this as clearly as I can," or "Let me be clear about this."
He did it again while addressing the Turkish parliament.
Why would any communicator say that? Why?
If you are speaking clearly and simply in the first place, then you don't have to say "I want to be as clear about this as I can."
In fact, when you say "Let me make this very clear," or something along those line, you are actually implying that other things you may have said (without the preface) were not clear. As if to say: "Now, I'm finally going to stop being duplicitous and I'm going to finally make myself clear, so listen up."
What does it man when you say you're now going to make yourself clear? Does it mean the rest of what you said was obtuse, fuzzy, unclear?
It sort of reminds me of the original weasel himself - Nixon (aka Slippery Dick).
Nixon used to say "Let me make one thing perfectly clear." He said it a lot.
And we all know where that got Nixon.

Obama Speech: Nonsense

Obama's speech in Europe on America's "arrogance" was a mea culpa couched in seemingly balanced tones.
It is typical of Obama to proclaim a new path while appearing to hedge and balance.
Using his ever-trusty teleprompter the President appears to self-edit as he virtually apologizes to the Europeans (and praises their ill-conceived "union") while pretending to seek a higher level of responsibility from them.
As a public speaker Obama is increasingly pedantic. The prompter forces him to look from side to side as he feigns a balancing act on subjects that he has crammed on. Many, many issues and subjects are tackled (all seemingly in some detail) but very little appears to have been thought through. Instead, Obama issues broad edicts and challenges while bobbing and weaving.
Most celebrity circuit speakers can get by on this as they move from one city to another giving luncheon or after-dinner speeches while they promote their latest book, TV appearance or whatever.
But the President of the United States? Not quite.
This is likely to wear thin real fast.
While our "rock star President" is busy hobnobbing with royalty and engaging in tedious rhetoric abroad, more people are out of work and things look bleaker by the moment at home.
While Americans are suffering, the President is across the pond and referring to his own countrymen as "arrogant, dismissive" and "derisive."
Meanwhile, back in the good 'ole USA, anxiety is building and the clock is ticking, Mr. President!

Great Orator Flummoxed

From John Crace in Britain's The Guardian:
Barack Obama, the World's Greatest Orator (™all news organisations), didn't exactly cover himself in glory when the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson asked him a question about who was to blame for the financial crisis. Normally word perfect, Obama ummed, ahed and waffled for the best part of two and a half minutes. Here, John Crace decodes what he was really thinking ...
Nick Robinson: "A question for you both, if I may. The prime minister has repeatedly blamed the United States of America for causing this crisis. France and Germany both blame Britain and America for causing this crisis. Who is right?
And isn't the debate about that at the heart of the debate about what to do now?" Brown immediately swivels to leave Obama in pole position. There is a four-second delay before Obama starts speaking [THANKS FOR NOTHING, GORDY BABY. REMIND ME TO HANG YOU OUT TO DRY ONE DAY.]
Barack Obama: "I, I, would say that, er ... pause [I HAVEN'T A CLUE] ... if you look at ... pause [WHO IS THIS NICK ROBINSON JERK?] ... the, the sources of this crisis ... pause [JUST KEEP GOING, BUDDY] ... the United States certainly has some accounting to do with respect to . . . pause [I'M IN WAY TOO DEEP HERE] ... a regulatory system that was inadequate to the massive changes that have taken place in the global financial system ... pause, close eyes [THIS IS GOING TO GO DOWN LIKE A CROCK OF SHIT BACK HOME. HELP].
I think what is also true is that ... pause [I WANT NICK ROBINSON TO DISAPPEAR] ... here in Great Britain ... pause [SHIT, GORDY'S THE HOST, DON'T LAND HIM IN IT] ... here in continental Europe ... pause [DAMN IT, BLAME EVERYONE.] ... around the world. We were seeing the same mismatch between the regulatory regimes that were in place and er ... pause [I'VE LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT AGAIN] ... the highly integrated, er, global capital markets that have emerged ... pause [I'M REALLY WINGING IT NOW].
So at this point, I'm less interested in ... pause [YOU] ... identifying blame than fixing the problem. I think we've taken some very aggressive steps in the United States to do so, not just responding to the immediate crisis, ensuring banks are adequately capitalised, er, dealing with the enormous, er ... pause [WHY DIDN'T I QUIT WHILE I WAS AHEAD?] ... drop-off in demand and contraction that has taken place.
More importantly, for the long term, making sure that we've got a set of, er, er, regulations that are up to the task, er, and that includes, er, a number that will be discussed at this summit. I think there's a lot of convergence between all the parties involved about the need, for example, to focus not on the legal form that a particular financial product takes or the institution it emerges from, but rather what's the risk involved, what's the function of this product and how do we regulate that adequately, much more effective coordination, er, between countries so we can, er, anticipate the risks that are involved there.
Dealing with the, er, problem of derivatives markets, making sure we have set up systems, er, that can reduce some of the risks there. So, I actually think ... pause [FANTASTIC. I'VE LOST EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF] ... there's enormous consensus that has emerged in terms of what we need to do now and, er ... pause [I'M OUTTA HERE. TIME FOR THE USUAL CLOSING BOLLOCKS] ... I'm a great believer in looking forwards than looking backwards.

