Robert Gibbs sure does say "uhhhh" a lot.

[Unsane]

Hard to listen to his pressers.

[Cali_Democrat]

1. uhhhhh....

ok

[rurallib]

2. Ari Fliescher and Dana Perino and Tony Snow didn't

Which would you rather have?

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rurallib]

23. Uh - I think that was uncalled for.

[PBS Poll-435]

24. It was

nt

[Cha]

37. Totally and it

was stupid.

[Cali_Democrat]

26. ....

:wtf:

[JeffreyWilliamson]

3. He's gradually getting better with the overall flow...

Seems like he's getting more comfortable.

Also, Chuck Todd sure seems like an ass. He didn't necessarily say anything ass-ish yet, but he sure still looks like an ass.

[bdamomma]

5. chuck todd is an a$$.

he always wants to stir the pot. jerk.

[jenmito]

9. So is Jake Tapper. n/t

[ErinBerin84]

13. Ed Henry usually is too

(I'm not watching now, but he always seems to get in like 6 questions). And the other day on Dobbs, he referenced the wrong (non-existent? whatever) CBO report and said "It's interesting to hear Liberals attacking the CBO now that they have proved that the stimulus won't be that effective" or something.

[jenmito]

21. Yeah. He seems to try to get something "newsworthy" so they could show it repeatedly

on CNN.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

14. Yup...

Both started trying to earn their ass credentials on day one.

I tuned in a little late today. I haven't seem either of them go out of their way yet, but I might have missed it.

[vaberella]

10. No doubt. He's a jerk. Him and the Washington Post people....n/t

[Alexander]

4. So does his boss. So?

Obama is widely regarded as an effective communicator despite that habit.

[napoleon_in_rags]

34. Its just a matter of context.

When Obama gives speeches, not a single 'uh'. During informal conversations with reporters, you get the 'uh's, but the listener tolerates it because in normal informal speech, 'uh' is used to indicate that you are thinking and not done speaking. So I think its a side effect of trying to create an informal atmosphere in the press conferences, where reporters can ask what they want. The problem is that in the press conferences, its a useless construct because listeners know the reporters will not speak until prompted for the next question. So there is this class of anal retentive liguist types such as myself who are annoyed. :P

[tallahasseedem]

7. Uhhhs happen

when you're actually thinking out an answer instead of repeating talking points. Give me Gibbs any day.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

25. Exactly.

I'll take uhhhs anyday over "I won't comment on an ongoing investigation".

[vaberella]

8. It doesn't bug me and I actually appreciate it. It's the "uhhs" or no one talking to us at all.

I'd rather the fact someone's willing to tell us what's going on and keeping us up to date. Secondly, because he's thinking of what he's saying rather than spouting gibberish.

Compare him to Palin. I'd rather have his "uhhs" over "also and to".

[Cash_thatswhatiwant]

11. I agree. nt

[Parker CA]

12. He has made great improvements since his first presser last week.

He's sick today, he's a little slower than he has been the past few days. I think he's great, and the way he allows information to flow and the accessibility he offers into the administration are fantastic.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

18. He's definitely loosening up the more he gets used to it...

I notice the press aren't all acting like rabid dogs today. That probably helps.

[napoleon_in_rags]

15. It was bad when I last saw him. Somebody needs to talk to him about that.

I noticed that too, when I saw him last week. When I learned public speaking in junior high, the teacher said when in doubt, never say 'uh'. So I'm conscious of it. The truth is you can use it, but you need to be aware of when. 'uh' takes all the clarity and certainty out of your tone. Obama is who he should take notes from. Obama can be completely crystal clear when making a point with no 'uh's, but when he's asked about something he's flexible on, or is under consideration, Obama does say 'uh', and it comes across as okay. But saying 'uh' every other word makes him sound like he's not sure about a thing. IT makes him sound kind of wishy washy or something.

[vaberella]

16. Once again...at least he's talking to us. I went through 8 years of a closed door policy.

They're trying to do something for us.

[napoleon_in_rags]

17. Yeah, were talking nicks on paint vs a bad engine.

This guys a purring engine who needs a few touch ups on the exterior, Bush's guys where cherry on the outside with the engine barely turning over. Big diff.

[Parker CA]

20. Yep. And he is specifically making an effort to be clear about the words that come from his mouth.

Sometimes this takes uhh's and umm's. There is no teleprompter, the questions are not pre-selected, and he is not spouting talking points.

[kestrel91316]

19. Stop the presses! Gibbs says UHHHHH too much!!!!

I dunno, some of us are more concerned about REAL LIFE ISSUES, like the economy and civil rights and ending the war.

[alwysdrunk]

22. This guy really needs to be replaced

He can't even fucking talk! I just posted another thread about this before I saw this one. How the hell did he get hired to do THIS?

[JeffreyWilliamson]

28. Encore, please!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgn6rjGbp0c

[11 Bravo]

27. That's the difference between parrotting talking points and formulating a thoughtful answer.

Snow and Perino didn't say "uhh" because they had their responses memorized. They didn't give a shit what the question was, they had a set of pre-programmed talking points which they spewed out even when they didn't make any sense.

[underpants]

29. Exactly- Gibbs does give some looong press conferences though

and I wish he would point out the difference between "politics" and "governance"

[Still Sensible]

30. Ding Ding Ding

hammer meets nail

[Unsane]

31. there's a difference between poor and good public speaking

has nothing to do with politics

[WyLoochka]

32. I can't remember any

of the people in this position who didn't use uhs when thinking. And that's all the way back to JFK's admin.

Geez - you try it sometime.

Gibbs is saying the things Obama wants him to say - carefully - just like his boss does. What are you trying to accomplish with this complaint about nothing - knock a very important leg out from "under the stool"?

[napoleon_in_rags]

33. The Uh's can be a distraction, which makes the message less memorable.

Its not a huge thing, but its a small important thing he can fix. 'Uh' in normal communication is used to indicate that the speaker is pausing to think, but has not finished speaking, has more to say. When speaking in public one does not need to send this message, as the audience will wait, they will not interrupt if one thinks in silence. Its a small common public speaking issue, a habit that is fairly quickly and easily broken that leads to clearer stronger public speaking. So its not a big deal, but its worth dealing with.

[TeamJordan23]

35. So does Obama. He is human. nm

[Hieronymus]

36. SO?

[WI_DEM]

38. Ok, he better not be appointed US Senator from New York.