Will Obama miss an opportunity ?

[Nick at Noon]

I offer this thought -- only for the purposes of constructive criticism.

I was not a fan of Obama before the election. I backed Hillary. Having said that, I want to see him succeed because we in the USA are at a very precarious point in our history. After eight years of croney capitalism and being led by a reprehensible nerd, we need a great leader.

Obama could be that leader -- except for one thing.

Only in the past month have I actually watched Obama make speeches on TV. And I noticed something that I'm sure millions of other well meaning -- but cautious Americans noticed.

Let me first make a general observation about the times. We are in deep trouble and the only way to survive is to introduce many changes and regulations that may not be popular. To do this the President must be able to SELL his program to the American people.

We all remember Reagan. Like him or not, no honest person denies his ability to "sell" to the American people. How did he do it ? He'd look into the TV camera, right at the American people -- lay down his stack of 3X5 cards -- wipe a tear from his eye and look DIRECTLY at us. He would then drop a load bull shit on us -- and many of us would buy it from this "most sincere" man.

The whole key to selling to the American public is "looking them in the eye". Obama -- with his use of teleprompters -- does not do this. It's very disconcerting to sit at home watching the TV and never catch our leaders eye. He looks to his left, then to his right -- but NEVER AT US !

That has been alright until now. And it will always be OK with Obama supporters. But other Americans have been so glad to get rid of Bush -- they have cut Obama an enormous amount of slack. And as the days pass, and memories of Bush fade, and the pain mounts -- a selling job will be necessary.

I ask those close to Obama to get him to LOOK at the American people and SELL them on his changes.

Otherwise I fear he will miss a great opportunity.

A friend

[countingbluecars]

1. How is it that he connected with so many

people during his campaign? I feel like he is talking to me and for me when he speaks.

[Nick at Noon]

12. He does well talking to the choir

I suppose that is why the choir is always behind the preacher.

But when it comes to convincing the masses, who neither love him or hate him, he needs to connect to them by looking at them.

Would you buy an insurance policy or a used car from a man who never looked at you ? I wouldn't.

The times are too dangerous and the potential rewards are too great to let an opportunity get by us. Just because it hurts our feeling to think our leader is less than perfect.

Obama is a good man, and in three years we will know if he is a great president. He can only be great if he convinces the middle of the roaders. Being overly sensitive will not help the cause.

I meant this post as constructive criticism. It is possible I am wrong. But only a fool resents such an honest effort.

[countingbluecars]

14. Maybe he hasn't convinced you,

but 65% of the American people approve of the job Obama is doing. That's a pretty good sized "choir". You know, I am beginning to doubt that you really are a friend. "Choir" seems to be the new "cheerleader".

[stillcool]

23. um..I guess you weren't around..

during the campaign? Didn't see those thousands upon thousands of Americans he was 'connecting' with? Are the American people the 'choir'? Or does it only matter what the talking heads and right-wing nut jobs think?

[vaberella]

2. I'm ready to call your post BS....I gave you the benefit of the doubt until the statement below:

You're throwing out a weak RW talking point about "his use of a teleprompter" ---WTF?!

[Nick at Noon]

16. Uh, oh ! Toto we aren't in Kansas anymore

I had no idea that the RW had copyrights on thoughts and ideas.

Do as you wish. I had rather to strive for improvement and win in the long run. However, I sure do not want to offend any sensitive soul on the way there.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. *cough*

[BlooInBloo]

4. You write better than the average bullshitter.

[Aloha Spirit]

5. Don't fret, your concerns will disappear once you watch more of his speeches, including his weekly

addresses.
If you have any trouble finding them, let me know.

[Political Tiger]

6. Bush looked people straight in the eyes all the time

and did nothing but lie.

And considering Obama's high favorable ratings, I don't think most people share your concern.

[Uzybone]

7. thanks for your concern

I completely disagree, the last thing Americans want right now is another actor on the TV screen. We have had enough of that.

That said I appreciate your thoughts.

[Thrill]

8. Get out of here with this freeper bullshit

Teleprompter? Give me a break.

Obama looks right in the camera every week in his weekly address if it makes you feel better

[Bluenorthwest]

9. This is not an informed opinion

Ever used a teleprompter? Of course not. Those who have know what the word 'prompt' means. The President is not reading the promter, he is taking cues from it when needed. This allows a skilled speaker to focus on the moment more freely, rather than upon the memory trick-and that is what it is, a trick. Memorization to the point of liberation from the text is a time consuming process, one that no President should indulge in often. Grabbing your outline headers from the promter lets a speaker stop thinking about what comes next, and instead focus on what is being said right now.
There are many ways to do such prompting. Gibb's podium has at least one screen on it. Why do you think that is?
The President uses the prompter in the same way people used to use Index Card notes. To keep track of the flow from point to point. He is not 'cold reading' those prompters. He speaks most often to the people actually in the room, as he should. The prompters being 'up' where paper notes need to be looked down upon allows for more connection, not less.
Anyone who wishes to can learn more about what people look like using prompters by watching Awards shows and the like. You see people reading them, cold, and it looks like they are doing so. Even Oscar winning actors look to be reading it when they are reading it. The difference between that and the President is glaringly obvious. The President has less skill in hiding the reading than do the actors. Want to really see what the prompter looks like badly used? Watch recording artists hand out awards on TV.
In closing, I'll say that the people I have seen who had extreme problems with memory used in the ear wires, which are easier than constant reading, which in itself is not as easy as one might think.
Just saying, such things are not mysteries.

