When I watched Obama’s speech, my initial reaction was that it was one of his worst. Still, he had greater fluency that does George W. Bush in most of his addresses.
The Democratic nominee came across as distance and, at times, angry. He didn’t seem to connect to the crowd, though I have read reaction online that many at Invesco Field were move by their candidates’ remarks.
In listening to television commentary and reading blog and pundit reviews of the speech, what struck me was the great diversity of views. On FoxNews, Dick Morris called it one of the greatest speeches ever. Charles Krauthammer, with whom I normally agree on most things political, thought it wasn’t a great speech but a smart one. He thought it worked.
Bill Kristol offered a similar assessment.
Michael Barone was not so impressed. While less critical than yours truly, he thought the speech was “workmanlike rather than . . . inspirational.” He also pointed out that it’s “pretty easy to refute” Obama’s “notion that John McCain is the (90 percent) same as George W. Bush.” Thus, he concludes “that the major themes of Obama’s speech . . . may not be sustainable.”
In a similar vein, Athena (AKA Peggy Noonan) doesn’t think that “six months from now,” people are “going to remember what he said.” Well, she did say they’d “remember the Parthenon” which, after all, is her temple.
Simply put, “there were things about it that didn’t work.”
Noonan said those who described the speech as symphony were engaged in “fatuous suck-upping.” And Peggy has crafted some pretty symphonic addresses of her own.
Well, with Peggy calling the speech a “flop-a-lini,” I think I’m on pretty solid ground with my criticisms.
(Via a reader who found the link here.)
More commentary here as well as the video which I couldn’t manage to upload.
40 million plus watched or heard. one hell of a failure.
sorry bruce, can’t let this one slip by…..everyone one in the bush family has, ” greater fluency that does George W. Bush ” as do most of us.
And 20 million turned to the other 20 million and said, “*That’s it? That’s what the hype was about?”
There was a certain Matrix Revolutions quality to the ratio between hype and what Obama delivered. As with Matrix Revolutions, it was obvious a lot of money went into the production, but the product was talky, unfocused, and contained nothing memorable.
[And I’ll leave aside the topic of michael pining for the days when inferior children were put to death so that the genetic purity of the Fatherland was protected for another time.]
you are such a brownshirt vinnie, dismissed. this election is over. i do remember your comments when i reported in to report that gonzo was toast and your denial. good luck bud.
Actually, michael, I believe you and Barack Obama are the ones arguing that Sarah Palin is bad because, quote, she “knowningly lets a genetically defective child into this overpopulated world vs a redo on the pregnancy. ya, a clear thinking woman…”
When did barack obama make any comment on Sarah Palin’s baby?
Um never, douche.
It’s his *supporters*, Tim O. You know… people like you.
(or in fairness… like michael… and some of the Daily Kos types)
so like you are telling me NDT that it is saner to give birth to a trisomy and waste the resources than abort and try again.
“michael’s” same logic would apply to a child who was born congenitally deaf as well.
Here’s a pic of the baby michael thinks should have been killed for the good of the genetic purity of the Fatherland.
sorry V, 403/404.
Yes, michael, for one simple reason; I have never met a person with Down syndrome that I, or their parents, would call a “waste of resources”. The Democrat Party and Barack Obama do, but I don’t.
OMG! I can’t believe comments regarding the “trisomy”.
Did everyone forget the genetic testing that was being promoted to weed out the homosexuals!
I am offended and embarrassed that someone here is justifying the idea of a “do-over”.
GOD help us all.
jeb
Safire on The Speech:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/opinion/31safire.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin
Read the whole thing. Just one very small tidbit I hadn’t realized. Apparently,
Delusional?