Your Thoughts Count

Yesterday's column ("TelePrompter 101") was the most-read piece on the Philadelphia Daily News opinion page and it generated lots of comment on the philly.com web site.
I appreciate all of the interest and comments -- both pro and con.
I always learn something from the readers.

Here are some of the comments, unedited:

Obama does not read everything from a teleprompter. Like the president before him, who fumbled words even with one, he uses it as a tool rather than hold papers, index card, etc. Amazing how, with the economy as it is and all the other problems, the biggest problem for some people is the use of a teleprompter.

This article is a perfect example of someone who does not like the president and is looking for a way to insult him. I do not care if the president uses a prompter or note cards. I care if the president's policies move the country forward. Clearly the author does not care about such niceties.

The dependence on the Teleprompter is very relevant because it puts the lie to the notion that Obama is an original thinker with important, innovative ideas to move this country forward. If he was and if he was confident in his convictions, the power of his arguments and his own intellect, confident in his actual ability to "think on his feet" and effectively articulate his ideas, he wouldn't depend so neurotically on the Teleprompter. He does so precisely because he knows what 47% of the voting public knew on November 4: he's in way over his head, inexperienced and in no way "ready for primetime." Many more Americans are quickly figuring this out --- almost as fast as Uhuhuhbama.

As if Bush never used a teleprompter - which made his mangling of the English language even more remarkable.

While I agree that there are more important things than whether or not the President uses a teleprompter, it cannot be denied that nearly all of his early credibility as "candidate Obama" was gained on our fascination with his abilities as a speaker. His speaking abilities were interpreted as a sign of extraordinary wisdom, intelligence, insight, and thoughtfulness. Rather than fairly exploring his competancies in these areas, we were compelled to accept these competancies as genuine based largely on his stylistic delivery of speeches. Few who supported him did not cheerfully welcome the broadening of merit provided their candidate as a result of this society's willingness to draw elaborate conclusions about the man.

When Sarah Palin made her speech at the convention, the dems cried out: "Oh, she read it from a teleprompter! She just read what somebody else wrote. She's too stupid to have written it herself." No now we get Nobama reading words that somebody else wrote on the teleprompter. But we're supposed to believe that he's smart and articulate. He just reads what somebody else wrote, because he's too stupid to have any original thoughts of his own. As usual, the Democrat double standard is at work here. And who writes his speeches? George Soros? Bill Ayers?

Obama's reliance on the teleprompter reminds me of the great Oz in the wizard of Oz. It only begs to ask, Who is behind the curtain? By the way, the last time Obama was off of the teleprompter, he gave us Joe the Plumber. He can not go off of the teleprompter because he is afraid he may reveal what his ultimate goal is... (destruction of capitalizm, redistribution of wealth (except his own), etc.)