[scheming daemons]

10. Every major speech that each of the past 4 Presidents made used a teleprompter

This is a RW bullshit meme.

The OP is highly suspicious.

[Nick at Noon]

11. True, but the others

occasionlly looked at their audience. The TV audience.

[asphalt.jungle]

13. You people are so transparent

ending with a friend, doesn't hide the fact that it's still nonsense wingnut talking points (not even sane republicans, it's the crazy end of the party). A teleprompter isn't something new, all presidents (and presidential candidates) give speeches from them. The location of the teleprompter also serves a purpose. If he's giving a speech in a room, the prompters are placed to his left and right so that the television viewer can see him appear to connect with the people in the room. When he had his prime time press conferences and did the prepared remarks bit for for the first 5 minutes, one big teleprompter was placed on the back wall so that he could look directly into the camera and make eye contact with the American people since he was talking to them. When he's giving his weekly address (and all previous presidents) the teleprompter is directly in front of them (that one is like a television), so that like a television anchor they talk directly to the viewer. The objective of a speech isn't always to make eye contact with the television viewer.

And using a teleprompter isn't even easy, previous presidents have struggled with it because they are mistrusting of the words that are coming next. Since Obama is a writer and is active in the speech writing process, he trusts the words that are going to appear. Andrea Mitchell from MSNBC can't even read from the thing and that's her job. The prompter doesn't speak for you. You need the oratory skills to get the job done, Bush used prompters and failed time and time again.

[Nick at Noon]

19. It is if he needs their support

Especially if the idea is new and the audience is leery of him.

The objective of a speech isn't always to make eye contact with the television viewer.

[asphalt.jungle]

21. He can't be in a packed auditorium looking directly into a camera

Television evangelists have a church audience that they are talking to while they are taping the production. When it's broadcasted to the television viewers the pastor doesn't suddenly look into the camera lens and the message isn't lost on those watching on tv because the pastor is talking to the congregation. The format of this is a televised speech to a university audience.

In this recap notice the wording by the writer:

"You have the ability to reimagine the world," Obama to young Muslims at Cairo University.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/06/in-cairo-obama-knocks-it-out-o.html

[Number23]

22. Also, does it not occur to people that perhaps he's looking "left and right"

in an effort to look into the faces of the crowd right in front of him??

This is the stupidest effing post I've seen on DU today. And there have been alot of contenders. You can always tell when Obama is doing something right because the Obama haters are either totally silent or come up with the stupidest isht in the world to try to make him look bad.

[elocs]

15. Ahh yes, the always and ever present "constructive criticism".

Where would we be here at DU without it? Especially constructive criticism from "a friend".

[Nick at Noon]

17. Probably in the White House for the past eight years...

... had you listened to some in 2000.

[scheming daemons]

18. Maybe the reason Obama is so popular is...

He does NOT resort to the tired old "stagecraft" that Reagan and Clinton used, but instead talks to his audience like adults.

Maybe Americans have begun to realize that it is precisely the snake-oil salesman who does the "look them in the eye and show real emotion" thing, but that the true LEADER leads with his words.

Very few Americans ever saw FDR give a speech live and "look into their eyes".

And yet... Americans would go through a wall for the guy.



You're post is EXACTLY what a RW troll would post. Your judgement has already proven to be flawed, in that you say you supported Clinton in the primaries... (I'm guessing you supported her in the way that Rush Limbaugh did).


You guys are fearful of what Obama can and has already accomplished. So you go for nonsense like the "teleprompter" thing.


Nice try.

[Political Heretic]

20. I'd be more concerned about his ability to drop a load of bullshit on us than him looking at me

Obama's eloquence has gone from a blessing to a curse for me. Every time he speaks is wow's stary-eye battered democrats who treat him like some adored superstar rather than the political leader of one of the most fucked up and broken political systems on the planet.

Somehow his eloquence causes so many people to suddenly lose all skepticism, all push for accountability, all interest in actually analyzing policy or advocating truly bold (instead of triangulating compromise) action.

That scares the shit out of me. I don't know which is more dangerous - a total buffoon in office that no one likes who isn't doing what the country neeeds or a brilliant speaker that everyone likes who isn't doing what the country needs.

[stillcool]

24. That sounds so primaryish...

Communicating, and having a spokesman for this country who is as good as Obama I see as a good thing, but then I guess I'm just an Obamabot, drinking up the kool-aid.

[AtomicKitten]

25. Teleprompter? Seriously?

This slam de jour has already run the wingnut and PUMA circuit.

Which one are you?

[JeffR]

26. Very constructive, indeed, friend!

What's your next recycled and stale talking point? I just want to plan ahead.

It might be easier to look directly AT YOU if you'd just stay still long enough, rather than hemming and hawing about your real feelings. No?