Dear Mr. Cirucci, Your guy lost. Get over it. And if you really want me to take you seriously as someone who is an expert in communication, it would help if you came from somewhere other than one of the Penn State campuses. I've seen your graduates. I'm not impressed.
Republicans are such paethetic, petty and stupid people. Go away creeps! Obamma is a very good communicator. He didn't have a tele-prompter or notes during the debates and he outshone both the Republicans and other Democrats. He's giving lots of press conference and is discussing many complex issues. That's why he using the tele-prompter. Reagan had a great memory until he testified about the Iran-Contra scandal. Then he seemed to forget everything. The "art of memorization"? What's that? I spent 25 years in theatre and have no idea what you're talking about. Neither do you.

Don't they all use tele-prompters? Didn't Bush? What a bunch of stupid sh*t to point out.

In the past, they've all used teleprompters for major speeches, not for small, short announcements and introductions. The difference is, Barry and his handlers have sold him based largely on his eloquence and his Kennedyesque ability to speak. As it turns out, off the 'prompter he hems and haws ("uh...uh...uh...," "aaaaaaannnnd") and makes stupid social faux pas (Nancy Reagan seances, fat Jessica Simpson, Special Olympics bowling skills) worse than George W. Bush, whose fumbles were more often than not a function of his dyslexia. The social faux pas are especially telling because it reveals an apparently insecure man who, while possessing no real sense of self-deprecating humor, certainly has a mean streak for trying to get laughs at others' expense, even the handicapped.

Thanks, everybody!

Obama No Great Orator

What's one of the first things you think of when I say "Barack Obama"?
Gifted orator, right?
After all, it was his speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention that catapulted him to prominence in the first place. And ever since then, he's electrified the nation and the world with his oratorical prowess.
That's the quickie version of the Obama the Orator story. But what if I told you that the president actually isn't a very adept or versatile public speaker.
Would you believe me? Well, let me explain. . . .
To read the rest of my column from today's Philadelphia Daily News, click here.

Obama: Tedious, Boring, Failing

Michael Wolff (of Vanity Fair) on Barack Obama at Newser.com:
The guy just doesn’t know what to say. He can’t connect. Emotions are here, he’s over there. He can’t get the words to match the situation.This began, I’d argue, from the first moment. He punted on the inaugural. Everybody ran around like crazy trying to praise it because if Barack Obama couldn’t give a speech then what? But now, at week 11, we’re face-to-face with the reality, the man can’t talk worth a damn. . . .
He’s cold; he’s prickly; he’s uncomfortable; he’s not funny; and he’s getting awfully tedious. He thinks it’s all about him. That we want him for himself—that he doesn’t have to seduce, charm, surprise, show some skin.
It’s instructive and humorous to remember that Carter ran a brilliant campaign that succeeded largely because his voice was new. Simple, direct, basic, human. And then, of course, he turned into a sad-sack twit.
What happens when you move into the White House?
Well, shit, of course.
The true secret of the power of language is in quickness. Barack Obama can’t keep up. He evidently needs too much preparation. And then there’s the organization. He’s undoubtedly got too many people debating what he should say.
That’s the other secret of language: You’ve got to just go for it. Can’t think too much about it. It’s like hitting the ball.
And then there’s knowing who you want to be—which is different than knowing who you are. You’re on the stage. You’re acting. You’ve got to make yourself believable, cleverly make yourself up as you go along.
This guy is leaden and this show is in trouble.

'Great' Orator's Constant Crutch

From Carol E. Lee at Politico:
President Barack Obama doesn’t go anywhere without his TelePrompter.
The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president’s prepared remarks follow him wherever he speaks. Resting on top of a tall, narrow pole, they flank his podium during speeches in the White House’s stately parlors.
They stood next to him on the floor of a manufacturing plant in Indiana as he pitched his economic stimulus plan. They traveled to the Department of Transportation this week and were in the Capitol Rotunda last month when he paid tribute to Abraham Lincoln in six-minute prepared remarks.
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. After the teleprompter malfunctioned a few times last summer and Obama delivered some less-than-soaring speeches, reports surfaced that he was training to wean himself off of the device while on vacation in Hawaii. But no luck.
His use of the teleprompter makes work tricky for the television crews and photographers trying to capture an image of the president announcing a new Cabinet secretary or housing plan without a pane of glass blocking his face.
And it is a startling sight to see such sleek, modern technology set against the mahogany doors and Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the East Room or the marble columns of Grand Foyer. “It’s just something presidents haven’t done,” said Martha Joynt Kumar, a presidential historian who has held court in the White House since December of 1975. “It’s jarring to the eye. In a way it stands in the middle between the audience and the president because his eye is on the teleprompter.”
Obama has relied on a teleprompter through even the shortest announcements and when repeating the same lines on his economic stimulus plan that he's been saying for months – whereas past presidents have mostly worked off of notes on the podium except during major speeches, such as the State of the Union. . . .
In a break from his routine, Obama did not use a teleprompter during his pre-inauguration speech at a factory in Bedford Heights, Ohio - and his delivery seemed to suffer. He paused too long at parts. He accentuated the wrong words. And overall he sounded hesitant and halting as he spoke from the prepared remarks on the podium. . . .
Before Obama entered a room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Wednesday to announce his crackdown on defense contracts, a CNN reporter asked an Obama aide if the teleprompter could be moved further away from the podium or lowered. The answer was an unequivocal ‘no.’ “He uses them to death,” a television crewmember who also covered the White House under Clinton and Bush, said of the teleprompter. “The problem is he never looks at you. He’s looking left, right, left, right – not at the camera. It’s almost like he’s not making eye contact with the American people.”
Let's face it: A telepromter is a script.
And Obama simply cannot function without a pre-written script.
He's addicted to the script; the teleprompter. He can't give it up.
Why? As someone who has written speeches for people and helped people to speak in public all my life and as someone who teaches public speaking I can only say that this is a sign of insecurity. When you have to use a teleprompter (and speak from a script) all the time you are basically insecure. You're afraid you're gonna mess up.
I teach college students how to conquer this fear. I will not let them speak from a script. They must learn to speak extemporaneously without messing up.
But Obama messes up without the prompter. He cannot master the most common speaking style of the modern age; one that incorporates extemporaneous and/or impromptu remarks. He's incapable of being clear, lucid, articulate without a manuscript.
One other thing: He may actually like the "wall" that the prompter seems to create between him and the audience. That desire for some distance may actually be related to his own insecurity.

'The Thrill Is Gone'

From David Zurawik at the Baltimore Sun:
After watching President Barack Obama's first primetime news conference, I am beginning to think the thrill is gone -- his TV magic and mojo have deserted him. Maybe, folks like me were just a little too quick in elevating him to the pantheon of great radio and TV communicators like Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan as masters of the media of their times. . . .
From the very start of the president's opening statement, it was clear that he was not on his A-game. As opposed to the easy-going, relaxed rhythm of his speeches during the campaign, as well as the news conferences he held as president-elect, he was rushing his words -- talking at a speed that seemed about one-third faster than he normally speaks.
It was almost as if he had too much adrenaline -- or his mouth could not keep up with his mind. Whatever the reason, he stumbled over a few words, and lost the power of that measured, colloquial rhythm he used during the campaign and just after the election to make it sound as if he was talking directly and personally to each and every viewer out in TV Land.
One of the results of his rhetorical shortcomings is that he failed to humanize the people of Elkhart, Ind., whom he had visited earlier in the day. He wanted to hold the suffering of those who had lost their jobs in the Heartland up against what he sees as the indifference of those in Congress who by voting against the plan are, in Obama's estimation, unwilling to do anything to help.
But even though he opened and closed the session with talk of the victims of the economic meltdown who are living in Elkhart, he never managed to make viewers feel their pain. And so, his argument was tremendously weakened.
In general, it is not a good thing on TV to come across as uptight and defensive. And while Obama will never be confused with Richard Nixon in this regard, he did worse on both counts than I have ever seen him do on the tube.
In the end, maybe the worst result of him not being on the top of his rhetorical game is that he was never able to redeem his malaise-drenched message of what a crisis he inherited with any vision of better days ahead -- no matter how far down the road they might be.
Near the end of the session, he called himself an "eternal optimist" and expressed his faith that we will "solve these problems." But he didn't have his TV game together enough to make us believe.